Disc brake & rack solutions

I have a Tortec ultralight rack and also another rack that could be butchered (if required) that I want to put onto a frame with rear disk brakes. I don’t want to buy a new rack as I’m sure its easy to bodge my way round it. I have a couple of solutions, your thoughts would be appreciated.

1) Preferred option – Space out the bottom of the pannier support using a small socket as a washer and thread a long bolt through here to give clearance. This will give an asymmetric rear end but can’t imagine it will matter much, maybe a slight upset to ‘perfect’ balance. Should I space it equally if I have another socket that can be sacrificed.

2) Use P-clips around the seatstay above the disc brake, I have 2 thoughts about this –
a) will P-clips be strong enough?
b) the rack will end up very tall above the wheel and will also interfere with heel clearance.

I have a rack on my Inbred and disc brakes (old Deore ones). I think it is a blackburn one like this:

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=blackburn+rack&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=11666202893430915780&sa=X&ei=1y8oToe-NsTJswbgsNyNCQ&ved=0CHwQ8wIwBw

I chopped one of the ends off the rack (the foremost of the 3 ‘prongs’) which was what was stopping it fitting and only had to space it slightly with a few washers then. It has carried my 3 year old in his seat off road with no signs of wear or damage so far.

Thats good to know. One of my racks doesn’t have the ‘prong’. I guess it will all come down to the spacing / shape of the disc mount and the type of caliper (i have the option of running a post or IS mount).

I use option one. a nice double bend in the stay helps. I did not need to space it out much at all. You might need to space the other side out a bit or the rack ends up off centre

Yeh, my rear brake is post mount to IS on the frame and a 160mm rotor, If the rotor was larger (ie. the caliper further out) it would fit. They did used to do 140mm rotors at one point didn’t they? Mybe that would help?

I could swap the front and rear discs, ie 180mm on the back if all else fails?

Think you will need the smaller on the rear to move the caliper forwards and out of the way more but each frame / rack is diferent so it may work! Good luck with it 🙂

http://www.bikesyoulike.co.uk/product/5593/TorTec_Apex_Disc_Rear_Rack

£12.99 – might be easier than bodging it 🙂

I went for the spacing the rear carrier mount option which worked really well. Just be careful while spreading the carrier legs [!!] so you don’t damage the welds further up the carrier.

I only need to spread the legs enough to clear the bolt head of the brake caliper, a large washer should do.

Otherwise the £12 rack looks spot on

teh spacers from v brakes can be good for this – use one on one of my bikes