Blackburn EX1 rack (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

Blackburn EX1+ rear rack

by Iwein Dekoninck

Mon, May 11, 2009 03:00

£34.99

VERDICT:

No-nonsense rack that does the job

Weight: 570g

Contact: www.madison.co.uk

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Blackburn’s EX1 rear rack is a bit of a touring classic designed to be a one size fits all load-lugging solution. This has certainly been my experience, it’s easy to fit too, have had no trouble installing on a number of 700c and 26in wheeled bikes.

My only one major gripe is that the 3mm hex bolts that come with it appear to be made of cheese. The heads round very easily which makes taking the rack off at home tricky and a roadside repair nigh on impossible. I own a couple of older Blackburn racks and they suffer from the same flaw – it would have been nice to see some improvement.

The rack is pretty stable under load, and you’d expect no less from a four point rack advertised as “made of aircraft quality aluminum for uncompromising strength during extended touring and off-road riding”. The weight, at 570g, is very reasonable too and compares favourably with some more expensive racks on the market.

Fitting my Ortlieb sport packer classics (front panniers) was a doddle and there was no sway, perfect. My old Karrimor rear panniers are a bit more flexible and for them I’d prefer Blackburn’s EX-2 rack – basically the EX1 with extra pannier rails.

I did notice that after the usual commute from Bath to Bristol and back, the finish of the rack was showing visible wear. I personally wouldn’t be fussed about this, but it’s worth knowing.

If you’re looking for a rack for fast touring, Audaxing or commuting and you’re not rolling in it, look no further. If you’re off on a tour where you’re carrying a tent and its associated paraphernalia, I’d go for the EX-2.

Verdict

No-nonsense rack that does the job

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Blackburn EX1+ rear rack

Size tested: n/a

Rate the product for quality of construction:

6/10

Rate the product for performance:

8/10

Rate the product for durability:

6/10

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:

9/10

Rate the product for value:

9/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 32 Height: 1.78m Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: All of them! My best bike is: Cervelo Dual

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, touring, club rides, fixed/singlespeed, Audax

Blackburn, Blackburn EX1 Rack, Rack

Iwein Dekoninck

1 Comments

1 thought on “Blackburn EX1+ rear rack”

amazon22

May 11, 2009 at 10:11 am

0

Blackburn avoid quoting any
Blackburn avoid quoting any max load for their racks – perhaps its in the instructions, which may be too late if you’ve already bought it. I need to buy a rack but have so far been put off Blackburn by this. Are the rails 10mm?

Comments are closed.

Latest Comments

Chris RideFar 25 minutes ago

The problems mentioned in this article are far more wide-ranging than simply affecting the viability of hiring Saturday lads/lasses. Fixing bikes or selling bikes now requires so much more skill and knowledge than it did 10-20 years ago, but the pay is still rubbish, partly because public perception is that the job is easy and is just a hobby. Therefore people with the ability to be good at the job are not encouraged to stick around and they look elsewhere for a career that can earn a decent wage. I don't enjoy the fact that half the bikes that I work on have almost-unique parts that requires odd techniques, tools, or parts to repair and I first have to research what I need for many of them (despite having 20 years of experience). I'm now getting so much work that I could consider hiring someone else, but it would be impossible to find a skilled person who would work for the wage I can offer and it would take far too much of my time to train someone to a level where they can do more than the simplest 10% of the jobs that come in (whereas 10-20 years ago, after a small amount of training they probably could have done 30+% of the jobs). The complexity and uniqueness of modern bikes is apparently necessary to sell them, but soon there are going to be no mechanics left who will work for the wages that people are prepared to pay. At some point, people are going to have to admit that bike mechanics and salespeople are highly skilled and knowledgeable and should be reimbursed accordingly. Or, everyone can just order bikes online and watch YouTube repair videos and end up with a bike that barely works and isn't safe; but that's fine because they're just simple kids' toys, right?

in: “The Saturday lad or lass is under threat”: Bike shops say minimum wage increases and better sick pay prevent them taking on part-time staff

mattw 3 hours ago

I think the author is trying too hard to "both sides" this one. The basic error is Gove's - he was wandering across a pedestrian crossing on red for him with his head in a cup of coffee, and started well after it was on red. The Highway Code says "should not cross" in these circumstances. He then tried to excuse this by red herrings. Conservatives, including Gove, are supposed to have taking personal responsibility for their actions as a core value. Perhaps having the crooked coward Boris Johnson and Fruit Loop Liz as elected leaders demonstrates that this is merely historical. Gove is permitting a culture war being fought in the pages of his magazine; that is a war where Conservatives are demonising cycling because they hope it will save the rump Conservative Party. One example was their sudden reversal of support for the Welsh 20mph default limit. Should noodles have reacted less sharply - perhaps. A chat with Michael Gove to stop him wandering around the streets like a lobotomised koala may have been beneficial.

in: Michael Gove vs the disgruntled camera cyclist: Sometimes optics matter more than being in the right

Rendel Harris 5 hours ago

@mdavidford Funny, as soon as I saw your comment on the ticker on another article I knew to whom you must be replying.

in: “Only makes sense on paths you DON’T want cyclists to use”: “Totally indefensible” slalom barriers on cycle lane; Lance Armstrong’s DS tells UCI boss to “stick to selfies & dubious deals”; “Canyon to Brompton” delivery nightmare + more on the live blog

Backladder 5 hours ago

@mctrials23 People have been suffering for years because they have been unlucky enough to have been hired by bad people, or had the bad luck to become ill. This is just bringing the system more into balance. I don't have a problem with encouraging people to start businesses but I don't agree with doing it by letting them exploit the poor and the desperate, if they need encouragement then offer state benefits for small businesses and use the claims process to make sure that they are doing everything they should to run the business properly including paying and training their employees. If they just want to get rich quick by exploiting others then they should be in the USA.

in: “The Saturday lad or lass is under threat”: Bike shops say minimum wage increases and better sick pay prevent them taking on part-time staff

mdavidford 6 hours ago

One may wonder why you've brought up DEI when it has nothing at all to do with anything in what Lappartient said. Or why you care about the state of the women's sport if you're so down on diversity, equity and inclusion. 🤷‍♂️

Rendel Harris 6 hours ago

Not quite the first time, I rode over it back in the late twentyteens, just happened to see it was jammed nose-to-tail so thought it would be fun to filter along...turned out there was an overturned lorry at the eastern end blocking all carriageways. I honestly didn't know cycling was banned (the signs aren't very prominent), just assumed nobody rode on it because it would be suicidal in normal circumstances. Fortunately the weary copper at the other end who saw me just cut off my apologies and said, "Fuck off over there [a gap in the barrier to a slip road] and don't do it again."

in: Hundreds of cyclists ignore road closure to “mass trespass” on notorious Westway and tell government to “stop spending money on car roads”

Backladder 6 hours ago

They're not slalom barriers, they're Sheffield stands for parking your bike.

mctrials23 6 hours ago

@momove I would think that spending time training someone up, putting the time and effort into that only to have most people move on relatively quickly isn't a great business model. I know there is the argument that "if your business has to take advantage of people to run then its not a viable business" but thats the reality of some of these shops. Up to a point, thats exactly what apprenticeships have always been. A business get cheap labour that might help them a bit and the apprentice learns something.

in: “The Saturday lad or lass is under threat”: Bike shops say minimum wage increases and better sick pay prevent them taking on part-time staff

MaxiMinimalist 6 hours ago

One may wonder why bureaucrat Lappartient wants to reinvent the wheel with a massive injection of DEI and drastic reduction of money. Let the best cyclists win, period. Meanwhile, women's pro peloton needs means and support to attract new sponsors, increase TV coverage, improve salaries and prize money.

momove 7 hours ago

So they want to pay people a pittance "for the experience", not record their leave accrued, have them ineligible for sickness pay, then complain about them not being experts on e-bikes, bikefitting and more?

in: “The Saturday lad or lass is under threat”: Bike shops say minimum wage increases and better sick pay prevent them taking on part-time staff