Thule Pack n Pedal Tour Rack

[eec]

Anybody using one of these (front or back)?

http://www.thule.com/en-us/us/products/sport-and-travel-bags/bike-bags-and-racks/racks/thule-pack-n-pedal-tour-rack-_-pp_100016

Pro's/con's? Seems like it could be really versatile and more streamlined than traditional rack/pannier system.

[esskay1000]

I've had one for a year now but have not used it on an overnight bikepacking trip. I have used it quite a bit to carry groceries etc.  The mounting system is a bit tricky but once mounted it's pretty strong/solid. Don't think that you can take this thing off and switch to another bike easily though, it's a process that's a bit more involved, and to be honest can probably take alomst as long as traditional racks. The benefit w/this system is that it can go on front/back of many/most bikes. I have it on the front of my Fuji cross-comp and its not bad.

[bakerjw]

I have one and was planning on using it for my TD ride coming up here in mid June. It mounted great and I made an enhanced platform and bag for it.
See it here... http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/diy-make-your-own-gear-%28myog%29/thule-rack-bag/

But... the total weight was 3# which was a bit more than I had hoped so I have since pulled it and have gone with a RoguePanda seat bag which came in at 11 ounces.

If mounted well, they are rock solid. I will use it in the future for local bikepacking but for the TD, I had to be a bit more weight conscious.

[honkonbobo]

my sig other uses the Pack and Pedal Sport version which is functionally the same except the Sport is just the deck and no bag mounts.

my comments:

- its a great alternative for small frames that dont have the tire clearance to run a seat bag like the viscacha/pika/etc.  she straps a 13L dry bag to the deck effectively offering the same capacity.
- its solid once mounted but i have found it does "settle" for the first few rides so you really want to bring the allen key with you on the first couple rides and tighten the mounts as they stretch or move til they find their place.
- its a bitch to take off.  its not the rack for you if you want to install/remove it constantly as needed.  
- the rack is perfect to hold lights and water bottles as well.  this setup is working well (need tough and tight cages) even over rough terrain and accessing the bottles while riding is no problem
- she has it mounted on her full suspension frame as low down as possible (limited by tire clearance and brake mounts) but the deck interfered with the seatpost/seat when the suspension compressed.  10 seconds on the miter saw took care of that (and made it lighter).

[eec]

my sig other uses the Pack and Pedal Sport version which is functionally the same except the Sport is just the deck and no bag mounts.

my comments:

- its a great alternative for small frames that dont have the tire clearance to run a seat bag like the viscacha/pika/etc.  she straps a 13L dry bag to the deck effectively offering the same capacity.
- its solid once mounted but i have found it does "settle" for the first few rides so you really want to bring the allen key with you on the first couple rides and tighten the mounts as they stretch or move til they find their place.
- its a bitch to take off.  its not the rack for you if you want to install/remove it constantly as needed. 
- the rack is perfect to hold lights and water bottles as well.  this setup is working well (need tough and tight cages) even over rough terrain and accessing the bottles while riding is no problem
- she has it mounted on her full suspension frame as low down as possible (limited by tire clearance and brake mounts) but the deck interfered with the seatpost/seat when the suspension compressed.  10 seconds on the miter saw took care of that (and made it lighter).

I really like the idea of cutting the deck, which would also leave some potential room for a seat bag on a hardtail.

[tahic]

I've used one since they first came out and prefer it over a seatpost mounted bag. It is a pain to take on and off as mentioned but I don't. Also be aware that multi tools do not fit so when the clamps loosen (as they do) you need a standalone allen key to tighten them up (ask me how I know this!)

[wahday]

I'll echo everyone's comments and add that a friend used mine on a bikepack last fall. He was carrying two pretty heavy panniers and the rack swayed a good bit under that load despite cranking the straps as hard as we could. If strapping a  bag to the top it has been fine for me but with a heavier load, especially hanging off the sides, I would have some reservations.

All that being said this rack was originally made by a New Zealand company and bought by Thule. I read a number of positive reviews of Aussie bikepackers using them front and rear on big adventures and that is what inspired me to purchase.


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[Chagger]

Used one last year on a 3 day 90 mile tour that was about 50/50 single track and fire road. Rated weight for side mount panniers was 50lbs total, I had 36lbs total, evenly distributed. I did have the side brackets for the panniers, they weren't just hanging off the top rail.

By the end of the trip I had the rack mount system tied together with more bits of string and wire than anything else.   The single track sections just beat the snot out of it.  The plastic pieces couldn't handle the side to side forces.

Had the side panels been anchored to the rack frame, it might have minimized the amount of sway/torsion and saved things.   In hindsight, I woukd have tied them to the frame so they didn't sway.  Additionally, with the shorter chain stays on the bike I had then I found that the rack sat awful close and I did heel strike the panniers a few times until I got them placed comfortably.

At the end of the day, these would have been great if I weren't on rougher singletrack. For fire roads or smoother trails I think these would have been fantastic. I did switch to a seatpack but that just my decision. Good luck woth yours.

[Sparkyga]

These racks are solid but a pain in the butt to get them setup and to stop sliding or moving around hitting your tire. I had to use a piece of tie wire tied to my seat post to stop the rack from moving. Also you might need to make extra supports on the rack if your using pannier to prevent them going into the tire.

The top platform is probably the best I've ever used. So easy to put straps through to support a bag on top and the never slide around or move.

I used one on my Santa Cruz Cross bike as I was carrying camping gear for 2 people in panniers during a 3 month tour in North Africa/Europe. I had about 20 LBS max weight on the rack on a pretty light duty bike and it work totally fine.

Putting mine for sale shortly if your interested. PM if interested.