Jack the Bike Rack

[Timothy Whitfeld]

Does anyone in the group have experience with Jack the Bike Rack? It's appealing to easily switch a rack like this between bikes but only if it works as advertised! 

Is a handlebar rack even necessary to support a handlebar bag (e.g., Zeitgeist from Swift Industries or Goldback/Piccolo from BagsxBird)? Does an unsupported bag flop around or scuff the headtube? I've only ever used a pannier but like the idea of a more easily accessible handlebar bag. This would be for a Sam Hillborne. Thanks, Tim

[brendonoid]

I have used a Jack the Bike Rack.

Unless you NEED the convenience of being able to switch from bike to bike all the time, I found this rack to be so compromised as to not be worth it at all.

Best case scenario it keeps the bag from rubbing on your head tube, but it weighs OVER 700g. For reference a Big Nitto rear rack weighs 800g, and a Marks front rack weighs 300g. A marks rack with a Wald 137 weighs the same and can carry a great deal more in a much more stable fashion.

Weight is not important I know but it also can't actually hold any substantial weight itself for all that girth. With a load over 2kg that Jack rack is bouncing and swaying all over the place. It is a pointless waste of time and I still resent the purchase.

The second kicker is that there are other products out there that keep a handle bar bag off your head tube. Personally I use a cord or strap attached from stem to fork crown.

[J]

I didn't like the design of the Jack so stayed away from it but I failed at convincing a friend to do the same and they've been similarly disappointed with the purchase as Brendonoid. 

A handlebar rack is not necessary for a front bag if you are running caliper, linear/V or disc brakes other than to protect your headtube from some abrasion. But Canti brake will require some kind of support to keep the bag from putting increasing tension on the front brake cable. Your Sam should have canti brakes so you'll need to figure that out. I've made a few standoffs out of a foam roller for myself and a few friends that has a passthrough for the cable to use in a pinch but I typically use a support like the Pec Dec/Rod Steward for simplicity sake.

[Brian Turner]

The Rod Steward bag support is a nicely designed product and works well, but I find it’s a bit fiddly to install and remove and you can’t just keep it attached if you’re not running a bag.

For cantilever brake setups, I prefer to cut a length of brake cable housing to run between the cable hanger and straddle wire yoke. This provides nice frictionless gliding of your brake cable when there’s a bag resting against it - but the key is to also put a few foam spacers between the housing and your headtube.

[velomann]

Wow.

My experience with the Jack Rack is the polar opposite of the criticisms here. I got in on the Kickstarter 2-for-1 after favorable preview reviews from Path Less Pedaled and Terry Berentson, and I love the two racks I have so much that I purchased a third.

But my uses are specific and whether you like the rack will probably depend on what you're carrying and what your other options are. One of my racks is mounted on my beater 1990 Diamondback Apex MTB. This is my commuter, lock up outside the schools where I sub, all purpose bike, and the bag I usually carry is a prototype North St large-ish Carradice-style  saddlebag with a shoulder strap, Easy to bungee down on the rack, easy to remove. The other bike with a Jack Rack is my fixie, and I find the rack absolutely perfect for strapping down a messenger bag or the North St. bag or whatever and carrying whatever s*** I want when I'm riding fixed. 

I have almost no sway with the racks, and I'm just guessing but I figure I regularly exceed the weight capacity and so far it has been a complete non-issue.

I should also say that I have a real aversion to front racks that attach to the fork dropouts, as well as using P-clamps to mount anything on the fork, mostly for aesthetic reasons, but also because it's another strut to get in the way of stuff. I do have Several bikes with various Nitto front racks (M12, M18, 32F) and love those as well, but comparison with the Jack Rack is apples & oranges for me - it works great for the applications I use it for. 

Also, I have not (yet) mounted a Wald 137 to a Jack Rack, but I know people who have and it seems to be a great use of the rack.

Mike M

[Conway Bennett]

Tim,

I feel compelled to reply since the jack the bike rack is one of my favorite bike accessories that I've ever purchased, and its the only thing that I have bought through crowdfunding.  I hate having racks permanently attached to my bikes--I have wasted too much time installing them to ultimately remove them then have them sit and then market, pack, and ship them.  The jack the bike rack works exactly as advertised, and it is easy on/easy off.  It literally takes moments, and has absolutely no play--I will prove too.  I had it setup with a wald 137 and analog/fifth season squall sack and/or cargo net, but I recently bought an outer shell 137 basket bag because I wanted a rando closure for the access.  As much as I like roll top bags like the squall sack, I prefer them for long-term storage, not day-to-day use.  Also, I have used this rack on wide drop bars and with v brakes.  I'm not sure where the interjection regarding canti/center pulls came from, but I bet that they would work just fine with this rack.  I can only speculate, but I think you could use the largest of handlebar bags, and this rack would be a fine support for them.  I think the peck deck/rod steward is the worst compromise between a mechanically secure rack and the jack the bike rack.

I do have an extra jack the bike rack, black 137, and squall sack that was underutilized on my wife's bike that I'm passively selling if you want to buy it.  I personally don't need two with how easy it is to swap between bikes.

[Timothy Whitfeld]

Appreciate the comments. Looks like a split decision but it’s useful to hear some real world experiences. Maybe I should have mentioned that I’ll have Albatross handlebars, Silver thumb shifters, Paul Love levers, and V-brakes (Shimano DXR MX70).

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[Conway Bennett]

Tim,

The only limiting factor for the rack would a stem with positive rise or extremely short/zero reach, but that shouldn't be a problem with a traditional albatross setup.

Fair winds,

Captain Conway Bennett
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[Chuck Blessing]

I have a Jack the Bike Rack on a State single speed with a Velo Orange 11.5cm stem and Porteur bars. It's very secure and useful for my purposes, such as stowing clothing layers on cold days and carrying snacks or other such items on extended day trips. It may not be the best choice for bikepacking or similar uses. It has a published weight limit of 2 Kg, but I believe it is mentioned on their web site or in videos that this is more of a handling issue, and the rack itself can handle much more weight than that. 

[Conway Bennett]

I definitely had my 3 year old son ride home from the park in the rack before.

Fair winds,

Captain Conway Bennett
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[Chuck Blessing]

I meant to say 5 KG weight limit, not 2 KG. Also that's a VO Happy Stem with a 45 degree angle. Worked fine with the stock rack, but did have to connect an XS and medium loadstrap together for this stem.

[Tom McCabe]

I have one and my feelings are mixed. I use it with an outer shell 137 basket bag. On one hand it’s great for swapping between bikes. I’ve got a hardtail I use for ripping around with my kids I’ll throw the rack/bag on there to pack snacks, coats etc. takes literally 1 minute to swap the rack from bike to bike. On my drop bar bike I don’t love it as much. It sits really high up, it just bounce a fair bit if I’m on gravel and it just has the bag too high, it interferes with my drops. I used to use a soma rack with a wald basket and I much preferred that positioning lower down. 

It’s not a terrible buy but I’d only recommend if you swap between bikes. 

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[MT]

I have it for a bike with no mounting points for a rack.  I personally think it does a great job within it's limits.  I recently took it bikepacking on my gravel bike to hold a dry bag full of light weight camping equipment and it did well.  On the same trip, I overloaded it with a whole bundle of firewood and it worked with support straps lashed to my drop bars.  While it worked for the 5 or so miles to the campground, it wouldn't have been ideal for an all day journey with that weight.  

Like the others, as much as I like it for daily trips around town, if you plan on regularly using a rack for a decent amount of weight, I would look elsewhere.

[J]

Seeing all the positive experiences with the Jack makes me want borrow it from the dissatisfied friend and give it a try regardless of my dislike of the design. tommccabe comment has me wondering if drop bar vs flat bar is something to consider as well as the size of the bike/stack height. I think it look pretty good on smaller bikes.

[homer howzit]

Just out of respect for Jack, I guess I wanted to chime in too. I have a Toyo Atlantis with Paul Moto-Lites and the lack of fork mounts together with the linear pulls makes mounting a rack up front kinda tough without Paul's pricey Rack adapters... So Jack the Rack works perfectly for me on my Atlantis and AHH. I load a Swift Zeitgeist Bag or Basket on it for camping and "Coffee Outside". Additionally, I used it on my Koga Miyata World Traveller and camped for a month north of Polebridge MT along the divide in Flathead National forrest, Red Meadow Lake, Canadian border etc and thru Glacier National park. I did not have an issue with a loaded Zeitgeist at all!.. Honestly, I love it

[Tom McCabe]

I think it’s worth trying. I want to switch to a handlebar bag that doesn’t need a rack or basket (but I just love the outer shell bag too much to get rid of). If you don’t like it I’m sure you could sell it again no problem for close to what you pay for it. My drop bars are *only* 44 cm wide (Velo orange rando) and the bag just fits between. While I like the positioning of the old soma rack and wald basket I had I didn’t want it on there all the time so this solution works for me, although it’s not perfect (another 2 inches lower and I’d be very happy). I say try it!

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[Micah McKinley]

I bought one of these when then they first dropped via kickstarter..and less than a month I had it posted on eBay. 

I found it to be a messy set up and never quite a stable attachment. I’ve put together so many quality front racks over the years that I figured for what it’s worth this is a quick fix in a pinch convenient store run for a a few light snack items. 

The carradice handle bar bag loader is more secure if you can get your hands on one. 

Micah -La La Land 

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 9, 2024, at 10:16 AM, MT <emt...@gmail.com> wrote:

I have it for a bike with no mounting points for a rack.  I personally think it does a great job within it's limits.  I recently took it bikepacking on my gravel bike to hold a dry bag full of light weight camping equipment and it did well.  On the same trip, I overloaded it with a whole bundle of firewood and it worked with support straps lashed to my drop bars.  While it worked for the 5 or so miles to the campground, it wouldn't have been ideal for an all day journey with that weight.  

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