Basket Rack with Panniers?

[Collin A]

Howdy Folks,

I wanted to poll some of the rivendell hive-mind wisdom here. I'm messing around with my current bikepacking setup and wanted to give a shot with front panniers to see how the bike handles. I don't have a dedicated pannier rack for the front of my bike, but I do have the RBW Basket Rack and the panniers I have do indeed fit. This Rack: https://www.rivbike.com/collections/racks/products/a7s5klhjwe-oith-lk5465a

So the question is, does anyone with more experience with low-rider-esque bag setups see an issue with using the basket rack with panniers on bouncier surfaces? There is only the connection at the fork crown and the drop outs (no mid-fork struts), and that is what is giving me pause.

Thanks,

Collin in Sacramento

[Bill Lindsay]

I think it's worth a try but there are multiple places to add redundancy.  

If the diving board fails the whole assembly will rotate forward and that will be bad.  You should run an Irish strap to prevent that rotation. 
The telescoping lower strut should be straight vertical, but various twisting motions will make the single Nitto daruma try to unscrew.  If it were me, I'd run a zip tie around the strut and the T plate to help limit rotation there if it wants to loosen.  I'd almost consider drilling a through hole up high on that T-plate for a second Daruma.  That would be super-redundant and would prevent rotation permanently.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Michael Williams]

Hey Collin, one addition to a similar setup you are talking about is using an Irish strap cinched around the back of the rack legs and around the pannier.   I found this really helped keep everything right and in place on rough surfaces and helped keep the bags from bouncing around.  Something like this.  -Mike

Sent from my iPhone

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[Jay Lonner]

Collin, I think you’d be better off with a Pass and Stow rack for that application. (That’s what Michael appears to have in the pictures he sent.) I have one on my Hunq, and my wife has a Basket Rack on her Cheviot. The Basket Rack is great for lighter loads, but has too many points of articulation/loosening for heavy loads in rough stuff. The Pass and Stow is designed to do exactly what you describe, and is worth every penny. 

Jay Lonner

Bellingham, WA

Sent from my Atari 400

On May 7, 2021, at 9:15 AM, Michael Williams <mkernan...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hey Collin, one addition to a similar setup you are talking about is using an Irish strap cinched around the back of the rack legs and around the pannier.   I found this really helped keep everything right and in place on rough surfaces and helped keep the bags from bouncing around.  Something like this.  -Mike

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Sent from my iPhone

On May 7, 2021, at 9:03 AM, Bill Lindsay <tape...@gmail.com> wrote:

I think it's worth a try but there are multiple places to add redundancy.  

If the diving board fails the whole assembly will rotate forward and that will be bad.  You should run an Irish strap to prevent that rotation. 
The telescoping lower strut should be straight vertical, but various twisting motions will make the single Nitto daruma try to unscrew.  If it were me, I'd run a zip tie around the strut and the T plate to help limit rotation there if it wants to loosen.  I'd almost consider drilling a through hole up high on that T-plate for a second Daruma.  That would be super-redundant and would prevent rotation permanently.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

On Friday, May 7, 2021 at 8:34:29 AM UTC-7 Collin A wrote:

Howdy Folks,

I wanted to poll some of the rivendell hive-mind wisdom here. I'm messing around with my current bikepacking setup and wanted to give a shot with front panniers to see how the bike handles. I don't have a dedicated pannier rack for the front of my bike, but I do have the RBW Basket Rack and the panniers I have do indeed fit. This Rack: https://www.rivbike.com/collections/racks/products/a7s5klhjwe-oith-lk5465a

So the question is, does anyone with more experience with low-rider-esque bag setups see an issue with using the basket rack with panniers on bouncier surfaces? There is only the connection at the fork crown and the drop outs (no mid-fork struts), and that is what is giving me pause.

Thanks,

Collin in Sacramento

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[Collin A]

Jay - agreed that the Basket rack is not the best tool for the job, but its the tool I have right now and i'm not in the mood to spend another $280 on a (very nice) rack. I also don't know if I would like the impact the front load would have on the bike yet, hence trying to use what I have and give it a shot for a shorter trip (if its safe).

Mike - the panniers I have are the swanky PR ones that basically have those straps built into the carriers, so it would be redundant. BUT that is a good idea none-the-less when dealing with the "elastic-hook" style panniers

Bill - Thanks, the redundancy of the irish strap would be helpful. I also like the idea of drilling the T-plate for the extra daruma (I have a pair sitting in my parts box, so lucky me!), but not ready for that commitment yet. I think I'll give a shot with the irish strap and hit the nearby trails with a camping load and see how it goes (or doesn't).

Any other thoughts or concerns?

[Thomas Lawn]

I wouldn't expect any huge issues with popping a set of panniers on that rack, but you'll definitely want to make sure that things are secure and you have a backup for anything that could fail catastrophically. I would use a strap from the rack to the handlebar or headtube to keep the rack from falling forward if the fork crown mount slips/fails, and I would use a bungee or long voile strap around the bag to keep it attached to the rack if you were going somewhere really bouncy. I'd also be pretty wary of those dropout strut mounts on the Basket Rack, note that Riv says 20lb maximum, and keep a close eye on those connections to ensure they don't slip.

Having used panniers on the side of a Specialized pizza rack, which mounts in a similar position, I'll say that my personal preference will always be to mount the panniers lower on the front. Having them up high like this definitely makes the weight more obvious, especially when stopped or turning. 

Cheers,

Thomas in Portland

On Friday, May 7, 2021 at 8:34:29 AM UTC-7 Collin A wrote: