panniers on a GT hardtail

[jetstream]

me and a few mates have been toying with the idea of a camping expedition on the bikes (nothing too extreme). We planned to carry tents, sleeping bags, etc on the bike, but my GT hardtail does not have the fixings to allow the fitting of a sturdy rear rack for panniers. I seen a few variants that mount on the QR skewer, but they seemed to be priced at the £80 mark, which seemed a bit expensive.

Does anyone have any experience of adapting a pannier rack to fit a hardtail with no mounting points? Some advice on pannier bags would be welcome as well as quality / price seems to vary widely

cheers

 

[Iwasgoodonce]

Would it be possible to add a piece of metal with suitable drilled holes in place of a spacer on either side of the QR?

 

[sylus]

p clips

or have you looked at beam racks depending on your weight to be carried

 

[SeeingisBelievingGTMuseum]

GT sold a seat tube clamp (niot seat post clamp) aftermarket with a y-yoke for attaching a rear rack. I have a couple that have come off bikes over the years. Many of the early GT steel bikes had rear rack braze-ons welded to the seat stays.

 

[legrandefromage]

even a zaskar has holes for guards/ rack etc. I used mine with a rack for many a trip by adapting a reflector bracket.

 

[eejoor]

i also have the original seat post clapmp thing. It looks cheap and fragile, but it lasted on several bike hollidays carring a heavy load on the rear rack (tent, ortlieb bags, ...)

so i would try and find them, don't know if you can buy them new?

grtz, Danny

 

[The Ken]

P clips on the stays and one of these - http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=19012 - I used it on my Xizang for 3 trips now - works well but if you are seriously off road then I'd suggest a small rucksack and keep anything on the panniers to a minimum as it spoils the ride if there is too much weight on there. Also keep the rack high so it doesn't clip your heels.

Small sleeping bag on the handlebars, roll mat and tent on pannier rack - all else on your back.

 

[eejoor]

imho a back pack will spoil the off road capacaties either. I used a bob yak 1 wheeled trailer for a tour in the alps. you notice the weight, but you also notice the wheight of rear and front paniers. when you want to take a day trip, you can unclip the trailer at the campsite, and there's nothing on your bike to hold you down.

speaking of backpacks: during a trip in the alps, a friend used a backpack, he went over the bars and broke his back on a a sigg botle wich was in his back pack, since that day he's in a wheel chair
so ... don't put any hard stuff in an back pack while cycling/mtb ing

for those intersted in a bob yack: the attachment to the rear wheel sucks (using some steel wire) take plenty of wire with you or come up wit another system.

grtz, Danny

 

[The Ken]

Would it be possible to add a piece of metal with suitable drilled holes in place of a spacer on either side of the QR?

Ortlieb do a kit for that, you could make one though.

eejoor, that sucks about your mate, I've never thought about what goes in the backpack from that perspective, I will now though. The rucksack I use has a full plastic plate chassis and a bladder for water so I hope that never happens to me, I actually though a rucksack would protect you from that sort of injury.

 

[eejoor]

my friend used a back pack with backplate, propably without water bladder,

since that day i also think what i put in my backpack when cycling or riding my motor, but you can't leave it all out ...

sometimes bad things happen i guess ...

grtz, danny