18Diggy

I've got a Trek Verve 2 and I'm trying to decide on which rack will fit best on the back. I tried the Topeak MTX regular (not the 29er) and it seems to have very very little clearance between the rack and the wheel. I mean, it shouldn't be bouncing around any but it seems awfully close. Normally how much space should there be?

Relatedly, I've had a heck of a time figuring out the wheel size. I guess I could have just tried to measure. :/ But that Topeak rack says it fit either 700c (that's what I have on the Verve 2) or up to 27.5". Problem is, I think my 700c is actually 29". I don't know.

I do have disc brakes, so I gather I need the version made specifically to work with disc

Pics would be awesome, if you can post them, just so I can get an idea of what's a good fit and what's not. I don't want the rack to be TOO high.

Thanks for any insights here.

tyrion

The only 3 problems I can see with a rack very close to the rear tire:
- mud might stick to the tire and scrape on the rack (causing drag and a scratched rack)
- no room for fenders
- can't get bigger tires

I'd prefer at least half an inch of clearance, more if I might get fenders.

"disc brake versions" of racks were designed to accommodate disc brakes that were located above the seat stay - those racks had the struts pushed outward a bit. I don't think you need that kind of rack on a Trek Verve.

Darth Lefty 

About a pinky tall if you don't need fenders, about a thumb wide if you do.

Disc racks were a thing because the brake mounting bolts interfered with the legs if you used the usual mounting hole. So the disc rack mounted to a special skewer. Not great. Most bike companies fixed this by moving the mounting hole UP which makes the rack ride pretty high. Not great. The best fitting racks are the ones that are specific to the bike if there is one. Might not be the best kind of rack, but it will fit great!

18Diggy

I see two types of holes down where the rack would attach. One kind of protrudes a bit, like its a little nub poking out but that has a threaded hole in it. Is that intended to allow use of racks that are not specifically designed to for use with disc bikes? (Can’t post pics yet)

M Rose

Bontrager Makes a rack specifically for the Verve 2 Disk… It’s wider than a normal rack to accommodate the width of the disk.
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/e...olorCode=black.

M Rose

I’ll post pictures of how my rack mounts shortly

18Diggy

That would be awesome!

18Diggy

I just realized, having gotten a Topeak rear rack for disc brakes, than the Verve 2 Disc does not actually require the disc version of that rack. The Verve 2's disc calipers are directly above the horizontal chain stay and not above the seat stay. This placement means the calipers will not interfere in any way with the rear rack's vertical tube that connects the rack to the bike frame. I also think the Verve 2's wheels are 29" and so they need the Topeak Explorer 29er to give the optimum clearance between the rear wheel and bottom of the rack (allowing practical installation of fenders later. A bit of trial and error to figure this out, but luckily, Amazon returns are easy.

alcjphil

According to the Trek website, the stock tire size is 700 x 45. However, 29" wheels are the same diameter as 700c, the difference is that 29" tires are wider than most 700c tires. A wider tire will have a larger diameter than a narrower one so a rack for those larger tires will have to sit a bit higher than if your tires were narrower

JayKay3000

I can confirm. I got a rack that was for a 29inch wheel and it fit's perfectly find on my 700C wheels. I got a disc specific version as well.

18Diggy

Now that I've gotten a two versions of this Topeak explorer rack, I can see you are definitely correct. The calipers for the Verve 2's disc brakes are located just above the chain stay, not the seat stay, and so the calipers do not interfere with the rack's vertical tube at all. What's weird, is that I did not see any info on exactly what the disc versions of the are intended to accomplish - no details on product descriptions saying that the disc versions of the racks are intended to avoid calipers on the seat stays. :/