Rear rack

[deejayen]

I need a rear rack for an old Overbury's mountain bike with 26" wheels.  I have a pair of Arkel T42 panniers.  I'd be using them for overnight camping trips - I imagine the total load, including panniers, would weigh around 25lbs (11kg).

I had a Thorn Expedition on an old bike, and that was fine other than the finish quickly became a bit tatty with rust and scrapes etc.  I never had any problems with it, and I remember it felt sturdy.   However, I'm wondering if there are better options considering I won't be loading it up to capacity.  Some rear racks have a pair of pannier rails which are lower than the top rails, which could make it easier to load\unload panniers when a drybag is strapped to the top of the rack.  Also, some racks have side frames which cover more of the rear wheel - so perhaps there's a risk of panniers flexing into the spokes with the Thorn rack.

Other racks I'm considering are the Old Man Mountain Divide rack, and the Rivendell\Nitto 'Big Back Rack'.  However, I think I may struggle to find one of these in the UK as the one place which sells them has sold out.  I'm looking to get the rack before the Christmas holidays!

I may still go for another Thorn rack, but I'm just wondering if there are better options nowadays.

[mickeg]

I really like the lower rails on the racks I use for touring to mount the panniers lower for a lower center of gravity. 

On my Nomad Mk II or my Sherpa, I use the Tubus Logo EVO.  Solid steel rack, very stiff.  But, if you do not have panniers mounted, this rack top platform is quite narrow.  I only use this rack for touring, not for riding around near home.  For riding without panniers, I want a wider platform, use other racks for that.

And on my Lynskey Backroad I use the Racktime Addit which I believe is now discontinued, this rack is aluminum but still quite solid and stiff.

I use black fingernail polish to touch up wear spots, but for touring I put some plastic hose on the racks to prevent chaffing.

First attached photo, the Logo on my Sherpa.  No hose is shown on this rack, this was on a tour in 2012 before I started using the hose.

Second photo, I have one pannier on the Nomad with the Logo, you can see how the lower rail lowers the pannier nicely.  The plastic hose is quite apparant.

Third photo, the Racktime on my Lynskey. 

FOurth photo, I do not have a photo of the Racktime with only one pannier like the photo of my Logo, this is a photo from behind the bike.

My Logo is marked as rated for 40kg, the Racktime at 30kg. 

It is my understanding that they now have much lower ratings, as apparently the companies did not want their racks used for child carriers, and to do that they lowered the weight ratings to the point that they are not allowed for carrying child seats.

[PH]

If you don't like the patina that all the mild steel racks develop, but want something posher than the standard aluminium offering, have a took at Tubus's titanium and stainless steel versions.  The Ti ones were always expensive but now ridiculously so, I notice the range has shrunk, maybe they've priced themselves out of the market.  Could be a rack for life though, my 9yo one still looks like new. I also had a SS Cosmo for a few years and the finish was a better match for a ti frame than the ti one! I part exchanged that for a ti Logo, the owner didn't like it because of the narrow top mickeg mentions. If that suits you anyway, they're currently on sale with the SS version not much more than the mild steel one. There are a few other ti and SS racks, but I've rarely seen one.
I also like the lower rail, it's not just lower, you can also put the pannier further back and the extra frame protects a rear light. My small Ortlieb rollers don't really need the frame to keep them out of the spokes, but I've had some panniers that do.
As  mickeg says Tubus maximum weights have changed, but the website says which have been tested to 40kg, not all retailers have caught up, SJS have the Cosmos at 26kg and the Logo at 40kg, but on the Tubus website they're the same.

EDIT

the Rivendell\Nitto 'Big Back Rack'. 

I've just had a look at that, it's a thing of beauty, as it should be for the price, but it doesn't fit in the normal way so it'll look a bodge.   

[Andyb1]

I have a spare steel Tubus that came with my Raven if any use, in Somerset but could post.
Please send me a PM if interested

[deejayen]

Thanks, all!

That's very helpful, although I'm still undecided.  I'm still considering the Thorn Expedition, but it seems that the lower pannier rails of some other racks would be worth having.

I did briefly consider titanium (I have a couple of titanium Bagman racks which are nice) but I'm not sure how much I'll use this bike, so I'd find it hard to justify splashing out on a really expensive rack.

I also spotted that the Rivendell\Nitto rack had the lower mount in an unusual position, so fitting it could be difficult!

[deejayen]

I have a spare steel Tubus that came with my Raven if any use, in Somerset but could post.
Please send me a PM if interested

Thanks, Andy.  I've sent you a PM.

[mickeg]

I found the Tubus racks were pricy enough, that I did not need the titanium ones.  Or stainless.  As I noted before, I use black fingernail polish to touch up any spots where the paint is worn through.  With the brush built into the cap, takes less than a minute from start to finish.

In my previous post, the third photo had the rear part of my Lynskey with the Racktime rack.  That bike has a titanium frame.

For riding around near home I use a Nitto that I picked up used at a swap meet instead of the Racktime rack.  I was surprised how heavy the Nitto was, but it looks so nice that I weigh down my titanium bike with the Nitto rack for riding around near home.  See attached photos.  The pannier in one of the photos is my gym bag, not used for touring.

Point being, on Nitto racks, check the weight before you order.  That said, they are beautiful and top quality.  But for a touring bike, the bike is supposed to have some nicks, scratches, and bruises.