Paul John does a bit of long-distance riding and wants to know if he was to buy a Mountain Bike can he fit a rack for panniers? We find a few different racks for the purpose.
Question: I have a long distance tourer (Audax) bike but need something more suited to off-road use and would like to buy a hardtail MTB. The question is, can I fit a rear rack (for panniers) to such a bike?
Answer:
Hi Paul,
Yes, there is no problem fitting a rack to a Mountain Bike. With a hardtail bike, there are no difficulties. If you were thinking of getting a full suspension, then you would have to look for a specialist rack, like a seat post rack. Headland makes seat post racks with fittings for pannier racks or without, but you don’t have that problem.
For a Hardtail, you can have a three or four-point fixing rear rack. Topeak makes a few different MTB racks. The Explorer probably being there best. There are much more available, go for Alloy, and if possible, one with a solid center section to protect your bags or to protect you without panniers as it will work like a mudguard fender.
You don’t need to spend too much; they seem to sell for around $40 for a good quality Alloy tubular rack. Enjoy your touring.
