I’ve a customer with a cairn brave. He has a front rack held on predominantly with cable ties as the holes don’t match the bolts! He’s asking if there are any mecano style things to help use the holes on the rack and rivnuts on the fork?? He’s very about aesthetics

Hard to picture, but something like this to create a mounting point at the right place?

Suspension Fork Mounts

Edit: Ah, not a suspension fork.

Try this one

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m5b0s215p2031/TUBUS-LM-1-Mounting-Set-T72100

A front rack? I’m assuming he’s using the bolt hole on the crown for the top but stuck because the lower doesn’t match up with the cargo cage mounts?

The SFM mounts above would work to a degree, but not sure what the load rating would be, depending on what he wants to carry on the rack. Might be better to point him at a couple of cheapish Blackburn cargo cages and/or a bar harness rather than try and bodge a rack into a fork that isn’t designed for it

There probably is. My first port of call would likely be the racks spares page on SJS Cycles and see whether there is anything likely to do the job then work out if you have similar, can make something similar or just buy the shiny part.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/rack-spares/?order=price+ascending

This is the bike, lots of fork mounts – rivnuts that don’t match what he’s got

https://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/15/files/2021/05/c0440b78-cairn-brave-gravel-bike_2.jpg

Which rack is it you want to fit? Big / little / platform/ basket / etc?

Might be able to think of possibilities with that extra info.

Interesting bike.

What’s the rack? Given it’s a £2.5K bike, buying a new rack like the TUBUS Duo Lowrider Front Pannier Rack would not be too outlandish an outlay to avoid a total bodge and should fit with those mounts.

I’ll grab some pics tomorrow

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new rack like the TUBUS Duo Lowrider Front Pannier Rack would not be too outlandish an outlay to avoid a total bodge and should fit with those mounts.
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That’s my thought. It’s not a cheap bike.

While racks aren’t cheap, if they are that focused on aesthetics it’s time for a rack that fits their bike.

Alternatively can you knock them up a strip of steel/ aluminium with holes in the right places for their rack/bike?

My real panniers have always been held on with p clips on all of my commuters. My front mudguard currently is held on with two p clips to a length of steel with a hole drilled as the forks don’t have a mount for the mudguards I wanted

I’m not fully picturing the problem.

But does one of these help as it has a sliding 3rd mount ?

https://www.apidura.com/shop/cargo-cage/

Or one of these?

https://www.apidura.com/shop/bottle-cage-adapter/

I’m not fully picturing the problem.

I think the problem is that many front racks assume that the rivnuts are built for a “Lowrider” rack, so likely one rivnut halfway up the fork leg and another threaded part near the axle )that might also be used  to fit a mudguard). The forks on that Cairn are built with the more” modern” concept of fork mounted cages in mind, and so the rivnuts don’t line up.

Specialized pizza rack would probably work, or something like the BLB mini front rack if he wants something smaller.

Are the fork mount holes rated for a rack or just cargo cages?

You could try one of the Wolftooth B-Rad Mounting Base options.

That rack looks like it’s but for traditional lowrider style mounts. What does the bottom of it attach to (if anything)?

Oof. Didn’t realise it was zip-tied virtually everywhere. For someone interested in aesthetics, hasn’t that already done damage to the surfaces? Advice? different rack.

Different rack +1

But what’s it for? Panniers or is he strapping stuff to that top rack area? Would frame leg cages and stuff bags work for them? Much lighter but also less capacity than a pair of front panniers.

So all the weight is on those two fork eyelets? Maybe drill that little mudguard arch all the way through, to hold the crown mount, then drop the whole rack down to the next set of eyelets if the spacing is correct.

He’s very about aesthetics

The state of the bike and that rack would suggest otherwise.

@mrhoppy not sure what super powers you have to deduce that

@scotroutes it attached to nothing at all!?

He’s using it to put a coat out similar on the top

Well, at least it’s not heavily loaded 😂

As already suggested, I’d be looking at a different rack, one actually designed around that style of fitment. There are even small racks that just attach to the bars.

For example

https://www.cyclesolutions.co.uk/accessories/bags-luggage/specialized-fjallraven-handlebar-rack–black__95678

I think the problem is that many front racks assume that the rivnuts are built for a “Lowrider” rack, so likely one rivnut halfway up the fork leg and another threaded part near the axle )that might also be used  to fit a mudguard). The forks on that Cairn are built with the more” modern” concept of fork mounted cages in mind, and so the rivnuts don’t line up.

Yep, agreed – called that one early! The issue is that the bolts are set up for cargo cages, not a low-rider rack like that. You may be able to get a rack that fits those bolts, but that one won’t!

There’s a few options on this link below, but bidding that rack to fit is probably a bad idea

Small & Lightweight Front Racks for Bikepacking & Touring

My suggestion would be to try fitting to the fork with plates similar to the one in this set:

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/carriers-racks/surly-front-rack-plate-kit-2-for-unicrown-forks-mtb/

A piece of something like Meccano could then be used to connect to the fork eyelet.

A second look suggests to me that the top fork hole needs to go one eyelet lower and the bottom hole be fixed to the bottom of the fork (on or near the mudguard eye). Would likely need a bracket or piece of Meccano to get the length right.

Edit: also worth checking the fork spec. Is it supposed to be suitable for rack fitment or is it limited to a kilo or so in a fork cage?

How about a length of this https://www.diy.com/departments/aluminium-flat-bar-l-1000mm-w-15mm-t-2mm/254013_BQ.prd?alt=true cut to length and drilled to suit?

I’d drop the top down so that crown bolt hole aligns with the upper rack bolt hole.

One of the alu strips from the middle rivnut up to the currently bolted point, then a alu strip down from the lower rivnut to the lower rack bolt hole – by going up & down with the strips you’ll stop the rack wanting to rotate around the current fork attachement.

If you need the black, get your best Sharpie (other markers are available) out.

He’s using it to put a coat out similar on the top

Sorry – just making sure I’m reading this right with the little typo…..the sole purpose of this rack is to carry a coat? That’s it?

This feels way overkill for a coat. You could buy a frame bag that would fit that frame and stuff a coat into it, or a gravel bike specific handlebar bag like this (https://alpkit.com/products/gravel-handlebar-bag) – that one is currently out of stock after their recent sale but loads of others available from other retailers . Then you could ditch the faff and weight of that whole rack.

Some lovely little racks I’d not seen before on Pyro’s bikepacking link above I’m now fancying.

And forgot to ask – has the bike got a rear rack already?

@convert weight of a rack on an ebike is negligible

@convert weight of a rack on an ebike is negligible

True – but you said this person was all about aesthetics – why would you strap that to a bike to carry nothing but a coat?

I assumed it must either be a fur coat, or a typo.