Quickly detachable pannier racks (&bags)

So following on from my mudguard thread. I need the same for panniers. This is again so I can turn the commuter into a full gravel bike for fun. I have seen some ‘beam’ style racks using a qr collar on the seatpost. Does anyone use these regularly and if so with what bags?

I will be cycling 3-5 times a week taking a laptop some days and work clothes/lunch everyday, so not massive weight

Tailfin. Expensive but excellent.

Ortlieb Quick Rack works very well and not too expensive

I’ve got a Tailfin and an Ortlieb Quickrack. Much prefer the Ortlieb, and it s cheaper.

The Ortlieb will be fine for your intended usage. If you don’t have rack bosses on the frame, the seatstay adapters are fiddly to fit but do the job. If you have a seatstay disk mount this may prevent you getting the right position for the adapter, however.

Get the large Ortlieb Quick Rack and some QL3.1 panniers for the fastest removal of rack and panniers. Both excellent. The Quick Rack comes with tabs for the QL3.1 system.

I also have a Topeak beam rack. Nice kit and I like the bag which mounts easily, but it won’t take a laptop, not even my small 13” new one. I don’t like the fold down side pocket version. Faster to install and remove than the Quick Rack, stable, but limited by bag choice. They used to make a laptop bag but no longer. I used it on a 20” wheel FS bike  off road with no issues. I also use the bag on a Topeak rack on the recumbent.

For commuting with laptop and clothes, Quick Rack.

Dare I say it, you maybe need a dedicated commuter bike?

Do you really think you’ll be wanting to faff about, fit guards and a rack on a cold Sunday evening for the 50th odd time a year or so from now?

Anyway my commuting solution was a klickfix bag for all.my stuff, Whenever I needed to move a laptop (rare these days TBH) I used a 20L drybag lashed to the bars (or left it in a.locker at the office the day before if possible).

The other thing that worked well for a while was a simple beam type rack, that just clamps onto the seatpost, some of those can actually take a full pannier bag, again I just lashed a drybag to the top.

Also got an Ortlieb Quick Rack, which is excellent. Had to make some aluminum adapters to fit the bosses to my Ribble CGR Ti which has cowl type dropouts. Can’t fault it, it goes on or off in about 10 seconds.

my Tubus cargo rack has 4 bolts.  it takes 2 minutes at most to remove.

a proper tool for the job is the best option.

I agree with ton.  You do get various types that mount with straps on the seatstay but personally I wouldn’t trust them

Ie

https://www.topeak.com/global/en/product/1288-TETRARACK-R2

I gave tried a beam one that mounts on the seatpost.  Bags sat very high and it moved around unless you had tbe clamp mega tight when it marked the seat post

Get a pannier rack with Gravel in the name.

Then you can just leave it on.

If you have threaded mounting points, I would recommend just fitting a conventional 3 or 4 point rack and leaving it on. It won’t get in the way for gravel riding, and you won’t notice a decent lightweight rack like a Tubus.

If you’ve got mounting points, it really does not take a lot of time to do up/undo three or four bolts.

one you wont notice is fitted.

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m5b0s79p1772/TUBUS-Airy-Titanium-Rear-Pannier-Rack

one you wont notice is fitted.

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m5b0s79p1772/TUBUS-Airy-Titanium-Rear-Pannier-Rack

Because lightness of wallet offset it?

my Tubus cargo rack has 4 bolts.  it takes 2 minutes at most to remove.

+1 it’s just 4 very easily accessible bolts, it’ll be on/off as quick as any fancy option.

Or just leave it on, it’ll make no real difference to your weekend rides.

I use a quickrack for just what you want and the rear mudguard even attaches to the quickrack so comes off at the same time.  It’s a great system.

Ortlieb panniers are obviously super quick to take off.

I bought the quick rack with the idea that it’d be quick to take off for gravel spins, but in the end I left it on, it’s light and unobtrusive and you can’t see it while you’re riding.

The semi integrated mini mudguard you can get for it is nice too.

I’ve seen a Topeak Beam rack cause a seatpost failure where it was attached, the cyclist was fortunately just leaving my workplace and was ok. As I knew the rider I had a chat with him about it the next day.  He’d been using the beam rack for a few years with no issues, though he had heard some creaking noises from the bike on the way into work that he was going to look at when he got home.  It put me off getting that type of rack.

Quick rack looks the best option, as removal is dead easy and doesn’t require bolts. Yes, a few bolts is an easy job, but doing it every week is asking for a thread mishap/rounded bolt head at some point.

I agree that a dedicated commuter is a better option, as the differing needs add up and you get lumped with compromises or a burden of weekly fiddling/changing mudguards/racks. It’ll then be tyres and pedals…get the commuter set up permanently with all your needs for mudguards/rack/tyres/pedals/gearing, and your fun bike set up for fun. It’ll save time and increase fun in the long run. Swapping stuff weekly is certainly doable, but not desirable in the long term.

Probably too old school but I always likes the idea of that Blackburn rack theat mounted onto the hub QR with the top mounts on a seat collar.

I just left my rack in for weekend rides when I only had one bike, the weight (Blackburn) wasn’t noticeable.

Mind you I did change the tyres to and from slicks … with a hand pump!

Oh to have that energy again …

I’m still wondering why you would bother taking it off.

Just leave it on. Its somewhere to strap your backup soreen.

I tend to take them off if I’m not using them (but if I’ll be using it for, say, half the rides, I’d just leave it on). Pannier racks tend to be at least 500g – that’s a decent weight saving for “free”.

Probably too old school but I always likes the idea of that Blackburn rack theat mounted onto the hub QR with the top mounts on a seat collar.

I understood from a seperate STW thread that Ortleib are due to release a Quick Rack which utilises a hub QR axle (or a hub QR axle that works with a Quick Rack ?) and is due out early 2025.

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/ortlieb-quick-rack-curious/

I had not picked up any further updates on the QR axle