How to transport equipment with my 29er?

[F0neb0ne]

Hi all,

I m a happy owner of a Cannondale Flash Alloy 29er 2 (2012 edition), which is fantastic fun riding through the border moraine woods we have around Berlin.
In summer I want to ride through the Alps with this bike, crossing some passes by road, and here and there leave all the luggage where I stay for the day and go up/downhill with my bike and just a backpack.
I will need some more gear for those 3 weeks than fits in my Deuter Transalpine backpack.
Last year I had around 20kg in 2 back saddle bags which proved perfect, but that was with a different bike which has an attached carrier.

The 29er doesn't feature any holes to screw any carrier to its frame. So what I was thinking about was some pull-behind carrier like the Weber systems. Sadly the Weber systems can't be fitted to my back axis (I asked Weber about that), because there is not enough space around the axis.

So my question is: Do you know any systems with which I can transport the equivalent of 2 back saddle bags? What do you recommend, and what proved shitty?

[adelorenzo]

I haven't used one personally but maybe something like an Extrawheel? You replace the wheel skewer to attach the trailer and it can carry two standard panniers.

http://www.extrawheel.com

[ImAFred]

You could go this route

[Von Petrol]

Old Man Mountain rack will work.

[F0neb0ne]

The Mountain rack looks extremely interesting. How is the silver alloy piece attached to the upper tube of the back frame part? It looks like there is a screw, but the frame does  not have any holes in that area.

Very nice first picture btw 

[Von Petrol]

Band clamps

http://www.bikebagshop.com/omm-band-clamps-p-1138.html

[cousinmosquito]

Http://www.freeload.co.nz  is good for 25kgs and does not require frame mounts.
Can use with our without panniers.

Jeff

[AZTtripper]

You could go this route

This.

Going rackless is the best way to have fun bikepacking.

[F0neb0ne]

I have my doubts that the content of 2 Ortlieb bags will fit into the 2 obviously smaller packs on the red mountainbike, so I m going to have a look at the Old Man Mountain solution for now.

Thx for all the ideas 

[Done]

All the cool kids use rackless systems now. But on a hard-tail, I think that panniers work just great. Alas, I'm now riding a full-suspension bike, and racks don't work well on it, so now I'm a cool kid too.

[bmike-vt]

I have my doubts that the content of 2 Ortlieb bags will fit into the 2 obviously smaller packs on the red mountainbike, so I m going to have a look at the Old Man Mountain solution for now.

Thx for all the ideas 

I think you'd be surprised... and there are 3 packs on that bike, + a gas tank bag...

[cousinmosquito]

All the cool kids use rackless systems now. But on a hard-tail, I think that panniers work just great. Alas, I'm now riding a full-suspension bike, and racks don't work well on it, so now I'm a cool kid too.

All the cool kids use rackless systems now. But on a hard-tail, I think that panniers work just great. Alas, I'm now riding a full-suspension bike, and racks don't work well on it, so now I'm a cool kid too.

The freeload racks work on fullys, front and rear : )

[s8tannorm]

Freeload review here - http://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/freeload-rack-review.html

[F0neb0ne]

The freeload rack looks intriguing to me. It d sure work around my back wheel, but rather not on the front wheel (got a lefty)  
Did anyone try the freeload rack yet, or is it so new there are only reviews and no experiences with it?

@ Von Petrol: Is that a 29er you are riding?

[Von Petrol]

Yes, it is a 29er.

My friend Julie used the Freeload rack on the Brevet:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=10101&v=Aj

[cousinmosquito]

Hey, good point about the lefty....

Plenty of real world experience with the Freeloads on here, I am about to put a review on "this" site, but here is my personal experience.
http://jeffsbike.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Freeload

I like this photo from the 2010 Kiwi Brevet, because it shows them used in a number of different ways.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qpLL3V1aa4E/TnfkP-9RSMI/AAAAAAAACfQ/5mBf2DHbfTw/s1600/free-rides.jpg

We all used them again this year in the Kiwi Brevet, except Jonty used a Relevate on the back for a change, still had a Freeload on the front tho. Probably half the field of around 60 riders covering 1100kms of very tough terrain used them again this year. I just set one up the other night for a lady about to embark on 2 months touring of Vietnam, with the touring deck and panniers. It looked bombproof, as their was still the top-deck free for more gear after the panniers would have been full.

Cheers
Jeff

[Done]

The freeload racks work on fullys, front and rear : )

Yes, technically it does. So do some Old Man Mountain racks. But I've found, at least on my full-suspension Cannondale RZ with an OMM Sherpa, that rear racks sway and wobble. The seat stays really aren't designed for the weight, and they simply flex a lot. Also, since the center of gravity of racks is directly over the rear wheel, the weight is largely unsuspended--which makes the suspension feel strange--although maybe some custom valving or something could address this. When I rode about 100 miles of the CTR in 2011 with a rack, it felt like the whole back end of my bike was doing a hula dance!

Don't get me wrong, I like racks! I finished the 2010 with one (on a hard-tail), and I tried using one on the 2011 CTR with my full-suspension bike. Alas, for the aforementioned reasons, I've gone rackless now. But if your bike works with a rack, then that's awesome. Racks and panniers are easier to pack and unpack, organize, etc.

[cousinmosquito]

Yeah, I am sure they all have their pros and cons. I haven't used a bag system and wondered what it would be like with all the weight up high. I am sure I'd get used to it, the same way that I did with the Freeloads rearward weight bias, but I definitely had no flexing or hula issues on my Santa Cruz Super light. One thing I probably wouldn't do again is mount my front dry bag longitudinally on my aero bars. I did this for aero purposes, but it was a bit of a handful in tight single track, and set me up for some scary speedwobbles when descending at 60+ kmh.

jeff

[Area54]

I'd be wary of fitting any kind of rack (Freeload) that clamps to the seatstays on the Flash, due to the design of the SAVE seatstays. The cross section is ovalised in the centre, weak to resist downward forces.

[cousinmosquito]

I'd be wary of fitting any kind of rack (Freeload) that clamps to the seatstays on the Flash, due to the design of the SAVE seatstays. The cross section is ovalised in the centre, weak to resist downward forces.

Fair comment Troy, they can be cranked up very tightly. The Flash is pretty light weight.
Jeff