Front Rack for Rambouillet

[Ben Adrian]

Hey all!

I have a Rambouillet which has caliper brakes as I'm sure most of you know.

I'd love to put a rando style rack on the front. It only has eyelets for
fenders, so I know I'll need to use hose/P clamps on the fork and a
mount at the brake bolt.

Anyway, I'd like to call on the experts here to find out what is the
favorite rack for this model. Any good front rack talk is appreciated as
well.

Cheers!
Ben Adrian

[Joe Bernard]

Most of us who mucked around with those bikes 15-20 years ago used a Mark's Rack. It worked well enough but honestly I can't recommend it, P-clamps are a pain in the patooty and Rivs are rear-loader designs. My preference - I know you didn't ask, just putting it out there to ponder on - is an unsupported bar bag of some sort and rack-and-bag in the rear. As seen here. 

Joe "in this reporter's opinion" Bernard 

[lconley]

Way back when, bikes rarely had more than 1 mount per dropout. We just put the rack and fenders on a longer bolt. Sometimes needed a spacer in the front so the rack support cleared the fork tubes. I think I still have a 70's Blackburn front rack that mounted to the brake bolt (in the time before recessed brake bolts) on the backside of the forks and the front dropout mounts. Put the fender stays on closest to the frame and then the rack.

Laing

[Toshi Takeuchi]

I used a Ram with Mark's rack and P-clamps.  Never had problems with my rando bag on the Mark's rack.  With that said, getting a long strut and going down to the fender mount/dropout as Laing suggests makes sense and should work well.  My Cheviot uses a long strut for the Mark's rack at the dropout.

Here is the picture of the bike: https://www.flickr.com/photos/42771204@N00/8176967200

Toshi

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[iamkeith]

Don't forget to look through the cyclofiend photo archives.  There are lots of examples there.
http://www.cyclofiend.com/rbw/rambouillet/index.html

I settled on a nitto handlebar bag support, that riv used to sell, on my ram.  I've posted pictures somewhere, but can do so again if you're inerested.  

[Minh]

i have a similarly aged Quickbeam and use pclamps on the fork.  yes its ugly, yes its a little fiddly to install the first time, but its been on there for 10+ years at this point, supporting a much too big wald basket, a platrack and now a more reasonable sized basket.   though not elegant it works.   

as others mention, if you have the room, a hanging-off-the-handlebar bag is the new norm, with or without a small rack underneath to support

[Bill Lindsay]

Here's an out-there suggestion for a "road" bike with no proper rack attachment points

Convert to Dia Compe GC610 centerpulls:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/124254805889

Buy the Gran Compe ENE front rack:  Dia-Compe Ene Front Rack Bag Luggage Carrier for Road Bikes Silver | eBay

(optional), buy the adorable bag to fit:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/333939881911

 

I ran this setup for a while on my Black Mountain Road, and it worked fine.  I ran a normal handlebar bag with a decaleur.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

On Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 11:45:00 AM UTC-8 bunny...@gmail.com wrote:

[Ben Adrian]

I love this crazy, out of the box thinking, but 2 kgs seems like not quite enough load capacity.

Thanks!
Ben

[Ben Adrian]

That is a great idea! Thanks!

Ben

[iamkeith]

Wasn't sure if you meant the handlebar rack or photo archive was a good idea, so here's a quick snapshot of the former.  Best I could do today.  Its formal model name is Nitto F15.  Bag is by ostrich and similarly named.  I try to keep it light - phone, wallet, salted nut roll, etc., and that's about it - but having a map visible can be a really nice feature on a long ride.

[David Hays]

I ran a similar setup but with Dia Compe GC750 brakes and a larger bag all last year on my Mercian and it also worked fine.

I never overloaded the bag but never weighed it. A camera, a wind jacket and a few tools.

David Hays

Buffalo, New York

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[David Hays]

Sorry. Meant to send this picture.

David Hays

Buffalo, New York

On Jan 31, 2022, at 9:11 PM, David Hays <23wr...@gmail.com> wrote:

I ran a similar setup but with Dia Compe GC750 brakes and a larger bag all last year on my Mercian and it also worked fine.

I never overloaded the bag but never weighed it. A camera, a wind jacket and a few tools.

David Hays

Buffalo, New York

<2020-Mercian-at-20.08-lbs.jpg>

[Ben Adrian]

I keep remembering this post and I hate to admit how much it probably applies to me. It feels so much more alive whenever I ride the bike without the front rack. I really want this to be my "utility" bike. For instance, I went and picked up some sushi tonight, and I needed a flat area to keep the food upright and stable. Something on the front just seems so much more convenient for me. I usually leave my bag on all the time and it's always getting used.

Perhaps I just need some kind of larger rear bag for my everyday stuff; tools, lock, emergency road snacks, light jackets, etc. Then I keep an empty front rack and only bungee stuff to it when the rear is not an option? 

It's that or get a different bike that likes a front load more.

Cheers!

Ben