sloar 

Has anyone used one of these? I picked one up for $5 and considering using it for loaded tours. Just curious if it will hold up.

stardognine

No experience with their lowriders, but Nashbar stuff always seemed like decent quality to me. I had a couple pair of their bike shorts, and they were comfy, plus very breathable, before that was really a thing. 🤔😉

I have an old pair of Jim Blackburn lowriders, mounted on my forks for awhile now, but I need to figure out how to improvise that bottom hook thingy. My old Cannondale panniers don't want to hook on right, so I've been just leaving them on the top rack, lol. It'll come together, when the time is right. 🙄😁

staehpj1

Yeah worked out fine. Our group on the Trans America had a couple and they held up fine for that tour and other subsequent tours. We were packed pretty heavvy on the TA. I even used one for use with the entire load on the front (except for the tent which was on the rear rack) on another longish tour. That was with a lightish total load, but with all of it on the front the rack was loaded pretty heavy. Never had any issues.

I have used a lot of nashbar stuff and been pretty happy with it especially for the price.

Trueblood

I am looking for one of the classic low rider front racks. Nashbar used to have them, it is basically a copy of the original Blackburn low rider. Can't see to find them anymore. Looking to use it on a C&V bike with eyelets but no braze-ons.

Miele Man

I have a front low-rider rack that I bought many years ago from Nashbar and paid USD $19.99 for. I like it a lot and I find it works very well because the front hoop goes all the way to the front fork bottom unlike the old Vetta rack that was similar but had the hoop only as far as the top of the rack and that caused my buddy's Vetta rack to sway to the point of failure.

Here are two images of my Nashbar low-rider rack on two of my different bikes. The black Miele Bicycle also has a front deck-rack for putting light-weight items on.

Is t hat the rack you are asking about?




Cheers

Trueblood

Yep, that's the one. I don't have braze-ons on one bike, so I want the strength of the hoop over the tires, but I also don't want any sort of platform that some low rider racks have these days. Your second photo shows what I am looking for. Thanks!

Miele Man

Those two photos are of the same rack just on different bikes. The black bike is the bike I later put the rack on. Neither bike has braze-ons for the rack. I like the extra rack with the platform as I can carry something lightweight on it. I also often mount my headlight on the front of that platform rack. You can see that light at the front of the rack in the first image. With the light low like that it shows imperfections in the road better than when the light is mounted on the handlebar and it leaves the handlebar free to have a handlebar bag on it for snacks, camera or other items I might want quick access to such as a rain jacket in threatening weather.

Cheers

Trueblood

Thanks for that, yeah, i gathered it was the same rack with an additional platform rack added in the first photo. I wish I could find the same sort of low rider rack these days. They work well, and were not all that expensive. The is an Arkel, which is somewhat equivalent, but it is very pricy - https://www.arkel-od.com/ac-lowrider/ I would think there is still some demand for a simple low rider rack with the hoop over the tire with no upper deck that doesn't break the bank.

stardognine

I like the idea of mounting a light on the front platform. 👍 I just use my front platform for my tent, which isn't very heavy, but it sure makes it easier to Bungie my 2 sleeping bags on the rear rack. None of those weigh much, they're just bulky. 😉

Trueblood

Yep, I have the equivalent of one of those sunlite mini racks, which attach to the cantilever brakes, on my touring bike, in addition to the blackburn low rider rack. I also have a light attached to the front of the mini rack/platform. Works well, as you say. I have another older road bike that I was hoping to add a plain front low rider rack to. I find the steering a little skittish using rear panniers on it for commuting, even though I don't carry too much weight in the bags.