Topeak MTX Beam Rack E-Type

Like most MTB full suspension bike, there is very little option to mount a bike rack. Topeak came out with a clip-on rack which I thought was a genius. Basically it just clip on the seat post and secure your gears on to it. I purchase another Topeak trunk bag which just slide onto the the rack and clip-on by itself.   

However after few days of camp touring around the Indonesian island, I found the Topeak Beam Rack was not stable, even I had maintained the max load of 9kg, I found that the bike tail was swinging time to time.

I soon realised the CG of the whole bike was higher. It also made the front end very light due to the rear high load.

Next I had problem with the clip-on rack, it cannot secured properly even I have added extra rubber gasket and tighten to the screw to the max.

When we returned from the trip, I sold away the whole pannier system. This is one rack I will say throw it away. It is probably good around the city but definitely not for touring use. However we saw many cyclist touring around Taiwan using such system, I am not sure if they have the same problem but I can probably guess they had the same idea, quick easy setup.

My partner's bike is a hardtail. These bike normally comes with mounting point for a bike rack. I had installed a Topeak tubular rack which have 4 mounting points.

They are more secure, rigid and can hold heavy load. The CG is lower and makes cycling safer. I decided to find another alternative for my full suspension bike and I found the answer with Old Man Mountain bike racks.

Old Man Mountain Setup (Read More)

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