# kind of a weird request but.... I need a new rear rack



## nhluhr (Sep 9, 2010)

I'm looking for a new rear rack for my flatbar commuter/grocery bike. It does have rackmount points at the dropouts and up on the seatstays.

Some that have caught my eye are the Tubus Airy which is $$$ and the Bontrager BackRack Lightweight which is a lot more reasonably priced but made of aluminum so it likely will not be as strong. There's also the Tubus Fly series and in addition to being lighter weight and narrowed, they still get 'wide' at the back which looks off to me by judging by the dimensional drawings, its max width of 88mm at the rear is still a lot narrower than the current Blackburn EX1 Top Deck that I have now (and that I hate for its weight and bulk).

What other racks are out there that you might consider minimalist and sleek like what I'm after?


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## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

Axiom makes an Airy clone from aluminum. I've not owned one, so consider that just plain information, not a recommendation.

I can't recommend Bontrager BackRacks due to the soft alloy they use. I have a Bontrager BackRack on one of my commuters. The hard plastic backplate of my commuting panniers, Ortleib Sport Packer Plus, is wearing through the tubing after only three years of light use. (That bike gets used once or twice a week, 20-30 miles R/T, in the three-seasons.) I expect holes in the tubing within the next year. The plastic on the back of the Ortliebs shows no wear at all. 

I know the look you're after isn't compatible with my choice of commuter/grocery-getter rack, but for sheer utility, I love my Tubus Cosmo. Stainless, 40kg weight rating, dual siderails so I can mount the grocery paniers on the lower siderail leaving the top available for a trunk bag or just strapping on oversized stuff. Eight years of almost daily medium to heavy use and the only wear it shows where the pannier mounts have polished the shot-peened finish to bright and shiny.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

I've got one of these on my commuter. Cheap, and looks sleek (to my eye, at least), and seems to be working and holding up fine.
TransIt TS-1 Rear Rack
I don't know why you think an aluminum rack won't be strong enough. The "advantage" of the ti one isn't greater strength; it's a little less weight, plus the cachet of having an $250 rack. (which is freakin' insane, IMHO. But, diffrent strokes for diffrent folks).

Bruce, that Tubus Cosmo looks like a beautiful piece of hardware for heavy-duty use.


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## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

I have this rack as well, and it's a fantastic value. Well built, and light weight. My only issue with it is my new MTB has no rack mounts, so this one has to go. 



JCavilia said:


> I've got one of these on my commuter. Cheap, and looks sleek (to my eye, at least), and seems to be working and holding up fine.
> TransIt TS-1 Rear Rack
> I don't know why you think an aluminum rack won't be strong enough. The "advantage" of the ti one isn't greater strength; it's a little less weight, plus the cachet of having an $250 rack. (which is freakin' insane, IMHO. But, diffrent strokes for diffrent folks).
> 
> Bruce, that Tubus Cosmo looks like a beautiful piece of hardware for heavy-duty use.


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## Father Guzzi Obrian (Jan 31, 2015)

I had that rack on my 2000 Trek Alpha MTB, after 14 years and lots of abuse, one of the welds cracked.... put a tie wrap on it and good to go....


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Peanya said:


> I have this rack as well, and it's a fantastic value. Well built, and light weight. My only issue with it is *my new MTB has no rack mounts*, so this one has to go.


Ever heard of P-clips?


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## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

JCavilia said:


> Bruce, that Tubus Cosmo looks like a beautiful piece of hardware for heavy-duty use.


Aye, 'tis. Not at all what the OP's looking for, but near perfect for me. To make them perfect, I'd need a smidge more length--maybe two inches. When I bring home a pizza it's a bit of a challenge to get the cargo net back under it to reach the rack in the very back.

I was over at the music store today. I'm a paycheck away from acquiring the pair of Yamaha nearfield studio monitors I've had my eye on for months. Had to verify I can get them home on the bike. With the box they don't fit in the grocery panniers, so I'll have to do it one at a time, but they'll bungee to the rack just fine.


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## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

Yep, still have mine. However, there are no mounts at the bottom part. There is a rack that goes through the QR, which I'm thinking will be the way to go.


JCavilia said:


> Ever heard of P-clips?


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## velodog (Sep 26, 2007)

Peanya said:


> Yep, still have mine. However, there are no mounts at the bottom part. There is a rack that goes through the QR, which I'm thinking will be the way to go.


Try and find a set of these...


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## Drew Eckhardt (Nov 11, 2009)

Peanya said:


> Yep, still have mine. However, there are no mounts at the bottom part.


No problem. Use hose clamps beneath the P-clamps so they don't slip.


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## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

Good suggestions on these and the hose clamps. I don't want to mess up my frame. Those adapters seem great, however the dropouts are uniquely shaped on my Charge Cooker. There is a rack that mounts using a special QR lever. If it's wide enough to use on a MTB, that's probably what I'll get. Then again, I can always get a whole new set of on-bike gear like Relevate Designs...



velodog said:


> Try and find a set of these...
> 
> View attachment 305576


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