Rack

Hi, I need to survive 2 nights with what I can carry on my bike. Will be staying in hotels so no tent, towels etc. needed. I don't want to fit a full rack (no upper mounts and no desire for P-clips) but also don't want to use a back pack. Has anyone got experience of the "beam" racks that clamp onto the seatpost? Are they secure or can they bounce around.

What bags are good to sit on these? I'm thinking medium would be suitable to carry a light pair of trousers, trainers, top and wash kit.

Cheers

Keat

A tow bar mounted bike rack is a secure option if you've got a good solid tow bar on your car, and the Thule EuroClassic G6 LED 929 3 Bike Towball Carrier is a fantastic alternative to roof mounted racks which can be tricky to load and can interfere with fuel consumption.

Thule are known for producing some of the most impressively engineered racks on the market, with designs for every possible type of mounting option. The 929 Euroclassic G6 is a flagship model, with a good number of bells and whistles and even more available as optional extras.

The Tortec Expedition rack is a good value option if you want your bike, rather than your back, to take the strain. Strong enough for a big load and and nicely constructed, it'll turn its hand to everything from the commute to a full-on tour.

This Tubus Vega Rack is a very sleek and stylish rack, but tourists and audaxers will probably want to look elsewhere.

Tubus describe this as a "low-profile carrier" for "daily use & weekend trips" which sounds about right to me. It still has a healthy 25kg load limit but the load deck is too narrow to be much use, tapering from 9.9cm down to 8.6cm. It's just not wide enough for rack-packs to perch comfortably, especially those with soft undersides, and there are no obvious hooking points for bungee cords or cargo nets.

I need a new bike rack for my Skoda Fabia... I don't know whether to;
1 - invest in rails for the roof and get an upright bike rack
2 - have a tow bar fitted and buy a tow-bar rack
3 - opt for a cheap (and quick) fix with a rear carrier that fits to my boot....
Any ideas? I had a rear carrier previously, it was cheap and perished....but I am on a bit of a tight budget.

Any advice would be most appreciated!

Ta!

The Camper Long Flap is a saddlebag, part of the Carradice Originals range, and designed (you will not be surprised to hear) for lightweight touring and ultralight cycle camping.

Manufactured from 'cotton duck', a traditional fabric woven from cotton which is incredibly hard wearing and has an inherent water resistance, the Camper Longflap is the largest bag in the Carradice Originals saddlebag line.

Considering its 24 litres capacity, I was very keen to see if the bag would indeed carry everything necessary for a camping tour.

Morning all!

I'm on the hunt for a commuter bike/winter bike. My requirements are/were:

"Normal" road bike
Mudguard mounts
Rack mounts
No disc brakes (interesting tech, but early days!)
No cantis (a PITA to maintain IME)
Tigara as a minimum
Not bothered re. steel or aluminium

...all for £1000, or thereabouts.

Found a couple of bikes that tick all the boxes (Trek 1.5, Ridgeback Platinum, Giant Defy), but they left me cold...although the Ridgebacks look pleasingly sensible, so they're an outsider.

The Saris Gran Fondo is a very fine rear mounted rack for taking your posh bike to the sportive or crit. If you have a big stable of disparate bikes then it might not be the right choice, but as an easy-to-fit solution to carrying your good bike it's a well-thought-out, if fairly expensive, option.

At £39.99 the Blackburn EX2 rack is a sturdy, good value piece of kit for commuting and touring alike. Made of aircraft quality aluminium with 4 supporting stays, the rack represents a stable and durable platform on which to carry either pannier bags or a child seat. The black anodised finish has shown to be neat and hard-wearing and, despite a good deal of bashing about and load carrying in some pretty bad weather, the rack has endured well this winter. A silver finish is also available for those that prefer it.