Rack on road bike without eyelets

I have the Old Man Mountain rack. Same problem as you; I had the whole Topeak system. When my frame cracked and the manufacturer replaced it, the new frame didn’t have eyelets. They guy at the LBS ordered me the Old Man Mountain rack. I use the Topeak trunk bag still; it’s not an ideal situation because I use the velcro to attach it to the rack but the plastic track on the bottom of the bag clatters against the rack whenever I go over bumps. I stopped paying attention long ago, but whenever I ride with someone, they usually look at my bike with alarm.

One solution would be to unscrew and remove the plastic track on the bottom of my bag, but I wasn’t sure how it would hold its shape after that. Another would be to get a new bag.

It is a major hassle when you have to change a rear flat, but I guess even in the best of circumstances there are small parts to keep your eye on.

Good luck.

Liz

@DSalovesh 17467 wrote:

Old Man Mountain (and others) make exactly the answer in a “p-clamp”. Properly sized and installed they’re strong enough for fully loaded touring.

http://www.touringcyclist.com/gear/model_16556.html

This may be worth a try — however, make SURE they are “properly sized and installed.” When the LBS rebuilt my bike with the new frame, they attached the Topeak rack with some clamps (not sure what brand) on the seat stays. They came loose and rubbed the paint off my new frame — and that was just on the ride home from the bike shop. If you go this route, I’d probably ask them 100 questions to make sure they know what they are doing and that they do it properly.

Liz

I have an OMM rack and I’ve also done the P-clamp thing. I think over time it’s inevitable that the rubber bits wrapped around the contact points on the P-clamps will come off and will rub the paint off your frame. There’s just no way that a little rubber sandwiched between 2 pieces of metal or carbon will hold up over time in that environment. Not to mention dirt and grit will work it’s way down in there too, causing erosion of paint and rubber.

For me the OMM rack has been great. I really don’t have to think about it at all. It’s so sturdy I never have to worry about how much I’m carrying because the canvas panniers would rip well before anything on the rack would fail. Changing a flat isn’t much of a hassle – once I take the skewer out I just make sure to screw the other side back on so none of the springs get lost. And compared to the hassle of just getting a flat, it’s really not that much more of a hassle to have to remove the skewer. Also the contact points are all much studier than P-clamps are and installation/removal are both much easier in my experience.

MHO – once you get past the extra cost of the OMM, it’s worth the investment.