Help me choose...racks & bags

[kerrybelle]

So, I just sent Specialized an e-mail asking them about my dilema. I'll see what they have to say about all this.

I look at the picture here: http://www.topeak.com/products/Racks...Rack_discMount and I just can't figure out what the problem is. There has to be something, since 3 people from 2 different shops have told me the same thing.

[Torrilin]

Disc brakes are a real problem with racks. It's usually possible to kludge something together, but it's still a kludge.

Since you have a rigid front end, a front basket may work. Mine handles all sorts of stuff quite well (it's held everything from days worth of produce at the farmer's market to a couple jackets, snacks and books). I'm really happy with it and wish more people had sung the praises of front loads when I was shopping for my first bike.

A lot of people will swear up and down that a front load is a terrible idea. They're wrong. If your bike has nice stable steering, it is probably a good basket candidate. If your bike has a front end that *looks* like it should be relaxed and stable, but it feels a bit twitchy, it's worth trying a front load... some bikes get more stable that way. A really racy bike often won't do well with a front load tho... the handling can get weird.

If you go this route, look for a basket with a rigid mount. Basil and several other European companies make removable baskets using the KlickFix mounting system. Topeak and Wald have their own systems. KlickFix is the only one used by multiple manufacturers, so the others are (of course) incompatible. There are cheaper front baskets that don't have a rigid mount... *not* a good idea if you're using the basket a lot (Velo Orange sells a Basil one that just has hooks for example). Removable baskets usually can't handle more than about 10lbs.

A permanent basket mount (like on Wald's 157) can work too, and might be easier than a rack. That kind of setup can carry more weight than a handlebar mount. It's not as convenient for shopping. The strongest setup is a front rack and permanent basket, but it's rather expensive and can make the bike's handling very strange if it's not designed for heavy front loads.

Handlebar bags tend to have the same weight limits as removable baskets. There are a lot of KlickFix compatible ones out there, which could be convenient in the long run. The big ones tend to be more expensive than a basket and not as useful for shopping and errands, so I'm not a big fan. You can get improvements with a rack/bag setup, but it's got the same caveats as a rack and basket and it costs about 2-3x as much.

[F8th637]

My Kona Sutra has disc brakes but it also has the proper eyelets down there to attach and I've been able to put two different racks on there. The one I had before I just zip-tied to the seat post. It worked great but I recently bought a different rack that has long arms that hit the braze-ons underneath the seat post. You can check the picture here.

I do have the issue you mentioned though with it being too close to the seat post and so I can't really attach an under-the-seat bag there. I use a trunk bag every now and then but typically just stick to a pannier or a shopping basket on the trunk. If you think the rack I just bought might work for you I can give you the details about it.

[kerrybelle]

I got my new rack & bag put on my bike today. I went with this Topeak set-up:

http://www.topeak.com/products/Racks/MTXBeamRackV-Type

http://www.topeak.com/products/Bags/MTXTrunkBagDXP

I was going to go with the basket, to save money, but the LBS ordered me the bag. I was ultimately going to get both, so it wasn't that big of deal to take the bag.

Should work out well for me. Now that my bike is all set up, I'll get a picture & post it on the show your commuter thread.

Thanks for all the help, everyone.

Kerry

[lovelylibrarian]

I tried panniers on my commuter bike but they interfered with my pedal stroke. I'm sure I could have found other ones but I don't like having to take them off and on the bike all the time. I eventually got a rear rack and attached a wire basket to it. It works really well because I'm not limited too much by the size of things I can put in there and I don't have to worry about someone steeling it while my bike is parked. I can fit a whole grocery bag in there or use a mesh bungy cord and attach odd shaped things.