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Economical Bolt-On Bicycle Carrier Rack, Adjustable Fit for 26"/28"/700c, Steel , Black

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 7,673 ratings

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Purchase options and add-ons

Color Black
Brand Ventura
Material Blend
Item Weight 1.05 Kilograms
Mounting Type back

About this item

  • [SOME BICYCLES WILL REQUIRE ADDITIONAL HARDWARE] For assistance with hardware or installation: call us at 1-877-BIKEAID (245-3243)
  • [ADJUSTABLE] fits 26 IN. or 28 IN. bicycle tires, and features a fitting set to fit MOST BUT NOT ALL bike types
  • [TOOLS REQUIRED] 3mm Hex Wrench is included for easy assembly, 8mm wrench or pliers are required but not included to tighten the lock nuts completely.
  • [SPECIFICATIONS] lightweight, steel rack mounts to the back of your bicycle to help transport bags, panniers, cargo baskets and more at a 22 lb. or 10kg weight limit - a reflector bracket and spring flap are also included!
  • [INSTALLATION] An updated assembly guide is available, please see product photos at the bottom of this listing page!

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From the manufacturer

The Ventura Brand Of Products Covers Everything from Chains to Locks to Lights

They all have one thing in common: Excellent price without sacrificing quality.

Ventura Urban Items Such As Our Racks, Kickstands, Baskets And Storage Units Keep Commuters Happy

This bicycle rack will fit on either a 26" or 700c bike. The fitting set will ensure that this rack will have a secure fit to your bike. The spring flap can be used to keep pannier bags from sliding around and adds an additional sense of security while riding. Please note: extra clamps may be required for seat tube or seat stay installation - and these are not included.

Ventura offers:

  • Baskets and racks
  • Bells, horns, mirrors
  • Brakes and drivetrain components
  • Cyclocomputers
  • Helmets and apparel
  • Saddles & Pedals
  • Tools and storage solutions
  • Hydration equipment and Tube accessories
Ventura Carrier Rack Ventura Alloy SO2 A Carrier Rack Ventura BOLT-ON II Aluminum Rear Carrier Rack Ventura Rear Rack With Pump Pegs Ventura Rear Rack With Seatpost Attachment
Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
7,673
4.1 out of 5 stars
473
3.6 out of 5 stars
16
3.9 out of 5 stars
6
4.0 out of 5 stars
125
Material Steel Aluminum Aluminum Aluminum Aluminum
Attachment Rear wheel Rear wheel Rear wheel Rear wheel Seatpost
Weight 2.2 lbs 1.5 lbs 3 lbs 1.8 lbs 1 lbs
Wheel Size 26 & 700c (28 inches) 24-700c (28 Inches) 24-29 inches 24-29 inches Seatpost 25-31.8 mm
Pannier Compatible

Other Products from Ventura

Ventura Quick Release Blue Wire Basket

-Steel net mesh with reinforcements with ergonomic handle.

- Clip-on bracket with quick release.

- Mounts at front with clip on quick release bracket for stem or handle bar.

- Very firm and high quality design with reinforced main and auxiliary bars.

- 35 x 25 x 25 cm dimensions and available in multiple colors.

Ventura Rivets Saddle

- Imitation leather cover.

- Stainless steel rivets.

- 278 mm long by 153 mm wide.

- Weighs only 297 grams.

- Nine Colors Available.

Ventura Semi In-Mold Cycling Helmet

- Semi In-Mold plastic Microshell with integrated safety foam.

- 24 big vents for great air circulation with fly nets.

- Removable visor and rear reflective bands.

- Easy-adjust soft RING System.

- Great multi-color design.

Ventura Mini Folding Multi Tool 18 in 1

- 18 functions.

- 2/2.5/3/4/5/6/8 mm hardened steel Allen keys.

- 1 flat head screwdriver.

- 1 Phillips head screwdriver.

- 1 chain rivet extractor.


Precautions:
  • Max Weight ~40 pounds.
  • When attatching baggage or a child carrier, they must be secured in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
  • Do not allow straps to hang freely, in which they can be caught inside a wheel.

Assembly Instructions

26" or 700c Height Adjustment and Mounting

Click enlarge image to view step by step instructions.

  • Connect the legs to the rack. The straight bar of each leg should connect to the rear of the rack, while the angled bar connects to the front. The legs should attach on the inside of the rack connectors.
  • Connect the rack legs to the bottom rack mount boss.
  • Choose one of the mount systems, determined by the bicycle frame attachments available. See left picture larger.
  • Connect the appropriate mount to bicycle frame attachment, determined in step three. Using clamps if necessary bicycle frame attachments are not available.
  • Attach the front mount to the outside of the horizontal stays. There are four holes to choose from depending on where you would like the rack positioned.
  • Adjust according to preferences and tighten screws.

Product Description

Product Description

Carry your cargo safely and easily with the Standard Bicycle Carrier Rack. Attach it over your rear wheel and use it to haul books, lunch bags and more. Because this rear bike rack creates a flat surface over your wheel, you can even attach a basket or box of your choice for carrying a wider range of items, such as groceries or other bulky cargo. It's an ideal choice for commuters and casual riders. With steel construction, the rack is strong and highly durable, so you can count on it for the long term. An included spring flap helps secure cargo. You can add additional bungees easily to keep bulky items secure. Reflector brackets provide greater visibility on the road for increased safety as you ride. An adjustable height mechanism adds to your convenience, enabling you to position your rack with ease. The black color looks nice with just about any frame style. This adjustable bike rack is a simple way to make your bike even more useful.

Amazon.com

The Ventura Standard Bicycle Carrier Rack mounts to the back of your bicycle to help you easily transport your gear. This durable steel rack can carry up to 40 pounds, and is ideally used with panniers, backpacks, baskets, and more. It's adjustable for 26- or 28-inch bicycle tires and features a fitting set for most bikes. A reflector bracket and spring flap are also included.

Product information

Technical Details

Additional Information

Feedback

Ventura

Ventura Economical Bolt-On Bicycle Carrier Rack, Adjustable Fit for 26"/28"/700c, Steel , Black


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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
7,673 global ratings

Customers say

Customers like the value of the bike rack. They say it's a solid rack for the price, and the included hardware is great for the purpose. Customers also like the performance. However, some customers report issues with the screws. Customers differ on quality, ease of installation, fit, appearance, and weight.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

376 customers mention376 positive0 negative

Customers are happy with the value of the bike rack. They say it's a great inexpensive recreational rear bike rack, with solid hardware. Customers also say it is great for a budget-conscious rider.

"...to the other to tighten down the nut and bolt connections, it's worth the effort...." Read more

"...The price was very right in comparison. If money was no object, I would probably go to the $25-$30 one but these days cost matters...." Read more

"...This one is great for a budget-conscious rider who isn't planning to strap 100 pounds of gear and pannier bags and whatever to their bike and go..." Read more

"The price I paid was right. It included several different cheap screws w/ nuts, and hex driver. Use better ones if you have them...." Read more

346 customers mention255 positive91 negative

Customers like the performance of the bike rack. They say it works exceptionally well, serves its purpose well, and is easy to install. Some say that it works great on a 2004 Huffy Cranbrook and that the bags work perfectly with it.

"...The supports of the rack are lightweight and flexible. They serve their purpose well by keeping the rack in place, but I have reservations about..." Read more

"...So far the rack has done its job well. I just bungee on my backpack or grocery bag with no problems...." Read more

"...This is a great product, but not worth the hassle. If you choose to not heed my warning and order it for your kid's bike for Christmas, fine...." Read more

"A great addition to my bike, the new bags work perfectly with it. It was very easy to install...." Read more

1,199 customers mention697 positive502 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the quality of the outdoor recreation product. Some mention that it's built pretty solidly, stable, and surprisingly good. However, others say that the rack is rickety and flimsy, with low quality parts forged from China.

"...On the other hand, the platform of the rack seems to be well constructed, and I am confident that it could handle a higher load capacity if the..." Read more

"...you get with this rack are awesome, even with sporadic bad quality with hardware!..." Read more

"It is sturdy and stable. there's a clip on the top that's powerful. it does support well and protect for Panier bags...." Read more

"...It definitely holds the advertised weight, and maybe a lot more; I haven't tested those limits yet...." Read more

695 customers mention265 positive430 negative

Customers are mixed about the ease of installation. Some mention it's very easy to install, with simple instructions. Others say that there are no installation instructions, the instructions are confusing, and the assembly is difficult. Some say that the product is well made and stable, but requires a bit of tinkering to get it mounted on their bike.

"...To diverge on a tangent for a bit, the instructions that come with this rack are lousy, so I figured out how to install this rack without them...." Read more

"...It was very easy to install...." Read more

"...Unlike other clamp based models, these screw connections are much more difficult to install...." Read more

"...Installation was not 100 percent great...." Read more

507 customers mention155 positive352 negative

Customers are mixed about the fit of the bike rack. Some mention that it fits nicely on their Trek 7000 and is durable for most riders. However, others say that it's a bit too large and didn't quite fit on their Schwinn Aluminum Comp bike. The center hole of the bracket was too small in diameter and the straps that go to the back of the seat are way too short.

"...The center hole of the bracket was too small in diameter, so I did drill the hole out to let the bolt that was on my bike pass through...." Read more

"...The smallest pipe brackets (1/2 inch), though sturdy, were a bit too large even after re-bent, which is why I put some plastic pipe as a spacer..." Read more

"The Ventura Economical Bolt-On Bicycle Carrier Rack is a suitable fit for my Schwinn 700c Men's Connection Multi-Use Bike..." Read more

"...The product didn't quite fit on my Schwinn Aluminum Comp for some reason, but I ghetto rigged it and made it fit. Kinda...." Read more

122 customers mention84 positive38 negative

Customers are mixed about the appearance of the outdoor recreation product. Some mention that it looks decent, with a nicely designed simple bracket. However, others say that it's not too pretty, poorly designed, and the finish is a little rough.

"...points obviously would be the welds, not the bars, but the welds look nice to me. I figure the weight rating has something to do with lawyers...." Read more

"...I put the "y" arms on the inside of the rack - looks nicer, and doesn't catch clothing etc...." Read more

"...Overall, this is a Poorly designed unit. Too many screws that could fall off (all of which would land in the gears while you're pedaling - Yikes!),..." Read more

"...It looks practical, not sleek and cool. It's just round rod put together with quick and simple welds...." Read more

107 customers mention69 positive38 negative

Customers are mixed about the weight of the bike rack. Some mention that it's a sturdy and lightweight bike rack, while others say that it is a little heavy and could rust. Some customers also say that the instructions are minimal.

"...The supports of the rack are lightweight and flexible...." Read more

"...Just a heads up. Good price, OK quality, but lightweight." Read more

"...Either way, it should fit. It's also much lighter than those clunky adjustable clamp on racks...." Read more

"...Bottom line is that it is a light duty rack at an inexpensive price but may not work for everyone." Read more

526 customers mention4 positive522 negative

Customers are dissatisfied with the screws that come with the outdoor recreation product. They say that they strip out long before they get tight, and are missing 2 short bolts and 3 nuts. Some customers also mention that the included screws had come off and were loose. Overall, customers feel the screws provided are odd and could fall off.

"...It was during this final tightening of fasteners that I caught that bad bolt...." Read more

"...last unraveled the mystery, to me, of the supposedly crappy, easily stripped bolts some people are claiming...." Read more

"...Looks like a rat tried to eat it. Bolts, nuts were everywhere. Guess that explains the rattling, right?..." Read more

"...Also, be aware that those screws are hex, and that the ones on the bottom by the rear spindle probably are not caps to be the same thread as your..." Read more

The best
5 Stars
The best
People into light bikes will naturally prefer aluminum racks. But... This is made out of solid steel bar, not tubing. The flat ends are forged, not flattened tube. If the $30 aluminum tube racks are rated at 40 pounds, then this one should be rated over 100 lbs. (A sticker on it says do not use over 20 kilogram, which is 44 lbs. I think.) Not that I or my bike could seriously manage 100 pounds added ... but I have loaded up 50 pounds of lawn fertilizer at times. The short bars that bridge the rack to the stays would have fit better in my case if they were straighter, so I tried to reshape one in a big steel vise, but regardless of what I did the bar only bent slightly and sprung back as soon as the pressure was off. Maybe if I put a three foot pipe on the end it would have bent, but the pressure was already crazy and I thought that was ill advised. :) That is some good steel.The weak points obviously would be the welds, not the bars, but the welds look nice to me. I figure the weight rating has something to do with lawyers. If you load a lot of weight on the rear of a bike, the handling is completely off and squirrelly, and the rack manufacturer would get sued in the case of an accident if he did not recommend against it. 20kg is probably what stands up in court, not what the rack will hold. Since I broke a rack (from metal fatigue at the stays mount), which this one replaces, I was looking for something tough, and this looks like it. Thanks to the first posters that put up such informative pictures.I thought the rack might slip around at the screw joints (many racks are one piece welded), but it doesn't. The whole rack flexes in a springy way if you push hard, but the screw joints do not move around. Just in case, I added some lock washers, which should take up any slack due to winter-summer thermal cycling. The rack already comes with lock nuts, but lock nuts are good mainly because when they become loose they will not rattle looser. Since I had some experience with helping someone with a nice aluminum rack switching from one bike to another, I was aware of how hard it is to adapt to every particular bike. That rack had an array of extra screws and brackets, but it still took some home-made weirdness to make it work on that particular bike. You can see how different the rack fits on my bike as compared to the other pics. I didn't mention in the picture notes that the gripper material under the pipe brackets is a strip of material they use in wood working to keep small pieces of wood from sliding (without a vice) when routing (which is why I have it.) It looks like the same stuff sold as kitchen drawer liner that keeps silverware from sliding around when you open and close the drawers. The smallest pipe brackets (1/2 inch), though sturdy, were a bit too large even after re-bent, which is why I put some plastic pipe as a spacer around the stays. Since, when I find a really good item at a really good price, either the price immediately gets jacked up, or the item disappears never to be seen again, I got two just in case. But I think my bike will give out before this thing does.(And then I'll have a new one for my new bike!) I am more enthusiastic about this item now that I have it then when I ordered it, which is practically a new experience for me.----> addedMay 1, 2011I see pages of reviews after the last time I checked. I read them all (around 50.) Nothing has rattled loose, nothing bent or kinked, no welds gave out, nothing rusted. The rack is as sturdy and durable as I figured -cross my fingers- 2 years ago. When the weather is over 40 degrees here I do my grocery runs two or three times a week on the bike, and the rack gets a lot of flexing because the "milk crate" box is on top, which is a lot of leverage. In colder weather, grocery runs drop down to about once a week. About weekly I carry 2 gallons of milk in the grocery load.I am wondering what a number of people have in mind who say the rack is flimsy, unless it is not the same rack. I have never seen a normal rack (like under $70) that this one doesn't beat the bleep out of for strength. Maybe aluminum is less springy? Or they have no experience with another rack?I do not get why people did not believe that there are NO bolts included that hold the rack to the bike and realistically NO instructions, which I understood from the people that reviewed this even earlier than me. About the first guy that posted left pictures of what you get. (If these are not present in your package, you were shorted, which quite a few later buyers have been.) If you don't already see how you are going to attach the thing from those pictures, and you aren't creative mechanically, or don't want to be, be kind to yourself and don't get involved. Believe it or not I did not buy this thing because it was startling cheap. That was a bonus. Obviously I did not buy it because it was convenient to attach to my bike (check the pictures of the olive green bike.) From the earlier posted pictures, it looked to me that it was made the right way to be strong. Other racks definitely are not. Stiffness and durability are two different things. In person it turned out to be far stronger than I was thinking. It is something like spring steel, not the mild steel you find in rods and bolts. Actually, most people do not need a particularly strong rack for the way they are using it. They are fixated on cheap. Cheap can turn out to be too expensive if you factor in the value of your time.A few people said the bolts stripped easily. If they did, then the bolts I received were different bolts. I wondered why they put such nice bolts in the package when any old bolts would have done as well.----> addedAugust 27, 2012 I see where the weakest point is now. There are two alternative holes where the rack attaches near to the axle. You will see the width of metal surrounding these holes is extremely narrow. If you use the lower hole, as I needed to, the narrow part of the upper hole becomes a weak point which gets a lot of flexing. One day, back in the spring, as I was loading up the groceries, I noticed the milk crate squirmed uncharacteristically as I shifted around the gallons of milk. Yep, one side of the rack was snapped at the weak point just mentioned. Considering the 5 mile walk back home, it was worth attempting to ride home that way. Surprisingly, it turned out not to be any problem. I have had my bike fall over at times in the couple of years since I installed this rack, so I am reluctant to exclusively blame the break on this design fault of the rack. I replaced the broken side with one of the sides of the back-up I bought at the same time. Short of some dramatically expensive "industrial strength" specialty racks I have seen, this rack remains the strongest you can find.By the way, in the first of these collision and screw-up incidents, every one of the zip ties I initially used, in part, to hold the milk crate to the rack broke instantaneously, so those stainless steel band-style hose clamps should be preferred to, or added to, zip ties.----> addedNovember 5, 2012I have at last unraveled the mystery, to me, of the supposedly crappy, easily stripped bolts some people are claiming. Except for the one person who got bolts that were malformed, the problem is something else: These bolts have six sided holes (like Allen set-screws do), perhaps because they "look nicer" or because they can be tightened with greater force than slot heads or Phillips. They require Allen wrenches. (At least that was their name before metric sizes.) (Allen wrenches are just hexagonal cross-section rods with a right angle bend in them for a handle.) People are attempting to tighten these with the usual slot-style screwdriver or a Phillips screwdriver, and this destroys, not the threads, but the hex hole in the heads, and probably ruins the screwdriver forever too. It never occurred to me that people would do something like that. Don't.I going to guess that Chinese or Taiwan Allen wrenches (also called hollow set screw key wrenches) at the chain hardware or auto supply stores or walmart or sears would not be more than two dollars. I don't know because I have several sets over thirty years old laying around. If you know anybody that tinkers, they probably have them too, and you can borrow them. The bolt is metric 5 mm and the hex slot is 5 mm, I know, but the 3/16 inch size of my set fits the head just right.(3/16 is 1/100 inch smaller than 5 mm; barely visible.) In comparison to tightening with a screwdriver or wrench, these bolts are a pleasure. If you decide to replace the bolts anyway (which I grant has merits too) get the ordinary, commonplace, 3/16 diameter by 3/4 long bolts with hex heads (not hex holes), not a screwdriver type head, and avoid the frustration of working with both a screwdriver slipping, as they ALWAYS do, and a wrench simultaneous. But then you will also need two wrenches, one for the head and one for the nut. Another problem people are having. I think, is they aren't tightening up the screws all the way, and the rack is rickety, and seems flimsy. The provided nuts have nylon plastic inserts, so-called lock-nuts. It you have never seen them before, you won't understand them. They can be started without a wrench, but not tightened past a certain point without one. When the plastic starts jamming into the threads, it produces very high friction, making the nut very hard to turn. You cannot tighten them with your fingers, and not with a misused screwdriver slipping and stripping the head on the opposite end either. It is a slow-going PITA to tighten, but this high friction does keep the nuts from progressively loosening and falling off from the constant vibration of a bike. On large enough bolts, this loosening tendency is overcome by tightening the bolts a measured amount with a torque wrench, just the amount needed to stress the metal to provide the right constant squeeze pressure. On small bolts, sufficient stress may be more than the threads or the head can take, so you live with the possibility they can vibrate loose. Ordinary nuts, once they get a little loose, work looser until they vibrate all the way off, and then the bolt drops out too. Lock-nuts don't loosen, because of the high friction, even if they are not snugged down. I personally use lock-washers. (Also called split-ring or spring washers, and other names.) They are thick spring steel and act like the first spiral loop of a strong spring. If you take the nut off, they spring back into shape. I trust them more than lock-nuts, where the nylon plastic is damaged in putting them on.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2022
Customer image
5.0 out of 5 stars Spotty quality, but it's still adequate!
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2022
I recently got an E-bike here on Amazon and have been enjoying riding a bike again after years of not having one.

I've been a street motorcyclist for about five years, and that has taught me the importance of preparedness. Since I have an electric motor helping me out on my new E-bike, I can easily ride 10x the distance than I could on a normal bike, probably even longer! So I want to have supplies with me just like I do on my motorcycle, so I looked into storage.

I don't want to wear a backpack, so I decided a rack was the next best thing since I need the inner triangle of my bike's frame clear for battery installation and removal. I don't trust the racks that just clamp onto a bike's seat post, so those were out of the question. I looked at racks that cost two to three times as much as this rack, but they looked so similar. Add to that the numerous positive reviews this rack has, and I decided the $15 price tag was worth the risk.

As you can see by the photo of my bike, it paid off! My E-bike, from HOTEBIKE, had bolts installed already at the various mounting points that this rack can use. That was fortunate for me, as you can see by the photo I've attached of two of the bolts.

These bolts in question are among the hardware that came with this rack. Notice something off about the bolt on the right? Yep, it's hex pocket is unformed. A better quality bolt from the rack is on the left for visual comparison. I didn't notice this during the installation.

To diverge on a tangent for a bit, the instructions that come with this rack are lousy, so I figured out how to install this rack without them. Thanks to my E-bike having mounting points with hardware preinstalled, it wasn't hard to do. I just loosely bolted pieces of this rack to the bike, then tightened up the fasteners when I was satisfied with the fitment.

It was during this final tightening of fasteners that I caught that bad bolt. I wound up removing it and the other bolts I'd used to mount the rack to the bike and using the bike's included bolts instead.

Also, my E-bike has a small crossbar between the chainstays (it's the bar where caliper brakes would be mounted normally- my bike has disc brakes) so I elected to use that as a mounting point, using the appropriate bracket with this rack. The center hole of the bracket was too small in diameter, so I did drill the hole out to let the bolt that was on my bike pass through. It was just one drill size up so it was easily done with a cordless drill and a vise.

I could've easily used the two side brackets and mounted them to the sides of the chainstays, since there was again mounting holes with preinstalled bolts for the purpose. I decided that if the rack was unsteady, I would use said brackets.

I haven't needed them. This rack will flex a little when forced by hand, but after that flex, I move the whole bike around when I push, pull, kick and yank this rack. I like this, since the rack being too rigid would mean it'd break easily, but it's not so flexible so as to bend and jam a wheel, it's just right. A little flex to absorb shock, but enough rigidity to resist bending. I even harked back to my old BMX stunt days and "thrashed" about on my E-bike a little (I couldn't do much, I'm out of shape and E-bikes are much heavier than BMX bikes!). The rack took it all in stride.

So, if you aren't mechanically inclined and need thorough instruction to assemble and install equipment, you might be better off paying for a more expensive rack, depending on the quality of instructions. But if you're willing to sit down, figure things out and test your work before using it, the savings you get with this rack are awesome, even with sporadic bad quality with hardware!

This extends to use of the rack. It has a spring tensioned clamping bar, and the rack's design is modular. Know what the bag is on mine? It's a fuel tank bag intended for motorcycle use! I wound up liking and using saddle bags on my motorcycle, so the tank bag has sat collecting dust. It has three mounting points, so with some large zip-ties in hand, I set to work. Two points were zip tied to the front of the rack, the third point at the end of the bag was zip-tied to the rack's fender mount, which I bent upwards to use. The bag is also solidly mounted, and I now have a small supply of tools and parts to take with me on rides!

I'd imagine this rack will accept a dedicated bike rack bag or case just fine, but I'm happy with it's performance both in installation to my bike and holding my repurposed fuel tank bag! Again, if you're handy and want to save some money, I'd definitely recommend this rack! Just examine the bolts before you begin installing them.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2023
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Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2009
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5.0 out of 5 stars The best
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2009
People into light bikes will naturally prefer aluminum racks. But...

This is made out of solid steel bar, not tubing. The flat ends are forged, not flattened tube. If the $30 aluminum tube racks are rated at 40 pounds, then this one should be rated over 100 lbs. (A sticker on it says do not use over 20 kilogram, which is 44 lbs. I think.) Not that I or my bike could seriously manage 100 pounds added ... but I have loaded up 50 pounds of lawn fertilizer at times.

The short bars that bridge the rack to the stays would have fit better in my case if they were straighter, so I tried to reshape one in a big steel vise, but regardless of what I did the bar only bent slightly and sprung back as soon as the pressure was off. Maybe if I put a three foot pipe on the end it would have bent, but the pressure was already crazy and I thought that was ill advised. :) That is some good steel.

The weak points obviously would be the welds, not the bars, but the welds look nice to me. I figure the weight rating has something to do with lawyers. If you load a lot of weight on the rear of a bike, the handling is completely off and squirrelly, and the rack manufacturer would get sued in the case of an accident if he did not recommend against it. 20kg is probably what stands up in court, not what the rack will hold. Since I broke a rack (from metal fatigue at the stays mount), which this one replaces, I was looking for something tough, and this looks like it. Thanks to the first posters that put up such informative pictures.

I thought the rack might slip around at the screw joints (many racks are one piece welded), but it doesn't. The whole rack flexes in a springy way if you push hard, but the screw joints do not move around. Just in case, I added some lock washers, which should take up any slack due to winter-summer thermal cycling. The rack already comes with lock nuts, but lock nuts are good mainly because when they become loose they will not rattle looser.

Since I had some experience with helping someone with a nice aluminum rack switching from one bike to another, I was aware of how hard it is to adapt to every particular bike. That rack had an array of extra screws and brackets, but it still took some home-made weirdness to make it work on that particular bike. You can see how different the rack fits on my bike as compared to the other pics.

I didn't mention in the picture notes that the gripper material under the pipe brackets is a strip of material they use in wood working to keep small pieces of wood from sliding (without a vice) when routing (which is why I have it.) It looks like the same stuff sold as kitchen drawer liner that keeps silverware from sliding around when you open and close the drawers.

The smallest pipe brackets (1/2 inch), though sturdy, were a bit too large even after re-bent, which is why I put some plastic pipe as a spacer around the stays.

Since, when I find a really good item at a really good price, either the price immediately gets jacked up, or the item disappears never to be seen again, I got two just in case. But I think my bike will give out before this thing does.(And then I'll have a new one for my new bike!) I am more enthusiastic about this item now that I have it then when I ordered it, which is practically a new experience for me.

----> added

May 1, 2011

I see pages of reviews after the last time I checked. I read them all (around 50.)

Nothing has rattled loose, nothing bent or kinked, no welds gave out, nothing rusted. The rack is as sturdy and durable as I figured -cross my fingers- 2 years ago. When the weather is over 40 degrees here I do my grocery runs two or three times a week on the bike, and the rack gets a lot of flexing because the "milk crate" box is on top, which is a lot of leverage. In colder weather, grocery runs drop down to about once a week. About weekly I carry 2 gallons of milk in the grocery load.

I am wondering what a number of people have in mind who say the rack is flimsy, unless it is not the same rack. I have never seen a normal rack (like under $70) that this one doesn't beat the bleep out of for strength. Maybe aluminum is less springy? Or they have no experience with another rack?

I do not get why people did not believe that there are NO bolts included that hold the rack to the bike and realistically NO instructions, which I understood from the people that reviewed this even earlier than me.

About the first guy that posted left pictures of what you get. (If these are not present in your package, you were shorted, which quite a few later buyers have been.) If you don't already see how you are going to attach the thing from those pictures, and you aren't creative mechanically, or don't want to be, be kind to yourself and don't get involved.

Believe it or not I did not buy this thing because it was startling cheap. That was a bonus. Obviously I did not buy it because it was convenient to attach to my bike (check the pictures of the olive green bike.) From the earlier posted pictures, it looked to me that it was made the right way to be strong. Other racks definitely are not. Stiffness and durability are two different things. In person it turned out to be far stronger than I was thinking. It is something like spring steel, not the mild steel you find in rods and bolts.

Actually, most people do not need a particularly strong rack for the way they are using it. They are fixated on cheap. Cheap can turn out to be too expensive if you factor in the value of your time.

A few people said the bolts stripped easily. If they did, then the bolts I received were different bolts. I wondered why they put such nice bolts in the package when any old bolts would have done as well.

----> added

August 27, 2012

I see where the weakest point is now. There are two alternative holes where the rack attaches near to the axle. You will see the width of metal surrounding these holes is extremely narrow. If you use the lower hole, as I needed to, the narrow part of the upper hole becomes a weak point which gets a lot of flexing.

One day, back in the spring, as I was loading up the groceries, I noticed the milk crate squirmed uncharacteristically as I shifted around the gallons of milk. Yep, one side of the rack was snapped at the weak point just mentioned. Considering the 5 mile walk back home, it was worth attempting to ride home that way. Surprisingly, it turned out not to be any problem.

I have had my bike fall over at times in the couple of years since I installed this rack, so I am reluctant to exclusively blame the break on this design fault of the rack. I replaced the broken side with one of the sides of the back-up I bought at the same time. Short of some dramatically expensive "industrial strength" specialty racks I have seen, this rack remains the strongest you can find.

By the way, in the first of these collision and screw-up incidents, every one of the zip ties I initially used, in part, to hold the milk crate to the rack broke instantaneously, so those stainless steel band-style hose clamps should be preferred to, or added to, zip ties.

----> added

November 5, 2012

I have at last unraveled the mystery, to me, of the supposedly crappy, easily stripped bolts some people are claiming. Except for the one person who got bolts that were malformed, the problem is something else: These bolts have six sided holes (like Allen set-screws do), perhaps because they "look nicer" or because they can be tightened with greater force than slot heads or Phillips. They require Allen wrenches. (At least that was their name before metric sizes.) (Allen wrenches are just hexagonal cross-section rods with a right angle bend in them for a handle.) People are attempting to tighten these with the usual slot-style screwdriver or a Phillips screwdriver, and this destroys, not the threads, but the hex hole in the heads, and probably ruins the screwdriver forever too. It never occurred to me that people would do something like that. Don't.

I going to guess that Chinese or Taiwan Allen wrenches (also called hollow set screw key wrenches) at the chain hardware or auto supply stores or walmart or sears would not be more than two dollars. I don't know because I have several sets over thirty years old laying around. If you know anybody that tinkers, they probably have them too, and you can borrow them. The bolt is metric 5 mm and the hex slot is 5 mm, I know, but the 3/16 inch size of my set fits the head just right.

(3/16 is 1/100 inch smaller than 5 mm; barely visible.)

In comparison to tightening with a screwdriver or wrench, these bolts are a pleasure. If you decide to replace the bolts anyway (which I grant has merits too) get the ordinary, commonplace, 3/16 diameter by 3/4 long bolts with hex heads (not hex holes), not a screwdriver type head, and avoid the frustration of working with both a screwdriver slipping, as they ALWAYS do, and a wrench simultaneous. But then you will also need two wrenches, one for the head and one for the nut.

Another problem people are having. I think, is they aren't tightening up the screws all the way, and the rack is rickety, and seems flimsy. The provided nuts have nylon plastic inserts, so-called lock-nuts. It you have never seen them before, you won't understand them. They can be started without a wrench, but not tightened past a certain point without one. When the plastic starts jamming into the threads, it produces very high friction, making the nut very hard to turn. You cannot tighten them with your fingers, and not with a misused screwdriver slipping and stripping the head on the opposite end either. It is a slow-going PITA to tighten, but this high friction does keep the nuts from progressively loosening and falling off from the constant vibration of a bike.

On large enough bolts, this loosening tendency is overcome by tightening the bolts a measured amount with a torque wrench, just the amount needed to stress the metal to provide the right constant squeeze pressure. On small bolts, sufficient stress may be more than the threads or the head can take, so you live with the possibility they can vibrate loose. Ordinary nuts, once they get a little loose, work looser until they vibrate all the way off, and then the bolt drops out too. Lock-nuts don't loosen, because of the high friction, even if they are not snugged down.

I personally use lock-washers. (Also called split-ring or spring washers, and other names.) They are thick spring steel and act like the first spiral loop of a strong spring. If you take the nut off, they spring back into shape. I trust them more than lock-nuts, where the nylon plastic is damaged in putting them on.
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