My pannier rack snapped halfway through my commute last Tuesday

I was about 3 miles from work when I heard this loud crack and my whole bag dropped onto my wheel. Nearly ate it at the next intersection. Turned out I had been overloading that cheap rack for months with my laptop and lunch and gym clothes. I limped the rest of the way carrying my bag in one hand. Lesson learned, I saved up and got a steel rack rated for 55 pounds from a local shop. Has anyone else had a rack fail on them mid ride?

2 comments

2 Comments

wadeg926d ago

Man, that's rough. I actually had the opposite problem once - my rack was too heavy and it messed up my bike's balance. @ben827 is right about steel racks, but I'd also tell people to check their frame's mounting points. Some bikes have thin eyelets that can crack under load even with a good rack. I saw a guy's touring bike snap right at the dropout because the rack was fine but the frame wasn't.

ben8276d ago

My buddy Tim swore by steel racks for years and I thought he was being dramatic. After my aluminum one snapped on a pothole last fall I finally got it. Now I don't even look at anything under that 55 pound rating, it's just not worth the crash.