Which style front rack?

[ColonelJLloyd]

I'd say you first need input from people who own the same frame. Some bikes with standard mid-trail design aren't fun to ride with more than a few pounds on the front and numbers on paper don't always tell you whether or not that's the case. I don't know the trail of the frame in question.

[R3awak3n]

I have had a front rando bag on a mid trail bike, it rode just fine. I mean low trail is definitely better for that but I really never had a problem and I loaded that sucker up a bunch.


I probably however would do a marks rack with a swift ozzette or similar rando bag up front, the porteur rack is huge and a porteur bag is also huge and I guess trail will play a bigger part if you want to carry that much up front and that high.

Regardless, front bags are awesome, you will love and use yours a bunch

[adamhell]

here is a horrible photo of my hunqapillar with a nitto 32F rack on it.

it makes sense for a canti-only, (or i guess disc too) bike (since it takes full use of the fork crown hole), & it's great looking, but these smaller nitto racks DO have weight limits. if you buy a rack like this (32F, Mark's rack, M18), use an irish strap and http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/m3.htm to add some extra security to the rack. it really helps.

otherwise just get a pass & stow or whatever.

[burnses_suit]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

Regardless, front bags are awesome, you will love and use yours a bunch

Thanks so much for this :-) I'm so nervous about a front rack and what/why it means (rather than carrying one pannier for my daily carry on the rear) and trying to suss out why that might be...

[burnses_suit]

Originally Posted by adamhell

here is a horrible photo of my hunqapillar with a nitto 32F rack on it.

it makes sense for a canti-only, (or i guess disc too) bike (since it takes full use of the fork crown hole), & it's great looking, but these smaller nitto racks DO have weight limits. if you buy a rack like this (32F, Mark's rack, M18), use an irish strap and http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/m3.htm to add some extra security to the rack. it really helps.

otherwise just get a pass & stow or whatever.

Neat bike (and don't put down your picture skills ) but yeah, I'm not fussing with straps and ****... it feels like a porteur is the way 2 go. is it THAT much heavier than anything else?

[dustyrider]

Originally Posted by Saguaro

I have one of those Acorn Mini-Rando bags also and love it. Unfortunately they are discontinued. A Nitto Mark's Rack supports the bag.

I use this paired with a Nitto Big Back Rack and Ortleib Front Roller panniers for a lightweight touring setup. This contains everything I need to camp: tent, sleeping bag, inflatable mattress, titanium cookset, stove, fuel, fleece jacket, rain jacket, thermal base layer, gloves, fleece hat, tools, headlamp and more.





The bike now sports a Gemini Duo headlight mounted to the front fender with the battery pack stowed in the front bag side pocket.

If I was to set this up for credit card touring, I'd ditch the rear rack and panniers, and use an Acorn Medium Saddle Bag in place of the Tool Roll.

This is what I call dialed in! Nice setup. Guessing the medium saddle bag isn't much bigger on the back than the tool roll.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

I have had a front rando bag on a mid trail bike, it rode just fine. I mean low trail is definitely better for that but I really never had a problem and I loaded that sucker up a bunch.

So have I. And I've had a bike with 51mm trail that I had to fight like hell to keep tracking on rough stuff. My point is that you don't know until you know and the trail value alone won't always tell you how the bike will handle.

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by ColonelJLloyd

So have I. And I've had a bike with 51mm trail that I had to fight like hell to keep tracking on rough stuff. My point is that you don't know until you know and the trail value alone won't always tell you have the bike will handle.

I agree but I know tons of people with surly and front bags and they have never complained about it. My bike was a rawland drakkar, I forget the trail but was definitely mid and bike handled fine with 20 lbs in the bag.

but I agree with you 100%, also some people won't like a front load, low trail or not.

[burnses_suit]

Originally Posted by ColonelJLloyd

So have I. And I've had a bike with 51mm trail that I had to fight like hell to keep tracking on rough stuff. My point is that you don't know until you know and the trail value alone won't always tell you have the bike will handle.

Is there a reliable way to understand/quantify (or qualify) "trail"?

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by burnses_suit

Is there a reliable way to understand/quantify (or qualify) "trail"?

Yes. It's an exact geometrical calculation.

[adamhell]

Originally Posted by burnses_suit

Neat bike (and don't put down your picture skills ) but yeah, I'm not fussing with straps and ****... it feels like a porteur is the way 2 go. is it THAT much heavier than anything else?

there really isn't any fussing with straps - you just run the strap through the loop of the rack and around the handlebars, then tighten. it's just so when a larger load is on the rack, it's connected to the bars as a failsafe.

re weight, it depends which porteur rack you're looking at. a lot of people here in the bay area swear by their Pass&Stow racks, but I doubt they'd try to convince you they're light. they sacrifice nothing to versatility, so you get a rack that's strong, pannier capable, with a large platform, internal routing for a dynamo hub, and good adjustability for mounting to a lot of bikes. the real question is: is it overkill?

[burnses_suit]

Wow the P&S looks so nice. Worth the extra cost over the Soma maybe just for the ability to break it down, and ship it... So many decisions

[Henrythewound]

Originally Posted by burnses_suit

Wow the P&S looks so nice. Worth the extra cost over the Soma maybe just for the ability to break it down, and ship it... So many decisions

Not sure what you ended up doing but I was in your same boat and ended up trying out the Soma Porteur rack on my gen 1 Salsa Fargo. It took a bit of doing to get the rack mounted with the leg adapters/extenders and the Fargo fork dropouts. I ended up having to fashion some spacers and use a rear skewer on the front to mount the rack. Even with all this the rack barely clears the tire.

When riding the steering seems fine but the front of the bike feels heavier (because it is?). The only time I really notice really negative effects is when off the bike. Parking, leaning against a wall, etc. The front end wants to swing heavily to one side. I'm not sure if the Fargo is a bad fit or if this is expected with big porteur racks in general. I have a feeling it's a bit of both. I never had a front rack before so am just trying it out.

[93KgBike]

Great thread!!!

[burnses_suit]

Originally Posted by Henrythewound

Not sure what you ended up doing but I was in your same boat and ended up trying out the Soma Porteur rack on my gen 1 Salsa Fargo. It took a bit of doing to get the rack mounted with the leg adapters/extenders and the Fargo fork dropouts. I ended up having to fashion some spacers and use a rear skewer on the front to mount the rack. Even with all this the rack barely clears the tire.

When riding the steering seems fine but the front of the bike feels heavier (because it is?). The only time I really notice really negative effects is when off the bike. Parking, leaning against a wall, etc. The front end wants to swing heavily to one side. I'm not sure if the Fargo is a bad fit or if this is expected with big porteur racks in general. I have a feeling it's a bit of both. I never had a front rack before so am just trying it out.

Wow old thread but thanks! I never got one yet.. There's always a different shiny new toy that I want, but hold back. I'm worried about the steering as well...