Tubus Cosmo Rack = Expensive Crap for Posers

On Jun 4, 6:19*pm, SMS wrote:
On 6/4/2011 2:12 AM, Coolmaine wrote:

snip

Thanks, Steven. I believe the Massload rack you mention is the Madison
Summit stainless rack.

No, it's a different one.

Madison Summit:
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/images/products/medium/madison-summit-allo...

CL-476:
http://nordicgroup.us/bicycleluggageracks/rackimages/massloadcl476.jpg

As far as I can tell the Madison Summit steel rack is no longer
available, but the alloy one is still sold. I'm not positive it's made
by Massload.

Massload apparently makes a lot of racks under contract that they can't
show on their web site. Perhaps the CL-476 is one of them (I have the
web archive of it). What's ironic is that clearly it's not a cheap
low-end rack yet it's being sold in the U.S. by Landrider who makes
cheap, "automatic transmission" bicycles.

Other than being made of aluminum rather than steel, the CL-476 looks to
be superior to the Summit in several ways, including the light mounting.

Steel is preferable of course, for bicycle frames and especially for
racks, but now a boutique item, like the $300 racks from Robert Beckman,
http://www.robertbeckmandesigns.com/rackframes.html or the $210 Bruce
Gordon rack http://www.bgcycles.com/racks.html. The Thorn Expedition
(didn't Blackburn trademark "Expedition" for racks?!) might be good as
well
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thorn-expedition-steel-rear-cycle-pannier-....
Sold only by SJSCycles in the UK.

Of that lot, I'd be inclined to go with SJS. I use the components
recommended by their designer Andy Blance as a checklist: my bike must
have those components or better. Their bike take big tours and are
know to be reliable. I have an account with and am on their discussion
board, mainly on the Rohloff sub-board, because a lot of knowledgeable
guys hang out there.

I'm not so sure that the SJS expedition rack would fit. Thorn bikes
use 26 wheels and the biggest suitable tyres are 50mm Big Apples. I
use 60mm x 622 tyres.

I particularly want the lower pannier rail, and it is very nice to
have a protected mounting for the rear light.

For the time being the Tubus can stay, as I'm very busy with books and
don't have time to futz around, though I wince every time I see its
forward tilt. Perhaps on the day I decide to replace it there will be
a more suitable stainless rack available.

Thanks for your help.

Andre Jute
Visit Jute on Bicycles at
http://coolmainpress.com/BICYCLING.html

On Jun 4, 6:43*pm, David Scheidt wrote:
SMS wrote:

:On 6/4/2011 7:56 AM, Steve Freides wrote:: Coolmaine wrote:

:
: Once a manufacturer gets into this price bracket, his goodies had
: better be perfect because his customers are likely to be both
: impatient with failure and articulate.
:
: I'm sorry but that's just a ridiculous expectation on your part. *Not
: every purchase one makes "works out" - sometimes something that's worth
: the price to most people isn't worth it to you, and that's just life.
: Find a rack that you like or, if money is truly no object, go get
: yourself a custom-made model that'll be what you want. *Maybe you need
: to go to a bike shop next time and pay for installation - they'll have
: all the necessary hardware to make it work and they won't whine about
: it.

:The chance of finding a bicycle shop that actually sells good rear racks
:is extremely slim, but I suppose that some shops would be able to
roperly install the rack with lock washers and thread-lock.

Shop better bike shops. *

Which I'm supposed to find exactly where. You're another clown
shooting off at the mouth without doing the slightest research,
Scheidt.

And lock washers do nothing, so I give Torbus credit for not bowing to
the idiot customers who complain that they dont' get useless junk with
their rack hardware. *

And you English comprehension is wanting too. I said clearly that
Tubus was short some necessary nuts as well. In any event, I would
expect them to apply the threadlock to a rack advertised as easy to
fit. In this day and age, if you want to charge a 130% premium for
your name, you'd better not make it atrociously difficult for your
customers to use your product.

Andre Jute
Definitely not an "idiot customer".
merely on a newsgroup with several blustering quarterwits
with tunnel vision

On Jun 4, 9:00*pm, DougC wrote:

On a semi-related note, I have never, ever understood why frame
companies use tiny lower bolts for racks. They're using 3mm bolts when
they should be using 6mm or more.

Yea I know there's custom frames with integral racks, but that's
expensive and not necessary for all bikes. All that would be needed
would be to double the lower-end bolt diameters, and make sure they're
placed properly to have enough room for a nylon locking nut and 3-4mm of
extra bolt length on the inside.

Tubus used proper-sized bolts, Doug. They aren't actually incompetent.
Just careless.

I like the idea of nyloc nuts much better than threadlock, which will
probably get on my hands. I don't mind buying longer bolts if
necessary. Bolts are easily available where I live in stainless in a
variety of lengths and finishes, no problemo, and I can also get nyloc
nuts in a selection of sizes, or just buy a whole box of each size
from RS, my electronics pusher; they're cheap enough. Thanks, man.

Andre Jute
Visit Jute on Amps at
http://www.audio-talk.co.uk/fiultra/
"wonderfully well written and reasoned information for the tube audio
constructor"
John Broskie TubeCAD & GlassWare
"an unbelievably comprehensive web site containing vital gems of
wisdom"
Stuart Perry Hi-Fi News & Record Review

On Jun 5, 10:08*am, Tosspot wrote:
On 06/05/2011 10:56 AM, Coolmaine wrote:





On Jun 4, 5:19 pm, Dan O wrote:
On Jun 3, 3:35 pm, AMuzi wrote:

I would have thought Tubus Cargo for your bike:http://www.vlerickfietsen.be/bagaget.../cargo_big.jpg

That's the one I use - extremely satisfactory.

http://i54.tinypic.com/348slys.jpg

See, while my rack isn't heavily used, it isn't mollycoddled either,
and it is used as a sacrificial item to protect an expensive bike. I
clean the bike, a quick wipe, once a year; I'm not a compulsive waxer.
So the rack will sooner rather than later become rusty if it is
cromoly. So I want stainless. And this is where I discovered the only
stainless rack I could buy is the Cosmo. There was only one other
stainless rack even theoretically available, and I couldn't find one
of those for sale.

http://www.bicyclinglife.com/howto/heavydutyracks.htm:-)

Nice work, Frank. I've saved that article, and the photos separately.
I can get good quality stainless work done locally, except that they
don't do tiny tubes... But bending up bar stock and laser-cutting hole
would be a breeze for these guys. -- Andre Jute

On 06/05/2011 04:48 AM, Coolmaine wrote:

Why are you such an idiot, Freitos? The only local bicycle shop is
staffed by an 80 year-old blacksmith. He would get the same supply of
parts from Tubus that I do. I can't ask him to buy three whole boxes
of stainless domed nuts at a cost of over sixty Euro, so he can use
one of each on my bike. But you don't ask before you spout off, do
you? You just assume there's a huge, fully provisioned and lavishly
staffed bicycle emporium at the bottom of my block


For bike hardware I keep a stock of nuts, nylocks and washers (as well
as some long socket head cap screws, which I cut to length as needed
when I need one in a pinch) in 5mm and 6mm sizes... even stainless is
inexpensive from www.mcmaster.com (although depending on your locale
shipping might be a bitch)

nate


--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On 6/4/2011 4:29 PM, Lou Holtman wrote:
Op 4-6-2011 22:00, DougC schreef:
On 6/3/2011 5:13 PM, Coolmaine wrote:
The good quality ali rack which came on my Utopia Kranich sacrificed
itself to protect my bike when it was twice attacked by a carelessly
driven Range Rover. Once I managed to straighten it but the second
time it was crippled forever.

.....

On a semi-related note, I have never, ever understood why frame
companies use tiny lower bolts for racks. They're using 3mm bolts when
they should be using 6mm or more.


M3? Look again. Tubus use M5 bolts. Well my racks do.


Lou

I don't know what the exact size is--other than if they're the same size
as the fender bolts, the rack bolts are too ****ing small. And they
should be using bolts 2X as thick.

On 6/5/2011 3:48 AM, Coolmaine aka The André Jute wrote:
[...]
Be smart, don't reply and irritate me further.

Or...?

--
Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731,-83.985007
I am a vehicular cyclist.

Op 5-6-2011 13:58, DougC schreef:
On 6/4/2011 4:29 PM, Lou Holtman wrote:
Op 4-6-2011 22:00, DougC schreef:
On 6/3/2011 5:13 PM, Coolmaine wrote:
The good quality ali rack which came on my Utopia Kranich sacrificed
itself to protect my bike when it was twice attacked by a carelessly
driven Range Rover. Once I managed to straighten it but the second
time it was crippled forever.

.....

On a semi-related note, I have never, ever understood why frame
companies use tiny lower bolts for racks. They're using 3mm bolts when
they should be using 6mm or more.


M3? Look again. Tubus use M5 bolts. Well my racks do.


Lou

I don't know what the exact size is--other than if they're the same size
as the fender bolts, the rack bolts are too ****ing small. And they
should be using bolts 2X as thick.

M5 is more then adequate. Racks break almost exclusively along the welds.

Lou

Tºm ShermªnT °_°" wrote:
On 6/5/2011 3:48 AM, Coolmaine aka The André Jute wrote:
[...]
Be smart, don't reply and irritate me further.

Or...?

I tremble ...

Or insulate, or something ...

-S-

On 6/5/2011 4:51 AM, Nate Nagel wrote:
On 06/05/2011 04:48 AM, Coolmaine wrote:

Why are you such an idiot, Freitos? The only local bicycle shop is
staffed by an 80 year-old blacksmith. He would get the same supply of
parts from Tubus that I do. I can't ask him to buy three whole boxes
of stainless domed nuts at a cost of over sixty Euro, so he can use
one of each on my bike. But you don't ask before you spout off, do
you? You just assume there's a huge, fully provisioned and lavishly
staffed bicycle emporium at the bottom of my block


For bike hardware I keep a stock of nuts, nylocks and washers (as well
as some long socket head cap screws, which I cut to length as needed
when I need one in a pinch) in 5mm and 6mm sizes... even stainless is
inexpensive from www.mcmaster.com (although depending on your locale
shipping might be a bitch)

In the Bay Area, the Japanese "$1.50" store Daiso, has a lot of socket
head metric hardware in different diameters and lengths.

But for threaded braze-ons on bicycles, thread lock makes the most
sense. Those rack bolts and water bottle bolts do loosen up over time
unless you use thread lock or lock nuts, and of course you can't use
lock nuts on water bottle bolts.