There has been some discussion on the Bike Friday Yak list about the best way to fit the Tikit rear rack. I am not sure if this is the best way, but I found that in addition to the issue with the mudguard (fender) stay identified by other Tikit owners, I had a second barrier to mounting the rack caused by the disc brake mechanism.
Rack mounted with mudguard secured to underside of rack
Leaving off the mudguard stays saves weight. OK not a lot, it is true. The appearance is not all it could be, but the guard still keeps the spray off. One day I may use a long spacer and bolt to get the guard closer to the tyre, but that would be for looks alone.
I am probably more concerned about the work-around used to get the rack to fit with the disc brake. I raised this with Bike Friday and they suggested a spacer, which they kindly provided with the rack. In the event I was able use a 10mm spacer.
View of rack stay and spacer
But I am not entirely happy with this approach. The distance between the dropout and the stay has to be bad news. The weight of stuff on the rack creates a bending moment on the bolt. Fortunately the bag I use on the rack is quite small (only seven litres) so I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is a theoretical problem.
Tags: Alfine, disc brakes, rack, seasons tikit, Tikit
September 16, 2009 at 9:31 pm |
With a small bag you’ll be fine. With a proper touring load the bolt will fail.
safe riding,
Vik
http://www.thelazyrando.com
September 17, 2009 at 10:37 am |
Hi Vik
Thanks for your comment. I have moved my blog to http://www.combingmyhair.com where you will see that safe riding is not quite what I was engaged in last week. My Alfine Tikit is on its way back to Eugene for therapy.
Cheers
Gareth My Blog