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review

RSP Adjustable Pannier Rack

6
£39.99

VERDICT:

6
10
A sturdy stainless steel rack for bigger loads and bigger-wheeled bikes.
Weight: 
1,094g
Contact: 
www.raleigh.co.uk

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You can change the height of Raleigh's RSP Adjustable Pannier Rack so it will fit better over different wheel sizes, hence the name. It's a bit agricultural, but it works well.

The adjustability comes from a thick metal strip with holes drilled through it that is bolted to the bottom of the rack. It's not exactly elegant – in fact, it's more like Meccano – but the M6 Allen bolts, 10mm nuts and slotted guides for the drilled strip make it nice and sturdy. This rack is rated for 40kg, while many racks are rated for 25kg.

There's about 50mm of height adjustment. As it fitted fine on its lowest setting on my 700C workhorse bike, the benefit is the facility to fit this rack on a bike with really big wheels. Got a Salsa Fargo 29er adventure bike with two-inch tyres? This rack will fit.

Making the rack taller will make it a bit less stiff, since you're lengthening the distance from where the strip is bolted to the bike frame and where it's bolted to the rest of the rack. I reckon there's enough metal here that that won't be problem. Similarly, while I'd prefer that the rack had some lateral triangulation – which you would get if the two rear struts joined the top of the track inboard of the pannier rails – the lack of it here is offset by the strength gained through sheer mass of metal. At 1.1kg, this is a hefty rack.

Rack weight is a moot point when you fit heavy panniers, but it's always there when you're riding without panniers. So this rack is better suited to a role where the bike will often be burdened with big, heavy bags, or to a bike that's already pretty heavy. I'd use it on a utilitarian transport bike so I could haul groceries and stuff. It also ticks the boxes as a budget-priced expedition rack. In either role, the facility to fit the bags lower down will aid stability and free-up racktop space. The rearward rack struts will keep big bags out of the back wheel.

The rack is made from 10mm stainless steel tubing, so any panniers will go on okay. There's a mount for a rear light; lights with bolts from 45-80mm apart will fit. There's plenty of adjustability with the rack arms, and the aluminium rod that they're made of is stiffer than the thin strips that some racks use to attach to the seat stays.

Being stainless steel, it looks nice and should go on looking nice. A passing touring cyclist asked me if it was a Tubus rack. It isn't Tubus quality, but then again it isn't Tubus price either. If you want a sturdy, inexpensive rack for a workhorse transport bike or budget expedition bike and don't mind bolting over a kilo to your bike, this fits the bill – particularly if that bike is some sort of 29er or other balloon-tyred 700C bike.

Verdict

A sturdy stainless steel rack for bigger loads and bigger-wheeled bikes.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: RSP Adjustable Pannier Rack

Size tested: N/A

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

It's a rear rack for big panniers.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Stainless steel tubing, apart from the seat stay arms (aluminium rod). Rated to 40kg.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
6/10

Triangulation would improve stiffness.

Rate the product for performance:
 
6/10

Solid.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Should last a long while.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
5/10

Heavy.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Decent value for a stainless steel rack.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It's a sturdy rear rack. Any load I would want to put on a rear rack, this will handle.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Stainless steel. Facility to fit panniers lower down.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Weight.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? For the right bike, yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Again - for the right bike, yes.

Overall rating: 6/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 1.78m  Weight: 65kg

I usually ride: Ridgeback Solo World fixed wheel  My best bike is: Planet X Pro Carbon Track (with front brake)

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

 

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1 comments

Avatar
sidesaddle | 10 years ago
0 likes

Apart from the general lack of style there seems no be no actual criticism of this thing, so why only 3 stars? The load rating alone is a plus for serious use, and the lower rails leave the top of the panniers flush with the rack, making in much more practical, as it allows a huge bag to be strapped across the lot without straining the pannier straps. I've got a block of wood on my rack for this very reason. I think you're a bit of a newbie at load hauling!

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