Anyone tried a TailFin

[ElyDave]

I'm pondering getting one of these and wondering if anyone has tried one and would venture an opinion (I know, unlikely of those on here to have an opinion on something)

[Andrew Br]

Yes, I've got one; very pleased with it.

From the "Bought any cycling stuff today" thread:-

Not today (actually a week ago) but a Tailfin rack and fittings for both the Dirty Disco (longer QR) and the Enigma (proper rack mounts) plus adaptors for non Tailfin panniers. I've got a pair of fairly new Ortliebs so it didn't make sense to buy theirs.
It wasn't altogether straightforward; I had an issue with the adaptors so Tailfin credited me for them and sent a replacement set. Marvelous service IMO.
The rack itself is great (I went for the X2 model,carbon arch, aluminium top) and it looks good on both bikes as well as being stable when loaded.
While it'll spend more time on the Enigma (my shopping bike) it's quick and easy to swap it over to the Disco.

Someone on here (I think it was QG) said that a longer mounting would be useful. I agree and I've asked them to let me know when it becomes available for the X2.
My touring bag is an Ortlieb rack pack that will overhang the rack top so a bit of extra length will be useful.

If it was easier to put pictures on here (and if I weren't having issues with flickr) I'd post some.

After more use (primarily for shopping), I'm still delighted with it.
It'll easily carry 6 bottles of wine (25% off 6 bottles at Sainsbury's atm and Xmas isn't far away    ) plus milk, juice and the rest of my shopping.
Apart from my initial experimentation, I've kept it on the Enigma (my shopping bike  ) but I'll be able to put it on the Dirty Disco come Summer if we decide/are allowed to do any tours.

I'd still like a longer attachment to the seatpost because my touring luggage is a long racktop bag; I only use the panniers for short utility trips.
I believe one is under development.

[The French Tandem]

What's wrong with normal racks made of aluminium tubes? I can't see the point in trying to save a few grams on a rack through exotic designs that cost a fortune,  if you are going anyway to load the rack with tons of luggages.

A

[Kim]

What's wrong with normal racks made of aluminium tubes? I can't see the point in trying to save a few grams on a rack through exotic designs that cost a fortune,  if you are going anyway to load the rack with tons of luggages.

The Tailfin exists in a grey area that allows people to use luggage that actually works while still being on-trend for 'bikepacking'.   


Seriously, it looks like a decent product if you're trying to keep the weight right down, especially if you aren't tall enough to use larger frame or saddle bags.

[ElyDave]

What's wrong with normal racks made of aluminium tubes? I can't see the point in trying to save a few grams on a rack through exotic designs that cost a fortune,  if you are going anyway to load the rack with tons of luggages.

A

To sit in a nice aero fashion behind the seat of my disc-braked recumbent with a rack pack, without the current fouling of disc brake as current Al tube version does. Aero benefit on TT

To do same on audaxes with rack-top bag

To be easily switched to a different bike, for longer, loaded tours.

Can I ask if you've tried one at all?

[ElyDave]

Yes, I've got one; very pleased with it.

From the "Bought any cycling stuff today" thread:-

Not today (actually a week ago) but a Tailfin rack and fittings for both the Dirty Disco (longer QR) and the Enigma (proper rack mounts) plus adaptors for non Tailfin panniers. I've got a pair of fairly new Ortliebs so it didn't make sense to buy theirs.
It wasn't altogether straightforward; I had an issue with the adaptors so Tailfin credited me for them and sent a replacement set. Marvelous service IMO.
The rack itself is great (I went for the X2 model,carbon arch, aluminium top) and it looks good on both bikes as well as being stable when loaded.
While it'll spend more time on the Enigma (my shopping bike) it's quick and easy to swap it over to the Disco.

Someone on here (I think it was QG) said that a longer mounting would be useful. I agree and I've asked them to let me know when it becomes available for the X2.
My touring bag is an Ortlieb rack pack that will overhang the rack top so a bit of extra length will be useful.

If it was easier to put pictures on here (and if I weren't having issues with flickr) I'd post some.

After more use (primarily for shopping), I'm still delighted with it.
It'll easily carry 6 bottles of wine (25% off 6 bottles at Sainsbury's atm and Xmas isn't far away    ) plus milk, juice and the rest of my shopping.
Apart from my initial experimentation, I've kept it on the Enigma (my shopping bike  ) but I'll be able to put it on the Dirty Disco come Summer if we decide/are allowed to do any tours.

I'd still like a longer attachment to the seatpost because my touring luggage is a long racktop bag; I only use the panniers for short utility trips.
I believe one is under development.

One of my questions was going to be ease of swappage, thanks for covering that.

My main concern is the seatpost attachment, and how I can mod that for use on the recumbent with trad rack attachments and no seatpost.  I did ask them if they'd consider giving me a discount in return for a good write up on use on recumbents...

[citoyen]

I can't see the point...

Why don’t other people like exactly the same thing as me? Are they all idiots or something?

[grams]

What's wrong with normal racks made of aluminium tubes? I can't see the point in trying to save a few grams on a rack through exotic designs that cost a fortune,  if you are going anyway to load the rack with tons of luggages.

It's for bikes what don't have 'oles.

[mattc]

What's wrong with normal racks made of aluminium tubes? I can't see the point in trying to save a few grams on a rack through exotic designs that cost a fortune,  if you are going anyway to load the rack with tons of luggages.

It's for bikes what don't have 'oles.

Most bikes will take P-clips. But I think this is the main point:

The Tailfin exists in a grey area that allows people to use luggage that actually works while still being on-trend for 'bikepacking'.   

I saw loads of the things on TPR. There were several on GBDuro this year - at least 1 broke.

[Andrew Br]

What's wrong with normal racks made of aluminium tubes? I can't see the point in trying to save a few grams on a rack through exotic designs that cost a fortune,  if you are going anyway to load the rack with tons of luggages.

It's for bikes what don't have 'oles.

Yup. Disco (Baby) doesn't have rack mounts so the Tailfin goes onto the extra long quick release that they supply.
The shopping bike has mounts so all I had to do was get a set of Tailfin adaptors and screw them in.
Once set up it takes about 30 seconds to switch between the bikes.
It's so quick to remove that, for normal use (shopping  ), I'm using a cheap cable lock to secure the rack and panniers to the bike.

If I have a complaint about the Tailfin products it's the high price of the accessories. I can accept that the rack costs a lot, the other bits less so. That's the reason I haven't got the rear light fitting.

In my ideal world (the one that sometimes exists between my ears), the top of the rack would be both longer and wider.

Minor gripes aside, if either the rack or bike and rack got nicked, I'd buy another Tailfin.*

*Usual disclaimers.

[quixoticgeek]

What's wrong with normal racks made of aluminium tubes? I can't see the point in trying to save a few grams on a rack through exotic designs that cost a fortune,  if you are going anyway to load the rack with tons of luggages.

- My Tubus rack, before I put a bag on it, weighs more than my tailfin and bag.

- To take my tubus rack off requires tools and not losing the screws when it's not installed. This is a problem if you need to remove the bag/rack say to enter a race, or because you're not using it.

- It's very awkward to move the tubus rack between bikes. Again, tools etc...

- Panniers are big, heavy, and present a lot of drag. For the amount of load a tailfin bag carries, I'd only need one pannier, but that's going to be unbalanced, and draggy.

- Using a rack top bag, most of them are not designed for very quick and easy removal/reattachment.

- Tubus rack et al, look fscking ugly.

Just some reasons why I do use a tailfin bag, instead of a tubus rack. I have a rack, it sits on the shelf above my bike space. I have used it for one tour a couple of winters ago.

I'm pondering getting one of these and wondering if anyone has tried one and would venture an opinion (I know, unlikely of those on here to have an opinion on something)

I've had mine for a few weeks. So far I'm really impressed. I got the aluminium tailfin bag of the latest design. This means it has 3 M5 threaded mounts on each upright, allowing something like an any cage to be added on each side, which is ideal for carrying a small sleeping bag or something. I intend to use these mounts for a bottle cage on each side in the summer so I can carry more water.

Things to be aware of. It is not 100% waterproof. There are 6 screw holes on the bottom, in which water can ingress. This will be from spray from the wheel. Not an issue really if you use mudguards, and the amounts are negligible, but it's something to be aware of. Also, there is a €20 extra fee if you are an average or below average woman, or a below average man, in terms of height. As you will have to buy the extra extender. I have moaned at them about this.

Also be aware, if you use seat stay mounted rear lights, the tailfin may block a single light in certain view angles. I plan to get round this with a second dynamo light on the other side.

I am really pleased with it, it's an improvement over my old ortlieb bike packing bag. I have two Cateye Omni 3 lights attached to the verticals of the frame at the back, and I'm planning to also add some reflecty strip.

My main disappointments are the externel pocket is a bit small, it would be nice if it was big enough for something like a passport (wouldn't put a passport in there, but there are some passport sized brevet cards out there). I think they could do better with the sealing of the screw holes. And they should offer the extended bracket thing as a purchase option so you can choose bracket length at checkout, for no price difference.

I like my tailfin. I got it for ultraracing, but cos I'm me, it largely lives on the bike, and right now contains a jacket, wind proof, buff, spare warm things, and a space blanket. Oh, and it's a really effective mudguard. Have had no spray on my back at all since I got it, even tho I've done a fair amount of wet riding.

Would buy again.

J

[Paul H]

What's wrong with normal racks made of aluminium tubes?

Aluminium tubes What's wrong with a plank of wood and some twine?
I like my titanium Tubus racks, both of them, no further justification needed.

[grams]

Most bikes will take P-clips.

Most bikes wot don't have oles are carbon. I wouldn't dream fo putting p-clips around carbon seat stays, never mind putting any weight on them.

I do have a nice aluminimum rack that fits a QR and the brake bolt on a carbon road bike. I couldn't find anything equivalent for thru-axles last time I looked. And if you have disc brakes and your bike doesn't take a standard seat clamp, there's no good way to mount the top end either.

I did reluctantly come to the conclusion that for a lot of bikes, Tailfin is the only game in town if you want a rack.

(things might have changed, or there might be options I'm not aware of)

[The French Tandem]

I can't see the point...

Why don’t other people like exactly the same thing as me? Are they all idiots or something?

Who said that all others are idiots? All I said is that there's something I don't understand, and I'm very happy to read the opinions of other people here.

A

[Frank9755]

I'm probably going to buy one when they get the aluminium ones back in stock again.  I've researched them quite a bit and read reviews.  These are the best two, by riders with similar objectives to me, and who both think quite a bit about kit:
https://burlycross.wordpress.com/2020/06/11/tailfin-rack-trunkpack-review/ 
https://ridefar.info/2020/08/tailfin-aeropack-review/

I would only want the rack, which seems well designed and is more aero for ultraracing than other racks, which is why I'd want it.  I wouldn't want their bag as I don't like roll-tops for accessibility reasons and it wouldn't work well with my saddle height.

If you have rack mounts on your frame it's not that expensive - something like £75.

My concerns with it are:

- That it doesn't yet have a good way to set it back further from the frame.

- That there isn't a way to mount lights.  This is a pain and surprising they didn't think of it.   They do sell an adaptor for their bags but it doesn't look great, puts the light right in the line of spray if you don't have a fulll length mudguard, is attached ot the bag not the frame hence not legal in many places, etc.  And it's £25 for a little bit of plastic

- The platform at the top is nothing like a standard shape so racktime or Topeak platforms won't work on it.

It's disappointing that I would have to do two significant bodges to make it useable, but nothing is perfect. 

[citoyen]

Who said that all others are idiots? All I said is that there's something I don't understand, and I'm very happy to read the opinions of other people here.

Apologies if I misjudged the tone of your post, but it was disappointingly inevitable that at least one person would make a "what's the point?" type comment.

- The platform at the top is nothing like a standard shape so racktime or Topeak platforms won't work on it.

I know from talking to the chap who designed it, back when it was launched, that the original Tailfin was conceived as a complete system, designed to be used exclusively with the bespoke bags. You could argue that this is both a strength and a weakness of the system - a strength because you know things will fit and work properly together (and the bags won't fall off), a weakness because many users expect greater versatility.

Most bikes wot don't have oles are carbon. I wouldn't dream fo putting p-clips around carbon seat stays, never mind putting any weight on them.

Again, from the horse's mouth, I can confirm that not having to attach clips to carbon seatstays ranked high on the list of design criteria.

[Frank9755]

- The platform at the top is nothing like a standard shape so racktime or Topeak platforms won't work on it.

I know from talking to the chap who designed it, back when it was launched, that the original Tailfin was conceived as a complete system, designed to be used exclusively with the bespoke bags. You could argue that this is both a strength and a weakness of the system - a strength because you know things will fit and work properly together (and the bags won't fall off), a weakness because many users expect greater versatility....

...Again, from the horse's mouth, I can confirm that not having to attach clips to carbon seatstays ranked high on the list of design criteria.

I read somewhere (can't remember where) that the Tailfin guys had been surprised how many people had wanted the rack but not their bag.  I guess that reflects that there are many more options for rack bags than there are for lightweight, aerodynamic racks which attach to bikes without frame mounting points.  Their rack is unique and quite special but their bag is not.

For most riders with standard, round seatposts, working with these could have solved the carbon seatstay problem more simply

[grams]

For most riders with standard, round seatposts, working with these could have solved the carbon seatstay problem more simply

What do you do at the axle end? I know there are racks that fit QR skewers (I own two) but couldn't see anything for thru axles last time I looked.

(and if a carbon frame does have eyelets at the axle but not the seatpost, I would assume they're rated for mudguard use only)

[quixoticgeek]

I'm probably going to buy one when they get the aluminium ones back in stock again.  I've researched them quite a bit and read reviews.  These are the best two, by riders with similar objectives to me, and who both think quite a bit about kit:
https://burlycross.wordpress.com/2020/06/11/tailfin-rack-trunkpack-review/ 
https://ridefar.info/2020/08/tailfin-aeropack-review/

I would only want the rack, which seems well designed and is more aero for ultraracing than other racks, which is why I'd want it.  I wouldn't want their bag as I don't like roll-tops for accessibility reasons and it wouldn't work well with my saddle height.

There is a zip pocket on one side for quick access. I thought this was a gimmic, but I've ended up using it quite a bit.

If you have rack mounts on your frame it's not that expensive - something like £75.

My concerns with it are:

- That it doesn't yet have a good way to set it back further from the frame.

- That there isn't a way to mount lights.  This is a pain and surprising they didn't think of it.   They do sell an adaptor for their bags but it doesn't look great, puts the light right in the line of spray if you don't have a fulll length mudguard, is attached ot the bag not the frame hence not legal in many places, etc.  And it's £25 for a little bit of plastic

The light mount for the aeropack is actually aluminium, not plastic. It screws into the internal frame within the bag. This frame is structural in that it carries the load from the arch to the seat post. I think that would count as fitted to the rack and not the bag.

As I said I have my lights fitted to the arch, two of them, which I think complies with the law.

J

[L CC]

Most bikes will take P-clips.

Most bikes wot don't have oles are carbon. I wouldn't dream fo putting p-clips around carbon seat stays, never mind putting any weight on them.

I do have a nice aluminimum rack that fits a QR and the brake bolt on a carbon road bike. I couldn't find anything equivalent for thru-axles last time I looked. And if you have disc brakes and your bike doesn't take a standard seat clamp, there's no good way to mount the top end either.

I did reluctantly come to the conclusion that for a lot of bikes, Tailfin is the only game in town if you want a rack.

(things might have changed, or there might be options I'm not aware of)

I decided against it because a) £££ and b) I don't like the actual bag- roll top sucks big fat hairy balls.

I got one of these: https://www.arkel-od.com/arkel-randonneur-rack/

It's nowhere near as sexy as the tailfin.

And (obv) I don't have a normal, round, seatpost. That would be waaaaay too easy.

[Frank9755]

I got one of these: https://www.arkel-od.com/arkel-randonneur-rack/

It's nowhere near as sexy as the tailfin.

And (obv) I don't have a normal, round, seatpost. That would be waaaaay too easy.

How do you find it?  Weight, stability, etc?

Arkel stuff is good.  I have their seat pack which is far better than Apidura, etc.  I did see this rack last year but had forgotten about it.

I'm not into beam racks but this is different.  It might actually be a better option (for me) than Tailfin.

[Frank9755]

What do you do at the axle end? I know there are racks that fit QR skewers (I own two) but couldn't see anything for thru axles last time I looked.

(and if a carbon frame does have eyelets at the axle but not the seatpost, I would assume they're rated for mudguard use only)

Tailfin is very good on QR and TA mounts.

The assumption made by every rack mfr other than Tailfin (and Arkel, above) is that everyone wants to carry 25kg+.  My frame mfr states the mounts were for rack and/or mudguards. But I wouldn't have much concern with using mounts intended only for mudguards as I'm only looking to carry a third or a quarter of that.

[mattc]

Most bikes will take P-clips.

Most bikes wot don't have oles are carbon. I wouldn't dream fo putting p-clips around carbon seat stays, never mind putting any weight on them.

Fair point!

(I'd forgotten that people are buying carbon frames to carry luggage around on ... )

[mattc]

The assumption made by every rack mfr other than Tailfin is that everyone wants to carry 25kg+.  My frame mfr states the mounts were for rack and/or mudguards. But I wouldn't have much concern with using mounts intended only for mudguards as I'm only looking to carry a third or a quarter of that.

Yes, I think they missed a trick here. The drawback with "old-fashioned" metal racks is not the material - it's using too much of it. [for weight-conscious riders, anyway!]

(DOn't tailfin make a cheaper heavier version too? I'm so out of touch ... )

[ElyDave]

I'm probably going to buy one when they get the aluminium ones back in stock again.  I've researched them quite a bit and read reviews.  These are the best two, by riders with similar objectives to me, and who both think quite a bit about kit:
https://burlycross.wordpress.com/2020/06/11/tailfin-rack-trunkpack-review/ 
https://ridefar.info/2020/08/tailfin-aeropack-review/

I would only want the rack, which seems well designed and is more aero for ultraracing than other racks, which is why I'd want it.  I wouldn't want their bag as I don't like roll-tops for accessibility reasons and it wouldn't work well with my saddle height.

If you have rack mounts on your frame it's not that expensive - something like £75.

My concerns with it are:

- That it doesn't yet have a good way to set it back further from the frame.

- That there isn't a way to mount lights.  This is a pain and surprising they didn't think of it.   They do sell an adaptor for their bags but it doesn't look great, puts the light right in the line of spray if you don't have a fulll length mudguard, is attached ot the bag not the frame hence not legal in many places, etc.  And it's £25 for a little bit of plastic

- The platform at the top is nothing like a standard shape so racktime or Topeak platforms won't work on it.

It's disappointing that I would have to do two significant bodges to make it useable, but nothing is perfect.

Thanks
Interesting on the second one that what they did to attach the Tailfin rack to the seat post clamp is exactly what I was thinking to allow it to be used on the recumbent with no seatpost but with conventional rack attachment point.
I would also be planning on using it with my existing Altura rack pack if it will fit/work as that sits well behind the seat