Somerville, I think you should put a rack on if you have a lot you need to carry and your bike is equipped with eyelets. My bianchi road bike has a rack I put on for tours even though there was no eyelets on the seat post stays. My DH put old tube casing to protect paint-with tarp clips to screw bike rack into. Most all the weight is on the bottom dropout eyelets. Why would a bike be made with only one set of eyelets? Dorkiest of the dork, but I love having my house with me if I need it on the road and my back free.