what front rack should i buy (sherpa)

[jags]

hi all i proberly will have to buy a front rack for my sherpa,can you recommend one i should get .i will be useing the ortlieb sport packer plus panniers,.thanks

[julk]

Rather than answer the question, here is a list of quality front racks.
The real question is which will best meet your needs!

Low loaders :-
Thorn Mk V Low Loader, Tubus Duo - both these need fastening to the mid fork braze-ons from the inside & outside of the fork and have no loop over the front of the wheel.

Tubus Tara and Ergo - both these have a loop over the front of the wheel and fasten to the mid fork on the outside braze-on. The Tara has a larger main tube size and needs 16mm width lower hooks on the panniers.

Mid/High Loaders :-
Surly Nice Front - the heaviest, but allows panniers higher up for riding on deep rutted muddy tracks and has a top rack for even more gear.

Old Man Mountain Sherpa or Cold Springs Front - made from aluminium alloy, has a top rack, attaches to brake bosses and front axle q/r.

Available from SJS and/or Carradice.

[jags]

well julk i have no idea what meet's my needs ,as i've never used front panniers before.
i belive low rider racks give the bike a better ride .i want my bike to be solid when im riding ,no swaying of any kind ,i want the panniers to be very secure ,certainly dont want them popping off when im letting it rip going down hill .i dont want racks that weigh a lot,but they must be super strong.thats about it .am i looking for to much.i was trying my best to stay away from front panniers ,but i think i have no choice if i want to take all the gear i need.

[vik]

I've tried panniers and bar bags in several different configurations and, personally, have not found that low riders made much of a difference vs. panniers mounted a bit higher on a rack.  I use OMM racks because they are light when you are not carrying anything, strong and I love the top platform up front.  They have great customer service and should you have any issues they will ship replacements anywhere in the world.  My oldest OMM racks are 8 years old and going strong.



My favourite of their racks is the Cold Springs model...

http://www.oldmanmountain.com/Pages/RackPages/FrontRacks.html



Safe riding,

Vik
www.thelazyrando.com

[jags]

thank's vik ,will that rack fit my sherpa ok.another thing i live in ireland ,so if theres no dealer over here , it would cost me a small fortune to get it shipped here.

[julk]

Jags,

All the racks I listed will fit to your bike and will work well for you. The low riders keep the front weight lowest and centred around the front axle and steering axis, which is supposed to be good for bike handling. The others have the option of putting the panniers higher and more forward of the steering axis, never tried this but Vik recommends that type, and they also have a top shelf for more luggage.
The steel ones should be more bombproof in the event of a say a collision with something.
The low riders fit to existing mid fork braze-ons, the others fit to the brake bosses which might be a bit more of a fiddle.

My current favourite is the Tubus Ergo. I have the Tubus Tara and Thorn racks as well.
I have sold on my Blackburn and Bor Yueh aluminium low riders as they were not very easy to fit the panniers clips onto, and were certainly not as strong as the steel ones mentioned.

Most of these racks can be sourced from SJS or Spa who will certainly ship to Eire. Vik's favourite is available from Carradice who also export to the world.

[jags]

thanks for that julk,i have the tubus logo  excellent rack was looking at the tubus duo but its expensive,so if the oldman mountain fits i might get that.expensive business this touring.

[julk]

Jags,

Let us know how you get on with a platform on your front rack - will it tempt  you into taking that bit extra kit?

You are very right about touring being an expensive business to set up for, even more so when you have 4 sons and 3 of them show an interest in touring as well. Multiply most of the costs by 4!

Julian

Still, I have only myself to blame

[vik]

Jags,

Let us know how you get on with a platform on your front rack - will it tempt  you into taking that bit extra kit?

You are very right about touring being an expensive business to set up for, even more so when you have 4 sons and 3 of them show an interest in touring as well. Multiply most of the costs by 4!

Julian

Still, I have only myself to blame

Doesn't that give you an excuse to keep upgrading your kit as you hand stuff down to your boys???....

[spoon boy]

The surly nice rack is on my next to do list

Vik, slightly off post

Your surly big dummy, i've seen a similar kona..a ute? did you try that? 

I'm strangely drawn to this style

[vik]

The surly nice rack is on my next to do list

Vik, slightly off post

Your surly big dummy, i've seen a similar kona..a ute? did you try that? 

I'm strangely drawn to this style

I have a Surly Nice Rack in my parts bin...not so nice really...an unnecessarily heavy beast...make sure you actually hold one in your hand before you buy one - you may reconsider.  I'm generally a fan of Surly products, but not this one.

The Kona Ute is quite a bit different than the Big Dummy, but an excellent value if you can accept the limitations of the design.  I think it is a good fit for many people, but if you think it's just a less costly Big Dummy you'll be disappointed.

safe riding,

Vik
www.thelazyrando.com

[julk]

Doesn't that give you an excuse to keep upgrading your kit as you hand stuff down to your boys???....

Vik,
It seemed like a good reason to me.
Sadly the credit crunch has hit me and upgrades are a lot slower in appearing now.
Julian

[paulsc]

I used a low rider a lot and decided to try an older blackburn mountain front rack which places the bags higher.  I was really surprised that I didn't notice any difference after putting about 4000 miles on it.  It was actually nicer to have the bags higher not only to avoid the above mentioned obstacles but also curbs!  I wish someone made a decent light steel front rack with a platform.

[brianleach]

Here's another suggestion which doesn't appear to have been mentioned.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Blackburn-Blackburn-MF1-MTN-Fork-Fitting-Front-Rack--Black-Alloy-15294.htm

Ortliebs fit no problem.

Brian

[jags]

thanks for that brian, your wright everyone did miss that one ,looks good.