How to fit a rear rack on a full suspension bike?

[FlatSix911]

Hello all,
Tory here from OMM/RAP. I am working on a fix for the BH Split Pivot bikes. I will post something here as soon as we get something worked out. Thanks for your patience.

Tory, thanks for the update on the BH eBikes... any ETA?

 

[TsoxRAP/OMM]

No ETA at this point. But something will happen I am sure if it.

Thanks, Tory

 

[BillH]

Hello all,
Tory here from OMM/RAP. I am working on a fix for the BH Split Pivot bikes. I will post something here as soon as we get something worked out. Thanks for your patience.

Very cool. Thanks.

 

[Camac]

Plus 1 on the Thule Pack 'N Pedal Tour Rack . I have a Topeak bag with wet weather gear, first aid pack, spare tube, and a lot of tools. I have never used the panniers on each side. been running this for over 2 years and the only "problem" is the tools rattle a bit on mountain bike tracks.

 

[bikeman242]

Thank you old man mountain - please keep us posted.

 

[TomD]

I'm not sure why there aren't more suspended options like the R&M racks. Too high a center of gravity? Seems a smart individual could come up with a heavy duty aftermarket design that attaches to the suspended frame instead of the seatpost. In any case, I didn't see this one mentioned here:

I like how it distributes attachment to seatpost and seat which should make it more stable.

 

[smorgasbord]

I like how it distributes attachment to seatpost and seat which should make it more stable.

For me, it places the rack way too high. As soon as you put a bag on that rack, that bag is higher than the seat, making it hard to mount unless you've got a step-thru full-suspension bike (like the Homage, which has its own built-in rack).

 

[TomD]

Saw this on the FLX owners FB site. Pretty funny. Seriously though, maybe a trailer is the answer.

 

[dryots]

A Very cool front and rear rack design... thanks for sharing.

I found the product available online from HiBike in Germany:

https://www.hibike.com/topeak-tetra-rack-rack-p87e53a693c05a1ec1d282820e5a47d1f#var_84500680


View attachment 44364
I have a haibike full fat 6. I custom build a rear rack that moves with the suspension. The pivots are hollow, so it’s possible to use the suspension pivots as mounting points. This is a Baltic birch prototype, next is a water jet cut aluminum kit, with a fold back extension for bike touring.

Thanks for this. Apparently new and not yet available to purchase, but will stay firmly in my radar screen when it's released. View attachment 44362

 

[FlatSix911]

I have a haibike full fat 6. I custom build a rear rack that moves with the suspension.
The pivots are hollow, so it’s possible to use the suspension pivots as mounting points.
This is a Baltic birch prototype, next is a water-jet cut aluminum kit, with a fold-back extension for bike touring.

Very nice design with the prototype! Let us know if you offer the kit in Aluminum.

 

[dryots]

Very nice design with the prototype! Let us know if you offer the kit in Aluminum.

(Link Removed - Attachment No Longer Exists)

 

[dryots]

Will do! The Baltic birch is amazingly strong and light , so I have been dragging my feet on the kit . But soon! Not sure if this rack will fit the other sizes if the model , this is the small.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

How do you install a rear rack on a full suspension bike? Multiple bike shops tell me that it cannot be done. Is that true?

I am planning on buying a FS bike for general comfort and stability. I ride hard packed dirt roads, gravel, and and pavement.

The FS just feels so much better on my back over a rough-road. The bike will basically be a glorified beach cruiser. I go for long rides on rail trails.

I will want to bring a good amount of stuff with me for the ride, and don't want to carry it on my back. Hence, the need for a rack. Other than a $5000 R&M, I can't find anything that ships with a rack. It is impossible to tell for most bikes whether there are mounting holes for a rack. What are my options? Budget is $3500. Must be bosch/shimano/brose/yamaha powered.

I'm going to ask kind of a silly question.

Why do you think you need a rack?

Bikepacking-style bags exist from a wide variety of manufacturers that do not require a rack. Also, there are some bags like most handlebar bags that just have mounting hardware on the handlebars and stem that let you carry stuff there.

Unless you have specific requirements that would likely be cheaper and work better for you. If you plan on hauling groceries or carry a briefcase and/or a laptop to work or school a rear rack system with panniers or a front rack with a basket is probably a better solution, but that doesn't sound like what you intend to do with your bike.

Here are some examples of quite nice bags that don't need a rack:

• Revelate Designs Sweet Roll. This is basically a double-ended dry bag that you attach to your handlebars. Their large size will carry quite a bit of clothing, bike tools, mask, snorkel, a couple of beach towels, &c. There is a convenient outside flap for putting wet raingear or a wet towel. Or even fins.
• Swift Industries Paloma Handlebar Bag. Handlebar bags like this are awesome because (1) they use a quick-release attachment so you can take the bag with you when you go into the store, and (2) you can get stuff from them easily without getting off your bike. This bag is roughly big enough to carry a six-pack of beer (cans) with some room left over.
• Swift Industries Bandido Handlebar/Saddle Bag. This bag is smaller than the Paloma and doesn't have the quick release system, but can work fine off your handlebars or off your saddle if your saddle has rails (or you can install rails on your saddle).
• Arkel Rollpacker 25. This thing is huge. If your seat post is high enough and you have enough clearance you can carry an enormous amount of stuff in one of these.
• North Street Pioneer 12 Hip Pack. This is kind of an odd duck, but still very useful. Can be configured as a handlebar bag, hip pack, or a travel pouch.

Yes, these bags are expensive. Especially the Arkel which is really expensive (but on a $ per volume basis isn't so bad). But remember two things: if you grovel on Amazon you can find lower-quality knock-offs of most of these bags for much less, sometimes much much less, and also that you just saved $200 on a rack you didn't turn out to need.

 

[bikeman242]

I'm going to ask kind of a silly question.

Why do you think you need a rack?

Bikepacking-style bags exist from a wide variety of manufacturers that do not require a rack. Also, there are some bags like most handlebar bags that just have mounting hardware on the handlebars and stem that let you carry stuff there.

Unless you have specific requirements that would likely be cheaper and work better for you. If you plan on hauling groceries or carry a briefcase and/or a laptop to work or school a rear rack system with panniers or a front rack with a basket is probably a better solution, but that doesn't sound like what you intend to do with your bike.

Here are some examples of quite nice bags that don't need a rack:

• Revelate Designs Sweet Roll. This is basically a double-ended dry bag that you attach to your handlebars. Their large size will carry quite a bit of clothing, bike tools, mask, snorkel, a couple of beach towels, &c. There is a convenient outside flap for putting wet raingear or a wet towel. Or even fins.
• Swift Industries Paloma Handlebar Bag. Handlebar bags like this are awesome because (1) they use a quick-release attachment so you can take the bag with you when you go into the store, and (2) you can get stuff from them easily without getting off your bike. This bag is roughly big enough to carry a six-pack of beer (cans) with some room left over.
• Swift Industries Bandido Handlebar/Saddle Bag. This bag is smaller than the Paloma and doesn't have the quick release system, but can work fine off your handlebars or off your saddle if your saddle has rails (or you can install rails on your saddle).
• Arkel Rollpacker 25. This thing is huge. If your seat post is high enough and you have enough clearance you can carry an enormous amount of stuff in one of these.
• North Street Pioneer 12 Hip Pack. This is kind of an odd duck, but still very useful. Can be configured as a handlebar bag, hip pack, or a travel pouch.

Yes, these bags are expensive. Especially the Arkel which is really expensive (but on a $ per volume basis isn't so bad). But remember two things: if you grovel on Amazon you can find lower-quality knock-offs of most of these bags for much less, sometimes much much less, and also that you just saved $200 on a rack you didn't turn out to need.

Thank you for the post.

Its a good thought and I had thought about it.

I have a dropper post so rear seat bags wont really work. There is a limit to how much weight I can put on the handlebars. I think 10 pounds is the limit of what handlebar bags can take. I have a full suspension bike with external battery so there is no frame space.

Between my lock and a liter of water, that is about 7 pounds. Still need tools, clothes, etc

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Between my lock and a liter of water, that is about 7 pounds. Still need tools, clothes, etc

A handlebar roll will easily take 15 lbs or more. Some of them will take much more.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Thank you for the post.

Its a good thought and I had thought about it.

I have a dropper post so rear seat bags wont really work. There is a limit to how much weight I can put on the handlebars. I think 10 pounds is the limit of what handlebar bags can take. I have a full suspension bike with external battery so there is no frame space.

Between my lock and a liter of water, that is about 7 pounds. Still need tools, clothes, etc

I'd also recommend getting a feed bag to carry your water bottle. Most of them will hold a full liter bottle.

 

[bikeman242]

A handlebar roll will easily take 15 lbs or more. Some of them will take much more.

What bags have this higher capacity?

Ortlieb handlebar packs are rated for 10 pounds max. I assumed all packs were all like this.

I also have the challenge of finding a pack that works with the jones h bar loop SG 2.5. It has a 2.5 inch rise on the bars.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

What bags have this higher capacity?

Ortlieb handlebar packs are rated for 10 pounds max. I assumed all packs were all like this.

I also have the challenge of finding a pack that works with the jones h bar loop SG 2.5. It has a 2.5 inch rise on the bars.

You might look at the Revelate Sweet Roll and this blog post.

Handlebar Rolls attach with nylon webbing loops (and sometimes velcro loops) and can support quite a bit more weight than the quick-release adapters that most handlebar bags use.

 

[bikeman242]

So Old Man Mountain got back to me with a fix for the rear rack for BH bikes. The rear thread for BH bikes is 1.0 and the standard rear bike thread is 1.75. This is why their axles won't work with BH bikes.

They suggested to buy the Salsa Split Pivot Service Kit:

Split Pivot Service Kit | Salsa Cycles

salsacycles.com

And swap out the axle stud, driveside, on the BH bike with the one in the kit. The axle stud in the Salsa kit is 1.75 thread, which works with their fit kits.

Unfortunately, you have to buy the whole Salsa kit just to get that one axle stud part, but I don't care about that (their racks are worth every penny).

Also, they said that the length of the Salsa axle stud is 19.5mm, whereas the BH one is 19mm, so some very gentle angle grinding is needed to be taken to the axle stud to get it to fit in the BH bike.

Apparently a customer has done this successfully on his BH bike, and the OMM rear rack works fine on his BH (maybe that person is on this forum??)

Here is a schematic of the part in question, the part is #9 on page 3:

https://salsacycles.com/files/tech/7783_SAL_SP_Service_Kit_INST_V5.pdf

What do you guys think of this? I don't have any mechanic skills, but I do think they make a great rack and would love to have their rear rack. There is really no other rack even remotely like it on the market.

Does this sound easy/doable? Thoughts? I would probably have to find a bike shop willing to help. Don't want to settle for the Topeak Tetra Rack, when OMM is superior.

@FlatSix911 @BillH @Ravi Kempaiah @Mike TowpathTraveler

 

[FlatSix911]

So Old Man Mountain got back to me with a fix for the rear rack for BH bikes. The rear thread for BH bikes is 1.0 and the standard rear bike thread is 1.75. This is why their axles won't work with BH bikes.They suggested to buy the Salsa Split Pivot Service Kit:

Split Pivot Service Kit | Salsa Cycles

salsacycles.com

And swap out the axle stud, driveside, on the BH bike with the one in the kit. The axle stud in the Salsa kit is 1.75 thread, which works with their fit kits.
Unfortunately, you have to buy the whole Salsa kit just to get that one axle stud part, but I don't care about that (their racks are worth every penny).

Also, they said that the length of the Salsa axle stud is 19.5mm, whereas the BH one is 19mm, so some very gentle angle grinding is needed to be taken to the axle stud to get it to fit in the BH bike. Apparently a customer has done this successfully on his BH bike, and the OMM rear rack works fine on his BH (maybe that person is on this forum??)

Here is a schematic of the part in question, the part is #9 on page 3:

https://salsacycles.com/files/tech/7783_SAL_SP_Service_Kit_INST_V5.pdf

What do you guys think of this? I don't have any mechanic skills, but I do think they make a great rack and would love to have their rear rack. There is really no other rack even remotely like it on the market. Does this sound easy/doable? Thoughts? I would probably have to find a bike shop willing to help. Don't want to settle for the Topeak Tetra Rack, when OMM is superior.

@FlatSix911 @BillH @Ravi Kempaiah @Mike TowpathTraveler

Nice job on following up with OMM on the proper rack solution for BH bikes. I think this design will work well with their rack and the replacement axle.

The kit is not cheap at $100, but it's worth it for a correct long term solution. BTW, a flat-file should work fine for removing 0.5mm... no grinder required.