Nitto Campee front rack advice: Center-mounting a light

[Robert]

Hi, all.

I'm considering a Nitto Campee front rack for a new Riv I'll be building up. I really like this idea of this rack (the removable pannier attachments), but here's my predicament: I also want run a Luxos-B, which Riv recommends center-mounting above the tire because of its wide light throw. The Campee rack only has a side light mount. Does anyone know of a light mounting solution for the curved front-center area of the rack?

I'm pretty sure I'd like to run a Luxos-B, so am I forcing the idea of the Campee rack?

My panniers are Seattle Sports Rain Riders (btw, underrated panniers)—not Riv—so I worry they won't mount well on Riv's hub area hoop rack which seems kinda proprietary. If they did, I'd just use that in combination with a Mini Front rack. This would be another nice, versatile setup...

[Tim Gavin]

With the Campee Classic:

I think you could use a long centerpull brake arm (or any of the currently-marketed adapters) to raise the light quite a bit from the strut eyelets.

You could also mount the light on the handlebar, if you're not planning on putting a large bag or basket on the top rack platform.

But the Campee Classic is heavier than a separate Mini  Front rack and lowriders.  Personally, I'd recommend a Tubus Tara underneath a Mini Front.

I used a Campee Classic on my Riv Road/650b on last year's RAGBRAI.  Since then, I've changed it out for a Mini Front, holding a Banzer/Treetop rando bag and a Luxos U out front.  I'll add a Tara when I want to add panniers.

With those Seattle Sports panniers, how do they lock to the rack?  I can see that they have J-hooks up top and some kind of toggle hook down low.  Do you twist that toggle hook thing to jam it against a rack tube?  I don't understand how these panniers don't bounce themselves free.  

Cheers,

Tim

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Bob B]

Tim, 

Thanks for the note. I thought Tubus might have something. It's also good to know about the weight difference. 

RE: your question about the Seattle Sports panniers: They've never bounced free. The panniers have a bit of flex to them, so as you mount them you can kinda twist the pannier so that the toggle hook gets around a rack tube. You just have to set up the pannier so that the lower toggle hook is in the right place, at the right angle. You can tighten it so it keeps a fixed position. The upper hooks kind of "snap" (but in a spongey kind of way) over the top of the rack. The combination is actually very stable and secure, and not at all noisy. I use two for big trips and one daily for commuting. I dismount and re-mount that pannier almost every day, and I've had them for 8 years or so. I believe the company will replace hooks if you break them, but that hasn't happened to me.

[Tim Gavin]

Thanks for clarifying, I understand now.  The upper hooks have a snap-click type of tension.  Do they have different hooks for different tubing sizes?   Tubus uses 10 mm rails, while Nitto uses 9 mm, for example.  

I picked up a 4-pack of Ortliebs last year from a listmember.  I'm very impressed with the quality of the bags and the ease of their attachment.  They provide different clip inserts for 10 and 9 mm tubing.

[Shoji Takahashi]

Hi Bob,

Here's a pic from the Blug-- Luxos (don't know which one) mounted on the side with Nitto light holder.

http://rivbike.tumblr.com/post/121034956779/brian-and-will-here-have-the-disappearing-sage

Direct link to pic:

http://40.media.tumblr.com/850399202aabcfa91e43ab91da8a9f1e/tumblr_npmzy4csSv1qe3ngpo3_1280.jpg

I wouldn't over think it-- over to the side means there'll be a wheel shadow. Many high-end randonneur bikes have Edelux to the side, and Edelux's have wide throws, too. 

Good luck!

shoji

[John Phillips]

I used a left-side Nitto light holder mounted on the mid-fork strut to mount an Edelux on the same Nitto Campee front rack. I used longer struts plus the Nitto light holder to extend the lamp and avoid the tire casting a shadow.

Works fine.

John

[Bill Lindsay]

Glass half-full comment:

I think this rack give you a great opportunity to think of your bike as an integrated whole, not as a mishmash of parts that you bolt together.  

Glass half-empty comment:

Why doesn't anything fit together the way I want!?  

I have two of that front rack.  The detachable lowriders are very wide and very short in height.  My adjustable Ortliebs did not fit well on them, and dangled way too low to the ground for my comfort.  Very Very few pannier makers make a bag that fits that rectangular lowrider well.  I'm kind of surprised by how bad it is.  There is the excellent Berthoud GC372, for $515 a pair, and there is the Ostrich DLX.  Everything else is kind of a hack.  Will it work?  Maybe.  Will it work well?  That's up to you.  Will it work like they were made for each other, as an integrated whole?  No.  So, I bought a pair of Ostrich DLX panniers from Japan, and I'll probably have Ruthworks make me another pair, custom.  If some bag manufacturer decides to make a bag for that rack, that will be great, but those are the only two that are out there now, that I know of.  

I recommend using the light on the side and being happy with that.  It works great, looks great, and looks more integrated, and leaves the flat top platform clear for you to use it for other loads.  

I'll look for photos of my Campee lowrider setup.  I really like the setup, but it is my opinion that most panniers are not optimal for that rack.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito CA

[Tim Gavin]

On Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at 12:48:42 PM UTC-5, Bill Lindsay wrote:

I have two of that front rack.  The detachable lowriders are very wide and very short in height.  My adjustable Ortliebs did not fit well on them, and dangled way too low to the ground for my comfort.  Very Very few pannier makers make a bag that fits that rectangular lowrider well.  I'm kind of surprised by how bad it is.  ... 

If some bag manufacturer decides to make a bag for that rack, that will be great, but those are the only two that are out there now, that I know of.  

FYI, I used Ortlieb Sport Packer Plus panniers, which are their smaller sized bags intended for front loading.  They hung closer to the ground than intended, I'm sure, but I still had more than 6" of clearance under each bag. 

A taller bag (designed for rear racks) would definitely hang too low.

Bob B's Seattle Sports panniers are only  12" high, so they should fit fine.  Their 12 inch width should be just about enough so that the wide lowrider frame should barely show on either side.

[Bob B]

Bill: I was hoping you'd have something to say! I agree with you about the bike being an integrated whole, and that's part of my hesitation to use a separate Tubus lowrider. On the other hand, I'm guessing that I'll do more riding with this sort of setup (I love this setup aesthetically, with the lamp nestled just near the basket), while only needing to mount a lowrider component periodically for longer trips. Hence wanting to find a center-mount solution to the Campee rack so I can  have the best of both worlds... alas...

Shoji and John: Thanks! On to something here, could side-mount but find a way to extend the lamp itself more towards the front of the bike to avoid the wheel shadow.

Tim: I use them on a Tubus (10mm). Because of the flexibility and "spongey"-snap action of the hooks, my guess is they'd mount just as well on Nitto racks. Seems like you're already set, but you cannot beat the price of those Seattle Sports panniers! They're like paired-down Ortliebs, which I kinda like anyway.

[Tim Gavin]

On Tue, Apr 5, 2016 at 1:08 PM, Bob B <rbol...@gmail.com> wrote:

On the other hand, I'm guessing that I'll do more riding with this sort of setup (I love this setup aesthetically, with the lamp nestled just near the basket), while only needing to mount a lowrider component periodically for longer trips. 

If you're going to mount a medium Wald basket, you could just attach the light to the basket itself with some common household hardware.  This post shows an install:  https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/Vc2jmY7QjwI/hhhDMf3qufYJ

I agree that the possibility of removing the Campee Classic lowriders does make the rack more versatile.  And, the "naked" rack has very attractive lines, obviously inspired by constructeur racks.

I also agree that the Seattle Sports panniers seem like a viable "budget Ortlieb".  I have a pair of larger Vaude panniers that are similarly well-designed but value-priced.

[Michael Hechmer]

I use this rack with the small Arkel bags.  These fit just fine.  They did not work with the small racks that RBW sells.  With the pannier frames off the weight differential with other small racks is insignificant.

I agree that a center mounted light makes more sense but there are also good reasons for choosing the left side.  I wouldn't make a deal breaker out of that.

Michael

On Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at 1:48:42 PM UTC-4, Bill Lindsay wrote: