Are P clamps supposed to do this?

[lungimsam]

Front rack feels rock solid when pulling on the rack.

But if I grab the rubber p clamps themselves, I can sorta slide them a bit a few mm's. Is this just how P clamps are supposed to be?

Bolts are totally snugged up and forks under p clamps are lined with bartape.

[Jason Cloutier]

If you're mounting the p-clamp on the tapered part of the fork, you may not be getting enough grip for the clamp to work effectively.

Jason Cloutier
Pawtucket, RI

[hsmitham]

Perhaps the bar tape is too slick and allowing the P-Clamp to slide. If I'm not mistaken they are designed to have the rubber make direct contact with the fork. Or maybe you used the wrong size? An image would help.

~Hugh

Los Angeles, CA

[David Hays]

I just mounted Nitto M18s on two bikes that lack fork eyelets and used the rubber/stainless steel clamps that come with the rack.

I had some concerns but when I used the smaller clamps and looked at the geometry I realized the force placed on the clamps by the weight of the rack push the clamp into and not down the fork blade.

Nothing conclusive but my take so far.

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[Andrew Marchant-Shapiro]

I have seen two types of P clamps over the years, but both are secure if you use the correct size. The first type, which I haven't seen in a while, are merely coated with a thin layer of plastic; the second type are lined with a thick rubber layer. You calm get the latter in lots of sizes at big box hardware stores. Like I said, if you use the right size, they should be secure and show no sign of moving. The only thing I have ever used under them was electrical tape (with the older kind) to protect the frame.

[lungimsam]

The VO rack came with the rubber coated ones. Too tight.

So I got a "14" size from LBS  that looks like the Riv type with the thick rubber strips on the inside.

When installed, the rack is solid. But if I looked down along the fork  blade (clamp is about 4 or so inches below fork crown) I could see daylight along the sides of the clamp, but the front and back are tight, and the clamp was tight to bring the tabs together, so I figure it is the right size. But I could wiggle the clamps by hand when it was just the clamps.

I put one turn of bartape around the fork, and that filled the daylight sliver gaps, and although the rack is solid, I can still wiggle the clamp by hand if I pull on it. If I grab the rack and pull up and down I detect no movement..

[lungimsam]

Some pics:

[Andrew Marchant-Shapiro]

Yeah, based on photo 2 I'd say the clips are significantly too large.I usually like to choose clips so that the tabs are "stretched"-looking when everything is bolted together...

On Sunday, November 9, 2014 2:55:11 PM UTC-5, lungimsam wrote:

Some pics: