As you may know from my other question, I'm putting together a bike to commute. I'm big, heavy, and roads will be paved only first half of the way.
I will need to buy a rear rack for my bike. Thanks to COVID and huge amounts of people like me, who are fed up with public transport and irresponsible people in it, the middle range of racks is unavailable, and no one knows if it ever will be. Racks are light, but big and relatively delicate so shipping costs makes it unviable to order abroad. So I'm basically left with these options:
$15 rack that's cheap, relatively weak (officially 25kg, practically less), with traditional spring luggage clamp. They are made to be universal, for huge wheel range so they have obvious weak point and screws are known to be hard on the side mounted bike bags.
$50 - $60 range. Strong (officially 40kg, practically more), but with very narrow top and no way to keep any cargo that is not designed as a bike bag mountable on the rack.
I wanted $20 - $30 range rack that has wide top with spring holder and a mount that is easy on your bags, but I'd have to wait and hope they will ever appear, keep the reasonable price, and OEM market will not buy them wholesale. So that's probably not a real option.
I'm not asking which particular kind I should choose. Or rather I do, but my main focus is how one should decide which rack to choose when the middle shelf is empty?
Addendum — typical luggage
- Heavy 17" laptop with charger et all
- Lunch
- Water and vitamin drinks
- Some books or technical documentation on paper
- emergency first aid kit
Things I may need to take less regularly but still often enough:
- SDS Plus hammering drill
- hammock, tarp and sleeping bag
- Shooting range kit for blackpowder revolver, in a metal suitcase