How much weight will this rear rack hold?

[msconana]

Hi again,

I have this rack that attaches to my seat post.
http://www.rei.com/product/678957

I have panniers on the sides that are canvas/nylon? and fold flat like a paper bag when not in use. I like the system but someone just told me that they don't hold much weight (the rack that is)--only about 15 lbs. I'm going to use them for groceries etc. I will need whatever I use to hold some weight.

Does anyone use a seat post rear rack and how much weight does yours hold?

Thanks!

Julia

 

[TylerDurden]

Hey J,

Those alum suckers crack off like iceicles. When they say 15lbs. they mean it.

One our members had 20+lbs of lipo batteries drop:

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=138

 

[msconana]

Tyler,

Thanks for the info--that's just scary! And as much as Whole Foods groceries cost now days--well, it would cost almost as much to lose a couple of bags! :wink:

The guy I bought my conversion kit from sells this:
http://www.oldmanmountain.com/rear_rack_page.htm#sherpa

What do you think?

It's not necessary that I have a seat post rack really. It's cleaner looking for sure but if I can't use the one I have currently...well, I'd be fine with a regular rear rack as long as it will carry heavy things (including my Mac laptop) and not fail.

Julia

 

[msconana]

http://www.oldmanmountain.com/rear_rack_page.htm#sherpa

Duh--says right there how much the thing will carry

The Sherpa's load is 40 lbs and the next one down on the list, the Red Rock will carry 60 lbs. Now...how much can two paper sacks of groceries weigh....???? 40 might work...

Anyone else carry groceries? What do you use?

Julia

 

[TylerDurden]

I use good old-fashioned folding baskets by Wald:

One egg out of two doz was cracked when I got home from the store yesterday.

But the bread was fine.

8)

FWIW, A gallon of milk/juice/bleach weighs 8.6lbs

 

[CGameProgrammer]

If the Bionx has eyelets above the rear axle for mounting a rack, then it looks like you should buy the Red Rock. If they don't... then I assume none of the OMM racks will work for you. The others mount on the rear wheel's axle, with a quick-release skewer that goes through the axle like most bikes have. But hub motor axles aren't hollow.

^^^^ Yeah a basket definitely works, if the frame has the right mounting holes for it.

 

[Ypedal]

http://www.axiomgear.com/racks_seatpost/journey_seatpost_qr.php

I have used these for a few years now, have not broken one yet.. i have had to add big thick washers behind the hex bolts as the bracket was giving slowly.. but has bee fine since..

I have had up to 4 x 12ah sla's on it.. ie: 40 lbs + without problems.

The quick release setups just don't cut it for me.. i have one barely used. also more prone to theft. The bolt on types are stronger imo.

Try to mount them as close to the frame as possible to avoid breaking the seat-post ..

 

[EMF]

I use good old-fashioned folding baskets by Wald:

One egg out of two doz was cracked when I got home from the store yesterday.

But the bread was fine.

8)

FWIW, A gallon of milk/juice/bleach weighs 8.6lbs

Indeed, these baskets are very nice and quite clever. Just put on a set of these puppies on my bike as well this morning. Now, I have a place to put my jacket and thermos when going home from work.

 

[mvadventure]

It's been my experience that seat post brackets, steel or aluminum, won't hold the volume of stuff I need held. Topeak has a bracket that attaches to the post and axle bolts that is better and will work with your canvas saddlebags but I didn't much care for it either for several reasons. What I have now is wire baskets with a top rack. My LiPO4's are on top and I have LOTS of room for other stuff in the baskets. I also use a front basket with a waterproof plastic zipper bag to hold tools, spare clothing, etc.

The wire baskets are available in three sizes and this is one source. http://store.bicyclerevolution.com/walatwcarebi.html I got mine from NYC bikes (I think) via internet and all went well.

I've been using this setup for six or seven months and there has been no shifting of the rack, no rust and so far so good. Trips to the grocery store though still require a backpack to tote a decent load of stuff.

Good luck.

Mike

 

[Mark_A_W]

Hi again,

I have this rack that attaches to my seat post.
http://www.rei.com/product/678957

I have panniers on the sides that are canvas/nylon? and fold flat like a paper bag when not in use. I like the system but someone just told me that they don't hold much weight (the rack that is)--only about 15 lbs. I'm going to use them for groceries etc. I will need whatever I use to hold some weight.

Does anyone use a seat post rear rack and how much weight does yours hold?

Thanks!

Julia

While it looks to be a better rack than I have, and it does depend how you ride, I destroyed a steel cantilever rack rated for 9kg with a 5kg load. I had also doubled up the attachments to the seat post. I fixed it proper good now, it'll never break...I hope.

I would be very careful with a cantilever rack, and don't trust the ratings.

Ypedal, you broke a rack too I recall?

 

[mikejuv]

It's definitely doable, but I would recommend that you fashion supports to prevent the rack from popping its welds when hitting potholes.

I actually did US & Europe self-contained tours (5500 miles, no electric) using the Delta seat post rack. That rack had 20-30lbs on it (panniers, tent, sleeping bag, etc) the entire distance. At the time of those rides, I only had an aluminum, road bike w/o any eyelets to attach racks to. I was determined to make it work on that bike, so I spent maybe $15 at a hardware store to rig up supports for attaching & supporting both the front & rear racks to the frame. It worked great, even though a lot of riders thought I was crazy for fully loading that road bike.

Rack-to-Frame Support Parts (everything found in a local hardware store)
- Steel hose clamps w/ rubber cushion (on bike frame and racks) (example)
- Pieces from an old 700c tube to go between bike frame and clamps (prevents slipping and protects frame/paint)
- Threaded metal rod (diameter large enough to fit through the holes of the hose clamps)
- Nuts to screw on to metal rod (put a nut & washer on each side of the hose clamps, this locks the rod in a fixed position)
- A saw to cut the metal rod to proper length

With a lot of weight on it, a seat post rack can sway. For a tight grip to the seat post, I cut a piece from an old tube, wrap it around the seat post, and then attach the rack. This gives the rack a nice bite to the post and helps prevent swaying.

The only problem I ever had with the setup was at the beginning of my EU tour. The rear rack already had 4000 miles on it, and I didn't tighten its supports enough after unpacking it. About 30 miles from the airport I hit some rough road, and the little welded pieces on the rack starting popping off making for a very sloppy ride. Although, it wasn't a total disaster, as it "forced" me to stay in Amsterdam for 6 days waiting for a new rack to arrive.

 

[Sturdly]

I have an OMM Red Rock on my Kona Blast and the 60 lb rating is no exaggeration. I regularly fill the milk crate that is attached with tie wraps with a 20 lb jug of kitty litter, a gallon of milk, a twelve pack of beverages plus misc. groceries. If I'm power shopping I also hang a back pack off of one side, a cheap guys pannier.

Never a wiggle or sag in the rack. It took a little modification to mount. Specifically, spreading the legs where they attach to the eyes and cutting a couple of pieces of tubing for spacers to clear the disc brake caliper and the frame tubing on the other side. About 15 minutes additional installation time.

It is truly an excellent American made product and worth every penny.

 

[lazarus2405]

Those OMM racks look good. They'll fit rear suspensions, too. And if you say it's solid. Neat. I'll look into that if/when my seatpost rack fails.

Unfortunately, those racks place all the weight near the rear axle. That is to say, it's unsprung weight. It'll be really annoying going over potholes.