Tubus Duo fitting to Dawes Galaxy - Advice Please

[Mr.Benton]

Hi
I have a Dawes Galaxy which is about 10 years old that I am trying to attach a pair of Tubus Duo low rider racks to. the forks have 2 possible mounting points, one facing up, one facing down.

fork mounts

the manual included with the low rider indicates I should use the rear facing mount but when i do this the rack doesn't fit. all pictures I have found on the internet also show the rack mounted on the rear facing mount. Is it ok to use the top facing mount ?

the rack attaches like this

bottom fitting

Also the forks are relatively narrow compared to the width of the rack. the rack spacing is 32mm but the forks are only 20mm wide, this means i have had to pad the gap between the rack and the fork braze on with some spacers

top fitting showing spacers

When I give the rack a good shake it seems stable, doesn't rattle or wobble so it appears a good fit.

so my questions to the knowledgeable people of this forum are:

1. Are my forks suitable for this rack?
2. Is the way I have attached the racks safe?
3. should I have bought a low rider with a bow over the front wheel instead?

thanks for any advice given.
Neil

[julk]

I think you have made a good job of fitting the rack.
It will work well as long as it all feels secure to a good shake and the top bars are roughly level.
Make sure to check the bolts are still firmly fastened after the first few rides with front panniers.

I have a Tubus Duo fitted to my front forks.
I had to put a spacer on the outside of the fork mounts at both the top and bottom fixing points to make the rack fit properly.
(A drilled out nut works quite well as a spacer.)

You can also fit the mudguards to the rack if using the lower fork fixing point for the rack, there is a spare fixing point on the rack.

The racks with a tube over the front wheel also work well, but why change when you have a great rack?