Vik's Nomad S&S

[john28july]

Hello
Seems to me that you are trying hard to convince yourself that spending on these small items are a good thing. To my view you still have a rack attached by two M5 bolts and an extra splayed out rack too! It does not make any sense at all, in fact just the opposite. The only way is drill out and rethread with M6 not that it makes much difference anyhow as hundreds of people are using M5 fitted racks Worldwide without problem. I have no doubt that some will contrive to argue the toss but sense makes sense and nonsense really does not!
John.

[aj]

I thought each M6 adaptor was fitted to the frame with two M5 bolts so it would be a strong solution.

[pdamm]

Perhaps there is some confusion here.  Each adaptor has 1 M6 bolt to attach the bottom of one side of the rack to the adaptor and two M5 bolts to attach one adaptor to one dropout.  The rack is attached to the dropouts by a total of 4 M5 bolts.

Peter

[vik]

Hello
Seems to me that you are trying hard to convince yourself that spending on these small items are a good thing. To my view you still have a rack attached by two M5 bolts and an extra splayed out rack too! It does not make any sense at all, in fact just the opposite. The only way is drill out and rethread with M6 not that it makes much difference anyhow as hundreds of people are using M5 fitted racks Worldwide without problem. I have no doubt that some will contrive to argue the toss but sense makes sense and nonsense really does not!
John.

Huh?  Your post doesn't make any sense John.  4 M5 bolts vs. 2 M5 bolts is twice as strong in fact.  That should be pretty clear.  Hardly something anyone has to convince themselves of.  I can't really see how that is not obvious to you.

As far as the rack legs being slightly farther apart that has zero negative impact at all. What in the world would be the issue there?  Having the mounting points further apart makes them more stable laterally.

Redrilling for a single M6 bolt is fine idea, but the adapter is no less strong.  I may get around to taping my dropouts for an M6, but at the present I didn't want to bother.

Accounts of broken M5 rack mounting bolts are not uncommon neither are broken racks.  Whether or not any particular rider needs a sturdier rack or mounting hardware really depends on the rider, the load and the road traveled.

safe riding,

Vik
www.thelazyrando.com

[vik]

I'm off to Baja Mexico until late January so I won't be checking this forum until I get back.  I've got a pile of sports gear to break/wear out....

I hope everyone here has an enjoyable holiday season and stays safe & warm this winter.

Keep the rubber side down....

Vik
www.thelazyrando.com

[Cake]

Cheers Vik - you too!

I hope you'll be posting plenty of pics on TheLazyRando while you're playing...

Gary.

[john28july]

Huh?  Your post doesn't make any sense John.  4 M5 bolts vs. 2 M5 bolts is twice as strong in fact.  That should be pretty clear.  Hardly something anyone has to convince themselves of.  I can't really see how that is not obvious to you.

As far as the rack legs being slightly farther apart that has zero negative impact at all. What in the world would be the issue there?  Having the mounting points further apart makes them more stable laterally.

Redrilling for a single M6 bolt is fine idea, but the adapter is no less strong.  I may get around to taping my dropouts for an M6, but at the present I didn't want to bother.



safe riding,

Vik
www.thelazyrando.com

Hello
The fact that only one bolt on each side goes through the rack to fasten it should be obvious. If the added spacer was bolted on with a dozen bolts it is still a fact that the rack has still only two bolts holding it. It amazes me that you cannot see this yourself.!!!
John.

[mylesau]

2 bolts, one on each side, the same as most other racks including Tubus, but they are 6 mm bolts not the usual 5 mm bolts, therefore stronger?

[john28july]

2 bolts, one on each side, the same as most other racks including Tubus, but they are 6 mm bolts not the usual 5 mm bolts, therefore stronger?

Hello
I suppose the screws are stronger but I still cannot for the life of me see why this adaptor is required at all. Two bolts closer together are surely better than an added adaptor plus all those extra screws. At the most the thing is only slightly stronger if at all. I think that the obvious thing to do is fit a rack, ride the bike, end of.............
John.

[travelling]

I think that the obvious thing to do is fit a rack, ride the bike, end of....John.

Which is why Vik is off riding in Baja Mexico..and you John ...are riding a keyboard

[jimmer]

Dear Vik,

Did I hear you on the rdaio this morning talking to Adil Ray about Karachi FM and the Canadian delicacy comprising chips, cheese and gravy?

Yours, James

[vik]

Dear Vik,

Did I hear you on the rdaio this morning talking to Adil Ray about Karachi FM and the Canadian delicacy comprising chips, cheese and gravy?

Yours, James

Sorry that wasn't me...

safe riding,

Vik
www.thelazyrando.com

[vik]

Hola amigos,

I made it back from Mexico safe and sound...unfortunately it required 2 transmission replacements in my truck to finally reach home...   I wish my truck was as reliable as my bicycles...



I didn't get many bike photos on this trip as my co-pilot was suddenly unable to accompany me and taking action shots of yourself riding a bike is a skill I don't have...   I do really like the photo above because my bike had bigger tires than the motorcycles in Mexico!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vikapproved/sets/72157622923295200/

If you don't mind photos of general Mexican beach mayhem the link above leads to my trip photos....

I did get lots of riding in....in fact I didn't move my truck the whole time I was there except to drive to and from the airport to collect my girlfriend.  It's amazing how much utility you can get from a bicycle and 4 panniers!

Now that I am back I'm keen to get my Nomad sorted.  The two things I have in mind are to:

1. move the Rohloff shifter off the Thorn accessory bar and fit it on the right side of the Titec H-bar...a similar setup to my Surly Big Dummy:



2. fit some 2.0" Marathon Supreme tires.

My girlfriend has expressed an interest in touring this summer so I want to make sure she has fun as she isn't a "bikey" person in general although she is sporty and fit...plus being British I think predisposes her to an appreciation of the bicycle...hahaha...hopefully anyway.    I'll just carry all of her gear as well as mine so she can ride unencumbered.  My Nomad will get the honour of carrying all this weight as it was built to be a beast of burden!

I hope everyone has had an enjoyable holiday season and is ready for a great year of cycling in 2010!

safe riding,

Vik
www.thelazyrando.com

[vik]

The Marathon Supremes will have to wait until spring...for now the icy streets of Calgary demand Snow Studs!



My friend Anna left me these 26 x 1.9" Schwalbe winter tires when she moved to sunny Los Angeles!...



I took the opportunity to mount the front tire on a dnyohub wheel I had and will hook up my Solidlights 1203D headlamp tomorrow for reliable winter lighting.  It's dark a lot this far north in the winter...



I like having more than one rear red light at night - especially when riding during the AM/PM car commute time.



Since I didn't have any mounts that work on the Thorn rear rack I had to improvise with a ziptie...good enough for now.



My Nomad is looking good and will be my main ride about town the rest of the winter...although I'll still bust out my Surly Pugsley when we get 3' of fresh snow...you need 4" tires for that sort of situation...the rest of the time 1.9" studded rubber is a better choice.

[ians]

always good to see your photos Vik.

Ian

ps; I once offered to carry my girlfriend's gear - bad move.  She's now my wife (good move) - but she's managed to acquire more stuff and I still carry it all.  Including hair straighteners.  Have you ever seen hair straighteners strapped onto a saddlebag?  Gets some very strange looks.