Im looking to get into long distance cycling and I recently bought this miyata with the intention of loading camping gear and other necessities for multi day, maybe weeks long trips one day. I mentioned this to the seller but he failed to mention that this bicycle doesnt have the eyelets necessary to mount a rear rack, and I didnt think to look for it as I’ve owned many bikes and none without rear eyelets.
To my knowledge my options are as follows:
1: Buy a bike rack that attaches to the seat. These can only handle just 30-40 lb of weight, just over half the weight of traditional bike racks, around 50-60lb. Perhaps pair this rack with a front mounted rack to make up for the lack of rear capacity.
2: Trade in my bike for one with eyelets.
What do you guys think? Any alternatives? Im new to this, and I dont know how much weight most people put on their bikes for trips like this. Is option one actually enough for what Im looking to do?
by Theman57
4 Comments
that is a club racer. it is not designed to carry loads
You cant jam a square peg in a round hole. Buy an old touring bike. serious.
Axiom sells racks that mount to the QR skewer. You can get clamps like Salsa’s Post Lock, just have to find one for whatever your seatpost diameter is.
One thing that you want for carrying loads over long distance are long chain stays. That way the load weight isn’t hanging too far off the back, straining the frame and imparing balance and control. Unfortunately this old road bike has very short chainstays so I don’t know that it’s ideal for that purpose. But you can get a super cheap 90s mountain frame, throw on some road slicks and it will work great! They will also usually come with all the eyelets. Another thing is that the more upright sitting position and larger tire sizes increase comfort and therefore energy tremendously over long trips. I suggest looking over at r/xbiking for some inspo! Good luck! Touring is amazing, and you can get a functional bike together for not a lot of money.
You can set the rack onto the axles with a little clip. Topside goes to the brake bridge, which is strong.
[https://axiomgear.com/en-us/collections/streamliner-racks](https://axiomgear.com/en-us/collections/streamliner-racks)
I have two of these, and they work great. The setback improves heel strike a lot and the narrow shape does improve aero a bit.
If the bike is loaded heavy in the back you may wheelie uphill, which is… alarming. Handlebar bag or something would help. Touring bikes and MTBs have longer chainstays to prevent this.
Don’t do the seatpost rack.