Rack/Pannier weight

[moderncyclista]

Break one aluminum rack - * with it collapsing into your wheel and throwing you from your bike in heavy traffic - not fun - still have the scars to this day * and "bomb proof" may be a major concern of yours too. Albeit, 3lbs. does seem heavy for a steel rack.

[Catrin]

Break one aluminum rack - * with it collapsing into your wheel and throwing you from your bike in heavy traffic - not fun - still have the scars to this day * and "bomb proof" may be a major concern of yours too. Albeit, 3lbs. does seem heavy for a steel rack.

Surly's site says that the front rack is 2.95 pounds and the rear 2.45 pounds - this includes all of the hardware and so forth to attach them to the bike. I do find it interesting that the rear rack is lighter than the front - but I don't know much about this. http://surlybikes.com/blog/spew/13_-...chnical_stuff/

I doubt that I will get the front rack...

[moderncyclista]

Yeah, there are much lighter ones that'll do the job. You might only want a rear rack - unless you do heavily loaded touring. A rear rack is handy though - I recommend one. Even after my bad personal experiences with aluminum ones. I had a really sturdy Blackburn Trail aluminum rack on one of my old bikes. Hauled like a champ. I guess I'm kind of paranoid about breakage now, I can keep the one I have for now.

[DebW]

The Tubus Logo (chromoly) or Cosmo (stainless steel) are great racks. Very stiff and with a lower bar for mounting paniers. And fender mounting holes on the rack.

[PscyclePath]

I put Delta Megaracks on my Trucker, front and rear, along with two bottle cages. Total weight of the bike before adding bottles and panniers is 33 pounds, 12 ounces.

What I've found over the past month or so is that whether I'm riding the Trucker loaded or fully loaded, it handles pretty much the same. Just be sure to balance your load, and you should be okay.

Tom

[skhill]

Back to the original question, just putting on racks/fenders shouldn't affect handling. But the load you put on the rack sure can... On a recent trip to the supermarket, I got carried away, and ended up with less than 5 lbs of fragile stuff in one pannier, and 20+ lbs in the other. Handling was absolutely affected; thankfully it was only 2 miles home.

Enjoy your Surly!

[bikerHen]

The Tubus Logo (chromoly) or Cosmo (stainless steel) are great racks. Very stiff and with a lower bar for mounting paniers. And fender mounting holes on the rack.

The Cosmo is what I have and it's very solid, strong and lightweight. I haven't really loaded it up yet, except for a run to the store. I ended up carrying two half gallons of milk, one half gallon of orange juice and other assorted items. Not really sure what I was thinking. I had more trouble fitting everything into the panniers than the actual carrying for the 3 mile ride home.

Fenders are a must have on any commuter bike, IMO. I really labored over putting the back rack on the Surly because of the extra weight. Since I took the plunge and did it, I'm very happy with the rack/pannier option. And no, there is no difference in handling. The Surly's are made to carry a load and actually seem to handle better when loaded down. Except of course if the wind is blowing!

[shootingstar]

made to carry a load and actually seem to handle better when loaded down. Except of course if the wind is blowing!

When it is windy, I prefer my bike is abit more loaded on the bike, especially on a descent or on a bridge. Otherwise I feel as if am pushed sideways by wind. My partner thinks I'm paranoid re my light body weight under wind conditions since I'm short and hence closer to the ground, and at a better advantage in terms of bike balance. I dunno.

I've only cycled with a bike without a back rack when I was a teenager. I don't know any better in terms of bike weight, which can't be a terrible thing if I've gotten this far and still like cycling often. Ignoramus me.