Pannier rack height

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ChrisF
Posts: 665
Joined: 22 Mar 2014, 7:34pm

Pannier rack height

Post by ChrisF »

I just purchased and fitted a new TorTec Ultralight rack to replace my old rack (which is now bent & broken). It looks smart but I have now discovered that it's a good 2" taller than the previous one - there's loads of 'wasted' space above the mudguard (700C wheels). The result is that I can no longer fit my tent on top of the rack, and still use a small saddle pack for tools etc - there simply isn't room under the saddle.
I have tried to look at specs for other racks but height doesn't seem to be mentioned. This new one is 390mm from top of rack to centre of the lower mounting holes. Looks like I'll have to return it for a different type. But does anyone know why they make it so high? Was it designed for really big 29er tyres?
Chris F, Cornwall
robc02
Posts: 1824
Joined: 23 Apr 2009, 7:12pm
Location: Stafford

Re: Pannier rack height

Post by robc02 »

Tubus publish dimensioned diagrams of all their racks. More expensive than Tortec, though.
reohn2
Posts: 45159
Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: Pannier rack height

Post by reohn2 »

Yes Tortec tend to be a tall rack,we had one on one of the tandems but I swapped it for a Blackburn Expedition which is much lower.
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CREPELLO
Posts: 5559
Joined: 29 Nov 2008, 12:55am

Re: Pannier rack height

Post by CREPELLO »

If your tyres are narrowish, the mudguards will be relatively low compared to a large clearance spec bike. In which case you should be able to fit a 26" wheel rack. I run a 26" Tubus Cargo on my 700 tourer which has 35mm wide tyres and 45mm wide guards. There's still a 10mm gap.

Alternatively, find a rack you like then look up pic's of on other people's bikes on Google Images, which will give you an idea of the height.

I don't know why Tortec make these racks so tall - it looks most odd to me and not ideal for rigidity either.
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