Practicalities onna leisure bike ...

Nick Kew said:

Or is there a trick to putting a rack on a bike that's
not designed for it?

Not intending to discount racks, they have their uses, but have you
considered saddlebags or bar bags as in the following. Other makes
exist, this is just as an example.

http://www.carradice.co.uk/day-use-bike-bags/index.html

--
Don Whybrow

Sequi Bonum Non Time

Sense is not cognition but sensation. (Douglas Robinson)

Nick Kew said:

What seems commonly to be lacking is anywhere to put on
a rack.

Many hardtail bikes still have places to mount a rear rack. The
problem of the disc brakes getting in the way of the rack legs can be
solved with a disc specific rack like the one by Topeak.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/2brm7s

I was in two minds about going for disc or V brakes. Having opted for
discs I'm glad I did. Much better braking being the main reason and I
suppose longer term not having to worry about how much wear there is
on the rims is a plus as well.

Iain

In article said:

Nick Kew said:

Or is there a trick to putting a rack on a bike that's
not designed for it?

Not intending to discount racks, they have their uses, but have you
considered saddlebags or bar bags as in the following. Other makes
exist, this is just as an example.
http://www.carradice.co.uk/day-use-bike-bags/index.html

For just a fleece and waterproof, a rack that clamps to the seatpost
only would also do the job.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360006687

But on a hardtail, you could just use a few P-clips to provide the missing
mounting points for a full rack.

in message <[email hidden]>, Nick Kew

(') said:

My mountain bike having died earlier this year, I'm missing
some of my favourite rides over the moors. Such rides are
usually purely for pleasure, but they are mixed on/off road.

So ... I guess that calls for a new MTB or hybrid.
MTBs these days seem always to have front suspension,
and I'm in two minds over whether I care for that.

Suspension adds weight. On a track that's rough enough that a rigid bike is
being thrown around all the time and can't maintain speed, it adds speed.
A well suspended bike on seriously rough stuff is a complete joy - it
flatters your ability quite remarkably. And you can ride all day on badly
uneven surfaces without becoming exhausted.

But rough enough that suspension is worth the extra weight is quite rough.
If you could drive a track in a landrover at twenty miles per hour, you
don't need - and won't benefit from - suspension to cycle it.

Quoted message said:

Likewise, disc brakes appear to be a modern option
that's widespread, but which I haven't ridden on before.

Hydraulic brakes are sensitive and low maintenance; this is just as true of
hydraulic rim brakes as of hydraulic disks. Disk brakes as such are
beneficial only

(i) if you are doing the sort of sustained braking which would cause a rime
brake to overheat
(ii) if the rims are so contaminated with mud and grit that rim brakes
would be inefficient

Again you add weight and complexity. In extremely taxing conditions that
weight and complexity pays off - but such conditions are rare.
Furthermore, disk wheels inevitably have a narrower hub, meaning that they
are weaker laterally.

Quoted message said:

What seems commonly to be lacking is anywhere to put on
a rack. Now, when I ride for pleasure, I may carry nothing.
But in the coming months, I'll want to carry a waterproof
layer, and a fleece. Things I'm accustomed to stuffing
into a pannier.

So ... if I get something rackless, how else can I comfortably
carry that kind of small/light load?

Handlebar bag. Yes, even on a mountain bike.

Quoted message said:

Or is there a trick to putting a rack on a bike that's
not designed for it?

Beam rack on the seatpost. I have such a thing, but rarely use it - the
handlebar bag is generally a better option.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

'graveyards are full of indispensable people'

"Nick Kew" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

<snip>

Quoted message said:

What seems commonly to be lacking is anywhere to put on
a rack. Now, when I ride for pleasure, I may carry nothing.
But in the coming months, I'll want to carry a waterproof
layer, and a fleece. Things I'm accustomed to stuffing
into a pannier.

So ... if I get something rackless, how else can I comfortably
carry that kind of small/light load? I can't be the only
person who likes to carry a few things but detests having
to wear them. If I have to carry a backpack, I regard that
as a serious defect in the bike.

Or is there a trick to putting a rack on a bike that's
not designed for it?

There are racks designed to fit MTBs without rack fitting but they are not
cheap. The Trek range of bikes have rack mounts.

I have a Trek 4500 with rim brakes and have had cable operated discs on a
Carrerra Kraken. Apart from the brakes both bikes were similarly specced
hardtails. There isn't much if any difference in brake performance between
the two bikes. Both types of brakes coped with my lardy carcase on
descents.

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Nick Kew

(') said:

My mountain bike having died earlier this year, I'm missing
some of my favourite rides over the moors. Such rides are
usually purely for pleasure, but they are mixed on/off road.

So ... I guess that calls for a new MTB or hybrid.
MTBs these days seem always to have front suspension,
and I'm in two minds over whether I care for that.

Suspension adds weight. On a track that's rough enough that a rigid bike is
being thrown around all the time and can't maintain speed, it adds speed.
A well suspended bike on seriously rough stuff is a complete joy - it
flatters your ability quite remarkably. And you can ride all day on badly
uneven surfaces without becoming exhausted.

But rough enough that suspension is worth the extra weight is quite rough.
If you could drive a track in a landrover at twenty miles per hour, you
don't need - and won't benefit from - suspension to cycle it.

up to point yes, though some of the old railwaylines/trams though the
lumps left from the sleepers and what not, while indivdually not a
problem, if you've got a mile or more, suspention is lot more comftable
and composed though no faster.

snips

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

Nick Kew said:

My mountain bike having died earlier this year, I'm missing
some of my favourite rides over the moors. Such rides are
usually purely for pleasure, but they are mixed on/off road.

So ... I guess that calls for a new MTB or hybrid.
MTBs these days seem always to have front suspension,
and I'm in two minds over whether I care for that.
Likewise, disc brakes appear to be a modern option
that's widespread, but which I haven't ridden on before.

What seems commonly to be lacking is anywhere to put on
a rack. Now, when I ride for pleasure, I may carry nothing.
But in the coming months, I'll want to carry a waterproof
layer, and a fleece. Things I'm accustomed to stuffing
into a pannier.

So ... if I get something rackless, how else can I comfortably
carry that kind of small/light load? I can't be the only
person who likes to carry a few things but detests having
to wear them. If I have to carry a backpack, I regard that
as a serious defect in the bike.

Or is there a trick to putting a rack on a bike that's
not designed for it?

maybe get a tourer with enought clearance to fit some nobbles on?

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

Simon Brooke said:

Quoted message said:

Likewise, disc brakes appear to be a modern option
that's widespread, but which I haven't ridden on before.

Again you add weight and complexity. In extremely taxing conditions that
weight and complexity pays off - but such conditions are rare.

Disk brakes aren't neccessarily heavier than rim brakes. An XT V-
brake weighs about 250g with the lever adding about another 80g. A
Hope Mono Mini Pro hydraulic disk brake weighs under 300g all in.
Of course, they cost a bit more. As usual you can chose any 2 of
strong, light and cheap.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What seems commonly to be lacking is anywhere to put on
a rack. Now, when I ride for pleasure, I may carry nothing.
But in the coming months, I'll want to carry a waterproof
layer, and a fleece. Things I'm accustomed to stuffing
into a pannier.

A lightweight fleece and waterproof would cram into a big wedge pack
under the saddle. They're just like old fashioned saddle bags really
but it sounds more modern and trendy to call them a wedge pack.