Getting Started:
We're not talking about those things you lock your bike to outside the store or the contraptions you put on your car to haul the bike you should be riding. No, we're talking about bike cargo racks, something of an oddity in this day and age, when bike marketing is all about lighter and faster; bike racks are actually designed to [gasp!] make your bike heavier, or rather, to enable your bike to gracefully handle the heavy loads you need to haul.
Generally, there are two types of bike cargo racks: front and rear. Rear racks have higher weight capacities than their front counterparts, therefore most people who choose to have only one rack pick the rear, for the versatility. However, most rear racks rely on their top rail for pannier mounting, raising the bike's center of mass above the rear axle, which can significantly change the bike's handling characteristics, whereas most front racks feature "lowrider" pannier mounting, directly centered over the front axle, which tends to stabilize your bike. Thus, it can be very advantageous to include both, especially with expedition-class touring loads. Commuters with smaller loads, however, may choose just a front rack, as it will have less overall effect on their bike's handling.
Just like most bikes, bike racks are typically constructed from one of two materials, steel or aluminum, and each has its own, particular advantages. Aluminum racks, such as those from Old Man Mountain, are lighter than steel racks, especially when the metal is tubular. Aluminum is a tried and trusted rack material with high weight capacities. Cheaper racks are also typically made from aluminum, but they use lower-quality, solid struts. Steel racks, such as the Tubus lineup, may weigh a tiny bit more than aluminum racks, but they have one significant advantage: steel is easy to weld and you can find someone in nearly every village or town around the world who can fix your rack.
Probably the most important question to ask when considering a rack is, "will it fit my bike?" Chances are, if you don't have disc brakes or a suspension fork, and your bike's frame incorporates rack eyelets at the dropouts, the answer is, "yes." If this isn't the case, don't worry, you just need to do a little research, as only certain racks will work.
Bike Rack Material:
- Tubular Steel: Lightweight steel racks by Tubus and other manufacturers are very strong, lightweight and when necessary can be fairly easily repaired with standard welding equipment.
- Tubular Aluminum: Ultra Lightweight Tubular Aluminum Racks by Old Man Mountain and RackTime are both incredibly light and strong. They are not as easily field repairable as steel however, Channing Hammond of OMM points out "I have never bought into the notion that you have to have steel items so they can be fixed by some obscure welder. A welder you meet in a developing country is probably set up to weld thick-plate farm equipment, not thin-wallsteel, anyway. For the rare instances when OMM racks have broken, OMM has been able to ship a replacement to the customer very rapidly.
- Aluminum Rod: Racks by Jandd are made from solid aluminum rod. While durable and reliable if welded properly by a quality manufacturer like Jandd, beware of lower quality solid aluminum rod racks that are very susceptible to failure.
Front Rack - Available Mounting Positions for Panniers & Racktop Packs:
- Top Rail: Front racks with a top rail usually also have a top-platform. The upper mounting systems of bicycle panniers are clamped to the top rail. Some front racks such as the Jandd Extreme Front Rack have both top rails and low rider rails offering two positions for mounting front panniers.
- Top Platform: Front racks with upper platforms such as the OMM Cold Springs & Sherpa, Racktime Topit and the Jandd Extreme Front Rack are constructed with a top platform that can be utilized for front rack-top bags or for strapping down items like dry bags or sleeping bags.
- Low Rider Rail: Low rider racks such as the Tubus Tara and the Jandd Low Front Rack offer a low mounting position for bike panniers. The advantage of this style rack is that a lower position for the panniers results in less side-to-side movement of the weight of the panniers when the cyclist is out of the saddle or cornering.
Rear Rack - Available Mounting Positions for Panniers & Racktop Packs:
- Top Rail: Most bicycle racks have a configuration that includes a top rail. This top rail can be utilized for attaching the upper mounts of bike panniers to as well as for placing rack-top bags on top of.
- Top Platform: Bicycle racks will generally have either cross members between the top rails or a platform or a combination of both. OMM Sherpa and Cold Springs racks have a very distinctive plate metal platform while the Tubus Cargo, Logo and Vega racks all have cross members between the top rails but no actual platform.
- Low Rider Rail: The low rider rail is not common on rear racks. Racks that do have the low rider rail offer two distinct benefits for the mounting of bicycle panniers. First, it offers a lower position for the weight of the pannier to be positioned, which is always advantageous for more efficient out of the saddle riding. Second, it offers a more rearward positioning for panniers. Rear racks with low rider rails such as the Tubus Logo can be a useful alternative when there are heel clearance issues with standard racks.
Front Rack - Installation Methods & Positioning:
- Lower Position: Many bicycle's front forks are built standard with lower mounting eyelets. For bicycle forks without lower eyelets, the lower section of racks (such as those by Old Man Mountain) interface against the bicycle fork's dropouts. To secure the rack's lower section, the standard quick release that normally locks the front wheel in place, is swapped out with an extra-long quick release that locks the rack against the fork while also locking the front wheel in place.
- Mid Fork Position: Some bicycle forks are built with a mid-fork eyelet to facilitate the installation of a front bicycle rack. A variation of the mid-fork eyelet is the mid-fork through hole. This rarer style is required for mounting the Tubus Duo. For bicycles that do not have mid-fork eyelets, adapter brackets can be installed. Tubus mid-fork eyelets are great for Tubus racks and are suitable for other racks as well. Jandd and Old Man Mountain both offer stainless steel clamps that can be also be used for mounting front racks to bicycle forks without mid-fork eyelets.
- Brake Bosses: The upper section of Old Man Mountain racks are designed to mount to caliper-style brake bosses. For front forks without brake bosses, utilize the OMM Band Clampsinstead.
- Suspension Fork: Old Man Mountain racks are great for front suspension forks, installing to the forks dropouts and brake bosses (or with the OMM band clamp). Tubus manufacture another style of front suspension rack, designed to mount to the upper section of the suspension forks crown rather than it's lower sliders. The Tubus Swing clamps to the crown and is stabilized by a bracket that goes over the forks steerer tube. This style rack only works with some styles of front suspension forks. (See the Tubus Swing listing for more details)
Rear Rack - Installation Methods & Positioning:
- Lower Position: Many bicycles frames are built standard with rear, lower mounting eyelets. For bicycle frames without lower eyelets, several options are available. Tubus Rear Racks can be mounted with the Tubus qr adapter. Similarly to OMM Front Racks, the lower section of OMM Rear Racks) interface with the bicycle frame's rear dropouts. To secure the rack's lower section, the standard quick release that normally locks the rear wheel into the frame, is exchanged for an extra-long, rear quick release that locks the rack against the frame while also securing the rear wheel in place.
- Upper Position: Most bicycle frames that have lower mounting eyelets also have upper mounting eyelets, though occasionally they will only have the lower eyelets. For frames without upper eyelets, several options are available. As with front racks, Jandd and OMM's stainless steel clamps can be utilized for securing the upper section of the rack. Tubus offers up their own Tubus seat stay mounts for mounting their roundstays to frames without upper eyelets. For bicycles with odd frame configurations, seatpost clamps such as the Sunlight Seatpost Clamp can be utilized to provide an alternative to upper mounting eyelets. This upper mounting method is sometimes a preferred method when mounting bike racks to carbon fiber frames as opposed to utilizing Jandd, OMM or Tubus clamps. Clamps do work fine with carbon fiber frames as long as any of the metal on the clamps is sufficiently buffered from coming in contact with the carbon fiber frame.
- Brake Bosses: The upper section of Old Man Mountain racks are designed to mount to a bicycle frame's caliper-style brake bosses. For bicycle frames without brake bosses, utilize the OMM Band Clampsinstead.
Other Important Considerations:
- Weight/Capacity - Front & Rear Racks: Front racks range in capacity from 25 to 50 pounds while rear racks range from 35 to 90 pounds. In choosing your bike rack setup, part of your consideration should be how much weight you will be carrying and how you will be distributing that weight. When front and rear racks are used, the weight should generally be distributed equally front to back and right to left. Weight distribution should be tested and fine-tuned before setting out on a ride.
- One Rack - Front vs. Rear Racks: When the the capacity of only one rack is needed, a rear rack is the most common choice as it offers the most mounting positions, it does not effect the steering of the bicycle and is the rack position that is the most common. When using only one rack, some cyclist do prefer to use just a front rack because they offer a lower mounting position for bike panniers than do rear racks.
- Light Mounting Options: Most rear racks are built with a rear plate or rail designed to interface with a variety of rear lights such as the .
- Integrated Bag Mounting Rails: Several brands of bicycle rack manufacturers also manufacture bicycle bags. Some of these manufacturers design some of their bags and racks to integrate with each other. Some of the bags and racks by Racktime are designed to conveniently snap together with the Snapit system.
*For further information on bike panniers, please review our Bike Rack FAQ's and our Bike Bag & Rack Comparison Chart.
Our Brands:
Tubus Racks: Tubus offers a wide array of high quality racks for a variety of bicycling needs. These top-of the line carriers offer superior quality and great asthetics for any touring or commuter bikes.
Old Man Mountain Racks: The OMM racks are top-of-the-line racks, intended to withstand many hours of riding with tons of gear. These racks fit most any bike, including bikes with rear suspension. Combine a front rack and rear rack from OMM and you can carry 100lbs! Take the kitchen sink if you want with the durable OMM carrying systems, adventure ready!
Racktime Racks: Made from aluminum, Racktime bike racks are light weight, strong, and sleek in both look and design. Tubus, Racktime's parent company, used aluminum for the Racktime bike racks because of the versatility of aluminum in developing innovative designs.
Jandd Racks: Jandd racks are all made from high quality 6061 tubular aluminum and all stress points are double welded for maximum strength and durability. Jandd offers racks made for light travels as well as for heavy-duty touring. Jandd offers front racks for heavy duty riding, or for commuting around town. Pick the rack that's best for you. Extreme or Lite, the Jandd racks will fit just right!
