Lightweight Rear Rack

You're touring through the countryside. You stopped at the last grocery store and loaded up on food and water. You come out with your bounty, look at your bike and think, "Where am I going to put all this stuff?"

Enter the Lightweight Rear Rack.

Old-school rear racks were over-built and designed to work with clip-on panniers that rattled and flew off at the first sign of rough terrain. Off-pavement touring also requires us to be more conscious of where we keep weight on our loaded bikes. A modern rack like this one is just enough to spread out the load. Use lightweight strap-on panniers like those from Bags by Bird, San Util Design, and more for a sleeping bag, cook kit, rain gear, and camp clothes, freeing up your whole frame bag for food. With your shelter and bedding in a handlebar roll, your weight is nicely spread out and securely affixed for worry-free riding. If you don't want to go full pannier, the gear loops and rack bed are perfect for strapping on a dry bag or two, or carrying extra water bottles. For lightweight excursions or credit card touring, a few panniers and a half-framebag are more than enough space and really keep your bike riding like a bike rather than a loaded-down sofa.

One ski strap securely holds down your foam sleeping pad (are you brave enough for that?) for easy access when you need a quick nap in the sun or a place for you and a friend to sit at lunch.

An added bonus: once set up, this rack goes on and off in a couple minutes, making the switch from bikepacking bike to regular bike seamless. We find that removing any friction so we can get ourselves out the door helps us go on more fun overnighters. We hope you will find that too :)

Some Rack Specifications:

• Capacity: This rack has been tested to 30lbs
• Weight: 1.4lbs including hardware
• Carrying Options: Compatible with lightweight strap-on style panniers. Gear loops are perfect for ski-strapping water bottles or dry bags.
• Frame Compatibility: Please see the drawing above to make sure the rack will work with your bike if it is not a Sklar (this rack is designed to work with all Sklar frames). The main thing you will need to check is that the distance from your lower rack mount to the top of your tire is no less than 325mm.