Recommend me a front pannier rack for wifey's bike
#1
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Recommend me a front pannier rack for wifey's bike
Going to do some light touring and bikepacking this summer with my pampered wife. She has a 2016 Trek Crossrip and it has eyelets for a front rack but I’ve never bought one before.
please make a recommendation based on your experience and any pannier recommendations are welcome too.
please make a recommendation based on your experience and any pannier recommendations are welcome too.
Last edited by Toadmeister; 03-15-20 at 04:34 PM.
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Does the crossrip also have mounting eyelets on the inside of the fork blades? If so, the Salsa Down Under rack is a nice, sturdy opion. I have these on my 520, and they are solid. I just dont know about mounting on a fork that only has low rider mounts on the outside of the blades, as the rack might be prone to twisting while loaded with bags - might be okay though.
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Going to do some light touring and bikepacking this summer with pampered wife. She has a 2016 Trek Crossrip and it has eyelets for a front rack but I’ve never bought one before.
please make a recommendation based on your experience and any pannier recommendations are welcome too.
please make a recommendation based on your experience and any pannier recommendations are welcome too.
For panniers, it’s hard to go wrong with Ortlieb. Yes, they are expensive but they last forever. Mine have seen many a tour and are still going strong.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
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Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#4
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Does the crossrip also have mounting eyelets on the inside of the fork blades? If so, the Salsa Down Under rack is a nice, sturdy opion. I have these on my 520, and they are solid. I just dont know about mounting on a fork that only has low rider mounts on the outside of the blades, as the rack might be prone to twisting while loaded with bags - might be okay though.
I researched that Salsa rack and like you said, it really needs the inside eyelets for stability so I don't think it will work well here. A cross member is needed over the tire for stability.
Added pic
Last edited by Toadmeister; 03-15-20 at 09:30 AM.
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Tubus Tara. Rugged and simple. You’ll probably have to get creative around the disc caliper but you’ll have to do that with any front rack.
For panniers, it’s hard to go wrong with Ortlieb. Yes, they are expensive but they last forever. Mine have seen many a tour and are still going strong.
For panniers, it’s hard to go wrong with Ortlieb. Yes, they are expensive but they last forever. Mine have seen many a tour and are still going strong.
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Tubus Tara. Rugged and simple. You’ll probably have to get creative around the disc caliper but you’ll have to do that with any front rack..
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I use a Tubus Tara front rack with Ortlieb panniers; they work very well together. My wife rode across the country using Ortlieb Packer Plus front panniers on her rear rack.
Ortlieb Sport Packer Plus panniers used on the rear rack.
This is my set up, Tubus Tara with Orlieb Front Roller panniers.
Ortlieb Sport Packer Plus panniers used on the rear rack.
This is my set up, Tubus Tara with Orlieb Front Roller panniers.
Last edited by Doug64; 03-15-20 at 05:13 PM.
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I use a Tara on my Lynskey, I have a 2004 LHT rim brake fork on that bike and the rack fits well.
I think the Tara is a great rack if it fits well, but it does not have very much adjustment to get the top bar horizontal to some forks. My point is that you almost have to install the rack to find out if it fits well on any particular bike. The Tara was designed back when virtually all forks had a curve to their fork blades. And designed before disc brakes became common. I bought a Tara for a different bike and it did not fit well at all, but fortunately later found it to work great on the Lynskey.
On one of my bikes I found the Tubus Ergo to fit better (that is also a rim brake bike), the Ergo I think is discontinued but a few retailers still have it. It has a bit more adjustment to it than the Tara.
I think the Tara is a great rack if it fits well, but it does not have very much adjustment to get the top bar horizontal to some forks. My point is that you almost have to install the rack to find out if it fits well on any particular bike. The Tara was designed back when virtually all forks had a curve to their fork blades. And designed before disc brakes became common. I bought a Tara for a different bike and it did not fit well at all, but fortunately later found it to work great on the Lynskey.
On one of my bikes I found the Tubus Ergo to fit better (that is also a rim brake bike), the Ergo I think is discontinued but a few retailers still have it. It has a bit more adjustment to it than the Tara.
#10
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Perhaps you should ask her. The right rack might be the one she wants to be seen with. Pampering might require a 70-30, boy-girl weight distribution.
Good luck
Good luck
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#12
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#13
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The Racktime Top-it mounts on the blades and over the wheel, hassle free (racks can always be a bit fiddily).
I belive that you could hang a Ortlieb frontroller on that.
https://hollandbikeshop.com/img/prod...38785-11-l.jpg
Btw. I run the Tubus Tara on my Fuji Touring with rim brakes.
I belive that you could hang a Ortlieb frontroller on that.
https://hollandbikeshop.com/img/prod...38785-11-l.jpg
Btw. I run the Tubus Tara on my Fuji Touring with rim brakes.
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The Racktime Top-it mounts on the blades and over the wheel, hassle free (racks can always be a bit fiddily).
I belive that you could hang a Ortlieb frontroller on that.
https://hollandbikeshop.com/img/prod...38785-11-l.jpg
Btw. I run the Tubus Tara on my Fuji Touring with rim brakes.
I belive that you could hang a Ortlieb frontroller on that.
https://hollandbikeshop.com/img/prod...38785-11-l.jpg
Btw. I run the Tubus Tara on my Fuji Touring with rim brakes.
.
#15
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I would like to recommend to you a front rack, but there are many good ones out there, but the most important help you would get is from an experienced mechanic at a good bike store who is familiar with the common little work arounds that are sometimes needed vis a vis the brake caliper being in the way.
#16
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Another vote for the Tubus Tara. Their design makes it so the panniers get very low. This make the bike super stable on turns. Plus they're essentially indestructible, since the panniers would fail long before the rack. I put the heaviest things in my front panniers which I'd recommend, because it gives more stability and gets some weight off the rear wheel, which already gets the bulk of our bodyweight and camping gear.
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I would like to recommend to you a front rack, but there are many good ones out there, but the most important help you would get is from an experienced mechanic at a good bike store who is familiar with the common little work arounds that are sometimes needed vis a vis the brake caliper being in the way.
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Biggest concern is her disk brake housing getting in the way of rack or bags. Other than doing a fit-up with parts at a bike shop who has inventory, not sure how to be confident.
#19
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Doing and learning bit by bit is normal. A good mechanic can help with ideas of workarounds that we don't think of ourselves, that's been the case with me anyway.
good luck
good luck
#20
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I have run the Tubus Tara in the past, and now use the Racktime Topit. I happen to like the load being a bit higher. For your wife's bike, using the Topit would eliminate disc brake clearance issues as it is installed higher.
#21
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and I would add another voice to the view that riding with front panniers lower down certainly is more stable and easier to ride with, depending on load weight, surfaces you are riding on, and rider biking skills.
unfortunately, the only way for this fellow and his wife to know and judge what they are comfortable with is to actually try the setups....
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I use a Tara on my Lynskey, I have a 2004 LHT rim brake fork on that bike and the rack fits well.
I think the Tara is a great rack if it fits well, but it does not have very much adjustment to get the top bar horizontal to some forks. My point is that you almost have to install the rack to find out if it fits well on any particular bike. The Tara was designed back when virtually all forks had a curve to their fork blades. And designed before disc brakes became common. I bought a Tara for a different bike and it did not fit well at all, but fortunately later found it to work great on the Lynskey.
On one of my bikes I found the Tubus Ergo to fit better (that is also a rim brake bike), the Ergo I think is discontinued but a few retailers still have it. It has a bit more adjustment to it than the Tara.
I think the Tara is a great rack if it fits well, but it does not have very much adjustment to get the top bar horizontal to some forks. My point is that you almost have to install the rack to find out if it fits well on any particular bike. The Tara was designed back when virtually all forks had a curve to their fork blades. And designed before disc brakes became common. I bought a Tara for a different bike and it did not fit well at all, but fortunately later found it to work great on the Lynskey.
On one of my bikes I found the Tubus Ergo to fit better (that is also a rim brake bike), the Ergo I think is discontinued but a few retailers still have it. It has a bit more adjustment to it than the Tara.
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Thanks for everyone's input. No ordered the Tubus Tara from an area shop and will report back how it goes.
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Update: fit up the Tubus Tera today with no problems. Ordered some Ortieb packs for it.
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