Pannier Racks for Surly Disc Trucker

[johnwilldo]

Hi,

I have been trying to research Pannier racks for my Surly Disc Trucker which is a 52cm using 26" rims.  I have decided that I like the Ortlieb Classic Panniers and have already purchased the rear set in yellow and black.  I see that the Surly front pannier racks are mounted on the skewers which do not seem to be a great feature when trying to change out the front wheel.  I like the idea of a top shelf being included in the front rack and am hopeful that someone has had some experience with outfitting a Disc trucker with pannier racks that have worked well for them.  Any input would be appreciated.  Fenders will be the next research project.

[SCPaul]

I put Tubus Duo front racks on my Disc Trucker. I use the roll top Ortliebs on the front. I had a hard time getting them mounted to the fork. If I was doing it again, I think I would get the Tara.  Neither of them have a shelf though.

I have the Logo Evo on the rear. It was a breeze to install.

I had no problem mounting fenders with the racks. I have SKS longboards.

[indyfabz]

While I have no idea about its compatability with disc brakes, the Nitto Big Front Rack from Rivendell has a platform,. It mounts to the fork eyelets down below and uses p-clamps up top. I love mine, and it weighs less than the 3+ lbs. Surly rack. It also has two mounting positions down low. This gives you the ability to creat extra vertical clearence for fenders. The down side is that it's very expensive.

The Rivendell people are extremely helpful. If you contact them they will likely give you some technical assistance/advice.

[johnwilldo]

Thanks for the input.  Yes, the Rivendale folks are really helpful.  I visited their shop several times this past winter when I was researching my touring bike purchase.  I purchased a pair of platform pedals that Rivendale uses on their demo bikes and they are now installed on the Disc Trucker.  Their bikes are really cool but about twice the price of the Disc Trucker.
I just ordered the Surly front and rear racks as well as the Ortleib Front Roller Classic Panniers today.  After seeing a post on mounting the Surly front rack on the provided eyelets, I decided to pull the trigger and order the heavy Surly racks and hopefully try to trim some weight some other way.  I also like to back pack so I am trying to get some of my gear to do double duty.

[johnwilldo]

I settled on the Ortlieb front and back roller classics in yellow and black for the panniers.  I just took delivery on the Surly Nice front and rear racks.  The racks are not nearly as heavy as I had been reading about.  There is a really good blog on mounting the front rack which looks like the way to go. I am waiting for a rainy day to mount them on the bike but want to get fenders and put the fenders and racks on at the same time.

Now researching sleeping gear.  Have not done any backpacking since the seventies and the equipment is quite different.  Ordered a Big Agnes SL2 tent.

[indyfabz]

Have you weighed the racks? Surly lists the front rack at a whopping 1382g. If I remember my conversion factors correctly, that is over 3 lbs. That's pretty darn heavy, even for a rack with a front platform. It may end up being more if that weight does not include the mounting hardware. The rear rack is listed at 2.8 lbs. Compare that to the Tubus Cargo, which is only 1.375 lbs. for the large size.

Funny. Yesterday I ordered a Seedhouse SL2 myself. Weighs 1.75 lbs. less than my older Hubba Hubba, which was the lightest in my tent collection.

[johnwilldo]

The Big Agnes gear enjoys a good reputation.  I am pretty sure that I am also going with a Big Agnes Q CORE SL pad, but have not decided on the sleeping bag features....mummy?  Down?  But That is another topic.