Author Topic: Cheap Front Rack  (Read 5946 times)

Cheap Front Rack
« on: 10 April, 2008, 11:47:42 am »
I want to buy a front rack for this summer's tour. In the last few years I've just used a rear rack (Surly "nice rack") using two large panniers and camping kit on top of the rack. Plus a bar bag for stuff I want to hand. This has been fine, but the panniers often get very full if we stop off for supplies. (ie I can only get a couple of cans of beer in each  ;) )

So this year I want a couple of small front panniers to give a bit of extra capacity as we're going to Europe.

I was going to get a front Surly "nice rack" to match the rear as they're extremely robust BUT they are also extremely expensive!

I've become acutely aware of how much money I've spunked on bikes in the last few years, so it's time to stop always buying the most expensive kit and only getting kit that I actually NEED.

So would a rack that costs less than a third of the price of the SNR be any good?  Such as the Blackburn Lowrider ?

I only want to use small front panniers, so the rack won't need to be as massively over engineered as the SNR.

So any recommendations for reasonably priced front rack/small front pannier combos would be much appreciated  :thumbsup:

Cheers,

Rob.
Those wonderful norks are never far from my thoughts, oh yeah!

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Cheap Front Rack
« Reply #1 on: 10 April, 2008, 11:50:42 am »
Blackburn is good kit, and used to be the benchmark.  If you want to go cheaper, Bor Yueh (sometimes branded Bob Yueh, confusingly) produce a cheap copy that's good enough to grace the forks of my Orbit.  I carry Super C front panniers with our cooking kit in.
Getting there...

Re: Cheap Front Rack
« Reply #2 on: 10 April, 2008, 11:57:00 am »
I use Blackburn Low Rider for my touring, been obsoletely fine since I got them in 1990 in Santa Monica. Mine is the type for forks without eyelets, with the stabalising bar over the wheel. The ones you linked to need eyelets but IMO look much nicer. I use Rhode Gear small panniers on mine.

link to picture taken in Melbourne

Re: Cheap Front Rack
« Reply #3 on: 10 April, 2008, 12:02:30 pm »
I use Blackburn Low Rider for my touring, been obsoletely fine since I got them in 1990 in Santa Monica. Mine is the type for forks without eyelets, with the stabalising bar over the wheel. The ones you linked to need eyelets but IMO look much nicer. I use Rhode Gear small panniers on mine.

link to picture taken in Melbourne

Arn't Rhode Gear now part of Blackburn?
Most people tip-toe through life hoping the make it safely to death.
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Re: Cheap Front Rack
« Reply #4 on: 10 April, 2008, 12:05:16 pm »
Mine is the type for forks without eyelets, with the stabalising bar over the wheel. The ones you linked to need eyelets but IMO look much nicer. I use Rhode Gear small panniers on mine.

Yeah, I saw that one on Wiggleness. I have eyelets galore on my tourer (Surly LHT).

Thanks for the info - I'm strongly thinking about ordering the Blackburn rack.

Wiggle don't seem to have as much in the way of panniers as they used to. I'll check out the usual suspects. I want them to be pretty small and I'm not bothered about them being particularly water proof as I'll put anything I really want to keep dry (like my clothes!) in the rears which are very water proof - other stuff can go in the fronts...
Those wonderful norks are never far from my thoughts, oh yeah!

Chris N

Re: Cheap Front Rack
« Reply #5 on: 10 April, 2008, 12:09:15 pm »
How much extra capacity do you actually need?  If it's not a pair of pannier's worth*, then how about a Nitto M12 rack?  It's ideal for strapping a sleeping bag + Thermarest to so would free up some space in your rear panniers.  Whatever's on there might interfere with your bar bag though, so be aware of that.

*Though I'm sure I've seen someone with panniers on one of these - ah yes, here.

Re: Cheap Front Rack
« Reply #6 on: 10 April, 2008, 12:14:34 pm »
I am a fan of low riders, gets the weight forward and low which helps keeps the bike CofG where is it meant to be. Descending the Alps last year was a breeze for me whereas my mate had all his weight behind him on his rear rack and he had to be much slower as his front end was a quite wavey. Low riders need the left and right bags to be roughly equal weight to keep the steering true.

Re: Cheap Front Rack
« Reply #7 on: 10 April, 2008, 12:23:09 pm »
Warning:
the Blackburn front racks (and copies thereof) can be a bit awkward with modern panniers.

On the custom lowrider, the top rails taper together at the front, and there isn't room for thick plastic pannier hooks. It depends how thick, and how near the front you want the hook.

On the non-custom version with a hoop over the top of the wheel, there's a stiffening plate under to top rail that can stop anti-jump catches from hooking round under the top rail. It is OK to just cut a hole in the plate to allow the catch through.

bobajobrob

Re: Cheap Front Rack
« Reply #8 on: 10 April, 2008, 12:50:05 pm »
I have the non-custom version and I've never had a problem with ortlieb panniers unshipping. I didn't need the cut any holes. The rack is a bit flimsy for my liking, the panniers tend to wobble a bit if you have any weight in there.

Re: Cheap Front Rack
« Reply #9 on: 10 April, 2008, 04:35:38 pm »
My Sardar came with the blackburn lowrider set without the loop. They had a tendency to rotate downwards around the upper mounting point, with the bar that crosses though the middle of the rack sliding through the P-clips.

It did this whenever I put weight on it.  ::-)  Its now fitted with a tubus duo. Much better.

How much extra capacity do you actually need?  If it's not a pair of pannier's worth*, then how about a Nitto M12 rack?  It's ideal for strapping a sleeping bag + Thermarest to so would free up some space in your rear panniers.  Whatever's on there might interfere with your bar bag though, so be aware of that.

*Though I'm sure I've seen someone with panniers on one of these - ah yes, here.

^^ A very rigid setup. Cantilevers will foul the bags there though. V's are fine.
Don't ask.

Re: Cheap Front Rack
« Reply #10 on: 10 April, 2008, 04:40:58 pm »
You see, my ones fit without P-clips, it uses the mudguard eyelet at the end of the fork blade and at the top a U bolt and cross piece which is first secured to the fork blade then the racks bolted to the same bolts with more nuts. They have never slipped.