Minimal Low-Rider Touring Front Rack Recommendations

Question

We're in need of a good, reliable low-rider front rack for long distance touring. I've come across a good number of heavy-duty front racks with low rider rails like this from blackburn

_{(source: blackburndesign.com)}

But they get pretty pricey, and seem to include a lot of bulk we don't need just to hang some panniers. The best option I've seen to date is this front rack I spotted that comes with the new REI adv 1.1

but after a few inquiries it sounds like there isn't any way to get the rack on its own. There are also options like the Salsa Down under or Blackburn cl1 which looked promising, except they require midfork eyelets on the outside and inside, of which we only have outside midfork eyelets.

The axiom journey rack also looked promising and at a good price but it doesn't seem intended for use with frame eyelets, and moreover, it doesn't look like it can be mounted level with the ground (I've heard this is important, but correct me if I'm wrong).

I figure there is a solid chance I'm just searching for something that doesn't exist, but it would be awesome to find a minimal, inexpensive front rack. I've also seen things like this Tubus

which look good but come at a steep price. Maybe that's just the price you have to pay, but I'm hopeful there might be some alternative.

Answer 1

I've got the Blackburn CL1 you picture or one almost identical. I bought it for my hybrid and only ever used one side (D lock the other side) and I only got it to fit by cutting off the bar to the inner screw hole. Now I've put it on a tourer that does have the right screw insert, but none of my panniers fit with that inner bar, so I've cut it off on that one too. This of course weakens it in the lateral direction, but that's something I accept given that I intend to load it lightly and only use it occasionally.

Getting the P clips on the diagonal bar to align and grip properly has also been a challenge (not helped by disc brakes and full mudguards). The bar for the lower pannier clip (anti-sway) isn't very versatile, but I want to put my Altura Morph backpack pannier on there, which is really meant to go on the back.

Overall I only recommend this design if you're prepared to accept a lot of fiddling and modification, but it is light. If/when I get something new I may well go for one like your top picture for serious heavy duty, or that Tubus at the bottom.