OMM Pannier Rack Research

[closer]

Hi folks,

I am brand-new to this forum and brand-new to bicycle touring, as well.
My background is more in motorcycling and I do have some experience in third-world (as well as N.A.)motorcycle touring but 2006 has definitely been "Year of the Bicycle" for me. I have rediscovered a former love and want to incorporate this love and the love of exercise and of "rough" travel, into building up an all-road/off-road, third-world touring bicycle.
I am a pretty thorough researcher when I take on such projects and to this end, would like to invite user comments on their experiences with OMM pannier racks.
Aluminum scares me a bit but I am intrigued by their product line and the positive comments I have heard and read about regarding build quality and customer service.
I am lead to OMM, despite the "aluminum hang-up" for these reasons as well as the interesting and well-regarded lower rack attachment on the Cold Springs and Sherpa models. This is signifigant to me, as I will be running mechanical disc brakes on the bike.
I've done my homework in researching this site and others, as well as speaking to John at OMM, as well as Kevin at Arkell (Canadian OMM distributor), both of whom are very nice guys.
To this end, I have also been in discussions with Bruce Gordon regarding his front/rear platform racks. My frame builder--Hugh Black, True North Cycles can modify the BG's for disc compatability but I need to consider the other options. The Tubus Logo is nice but the platform is a bit too narrow for my needs/wants.
Anyhow, thanks for your time in reading this and to anyone who wishes to contribute to this topic.

Best regards,

Art Kernaghan

[JayH]

I have a OMM Red Rocks on the back of my hardtail commuter/touring bike and I've put about 20k miles on it via commuting for 5 years and touring. Not one problem with it as it is built well. There are lighter racks out there, but the OMM for me, has been excellent. Channing and the folks there are awesome too, they will work with you and they have adaptors for disc brakes and stuff.

I also have a cold springs with a QR adaptor for the front. It is also a good rack but I don't use that for commuting so I don't use it as much as my Red Rocks. One caviot with the Cold Spring is because of the top shelf on the CS rack, it has a weld in the middle of the railing where you attach panniers to. If you have a set that needs the center to hook/latch on to, it might interfere with the top shelf. Madden, I believe the brand sold here by ACA doesn't work with the CS rack because of it. I've told ACA but they don't seem to care or want to put this on their webpage for the CS and they don't seem to sell their Madden panniers anymore anyway. Most panniers use 2 hooks in the corners not in the middle, fortunately.  

Depending on how big panniers and how heavy a load you'll carry, the third leg on the RRs as opposed to the CS or Sherpa racks might or might not be useful. It also allows you to comfortable move the panniers further back if you happen to be very tall and need the leg clearance.

I am using mine so much, I'm wearing out the aluminum stay on the third leg, but then 20k and an off-road commute will do that.

Jay

[BrianCM]

I recently bought the Tubus Cargo.  The Cargo, unlike the Logo, is a full-width rack.  It comes with a spacer to use it with disc brakes.  Unlike the OMM Red Rock, it attaches to the bike frame instead of the brakes.

[closer]

Hey Jay,

Thanks for the endorsement. There is no other way to gain confidence in a product other than hearing from other users.

[closer]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for the "Cargo" tip. I have considered the Cargo but not closely.
It's funny, I'm trying to do a "little dance" regarding optimum rack size--I want a large enough top shelf for my percieved needs but not so large that I'll be unable to pack in an S&S soft travel case (if that is indeed, possible).
The load stops and robust size of the Cargo may not fit my scenario but we shall see.
The OMM Sherpa's are sure looking good though, regarding their mix of minimalist tube/platform design
and apparent robustness (by the way, I don't plan on packing huge loads--perhaps 15 litre bags, max. front and 15~20 litre bags, max. rear, with room on the tops for various and sundry; I do have an Extrawheel trailer that I'll use for extended N.A based trips, as well).

Art

[ptaylor]

Frankly, I'm not familiar with the racks you folks are discussing. This summer, however, I saw the best set of racks I have ever seen. The brand is Nitto, and, I'm told, they are imported from Japan only by Rivendell. You may want to take a look.

Paul

[cyclesafe]

Besides being made of aluminum, OMM racks that are sure to be compatible with disks suffer from having to use the quick release rather than the frame as a lower anchor.  This makes changing a flat much more difficult than if the rack attached to the frame.

After working with Wayne at thetouringstore.com, I found that with the provided spacers, both the Tubus Logo and Cargo rear racks worked fine with my BB7's and SKS fenders.  Since they are made from cro mo steel, there is no worries about metal fatigue.  The Tubus Tara was a "no brainer" on the front.

Don't give up in trying to find a non-aluminum, frame mounted rack.  Wayne is really helpful.


This message was edited by cyclesafe on 11-19-06 @ 1:21 PM

[closer]

Paul,

Yes, the Nitto racks are very elegant--thanks for the tip and yeah, I have looked at them in the recent past.

Art


Closer to Free

[closer]

CS,

A very good point regarding the whole flat repair issue and is one that I fielded to OMM, as well.
John's answer was that it's not too fiddly to deal with--just make sure (obviously) that the racks are empty and the upper supports should hold the rack securely enough for the job.
Interestingly, I have also gotten some very positive feedback regarding the solidness of the QR  lower mount, versus the eyelet route.
Well, I have found a very elegant solution to my little engineering toubleshoot: a chainstay mounted brake caliper.
This solves the rack issue completely and pretty much enables one to attach any sort of rack, which is very nice, as I love versatility.
As an extra bonus, it will also allow a more favourable placement of the "click-box" that is part of the disc-compatible Rohloff Speedhub, as well as less severe shift cable bends, as they route up the seatstays from the hub.
I'm very pleased with the way this project is going and thanks to all for your input.
Come January, when the bike is finished, I'll post a few shots before I take it to Cuba for a "shake-down" ride.

Art



Closer to Free

[JayH]

"Besides being made of aluminum, OMM racks that are sure to be compatible with disks suffer from having to use the quick release rather than the frame as a lower anchor.  This makes changing a flat much more difficult than if the rack attached to the frame."

I talked to Channing@OMM when I was considering buying a disc-brake bike for winter commuting and he said that he would be able to formulate an adaptor to clear the caliper so I could use lower eyelets rather than a QR bike. But I have shelfed the new bike idea for a bit so I never went through it...

Might want to talk to them about it, if it really interests you. My front rack when I use is a QR rack but I have yet to have a front tire flat! knock on wood...

Jay

[OmahaNeb]

I have the OMM front low rider rack.  I was very impressed with OMM and Channing's willingness to work with me in configuring a removable top mounting self for the low rider.  That level of customer service speaks loudly for me.