Bike racks are pieces of shit

Pics of rack on your bike.

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>>1018733
I don't have enough fucking lasers and plumb bobs to decide what is straight and what isn't. Cannot get the fucker aligned with the wheel.

I can't imagine it should take any more than 10 minutes to perfectly install a rack. It's made of aluminum so bending it into place is not easy, probably not even safe, I have been trying anyway but it just isn't even close.

To get the fender in place the rack is going to have to be really centered. The bolts that hold the seat stays poke out quite a bit. The above picture is not accetable and I will never be able to use fenders.

>>1018735
You'd have an easier time if you weren't working with the bike upside down. And are you sure the wheel is properly dished? After that, racks aren't that hard to install:
1. Bolt the lower legs to the frame, but don't tighten them completely
2. Loosely attach the adjustable stays to the rack
3. Bolt the stays to the frame, but don't tighten them completely
4. Adjust the rack position so that the platform is level to the ground
5. Tighten all the bolts

If the rack isn't perfectly centered over the wheel after that, I wouldn't worry about it unless it was off by quite a bit. What we see in your pic wouldn't bother me at all.

>>1018742
It's currently upside down but I assure you it's been all over the place today. Wheels on/off. Right side up. On its side.

Wheel is dished properly, or at least, it is centered in the frame.

Shouldn't the lower legs dictate the rack horizontal position?

Is "quite a bit" 1cm? 1cm of mis alignment is going to make fenders not fit. I can't imagine why it couldn't be within a couple mm with even a shitty cheap rack.

>>1018747
Post a pic of the bike up right with the rack so we can see it ya cuckold

>>1018760
Would detailed pictures help you
- understand if the right bolts were in the right places
- believe the rack is in fact out of alignment

seriously, just picture the center of the rack being 1cm to the right of the center of the wheel. With fenders that are already tough to keep aligned. It fucks up everything.

>>1018768
I'm more or less asking if this is normal/acceptable. Because I'm 99.9% sure I know how to install a rack. I'm just baffled that it would be this shittily made.

>>1018768
It is really easy to fix without all this whining. Just slightly tweak bend the supports where they're welded to the top of the rack till it's straight. Sometimes things get bent in shipping, and you'll need to know how to do it if you ever spill the bike.

>>1018832
It's welded shitty aluminum. Didn't want to try too hard to bend them. I already put a lot of effort in with no results.

Went back to the store, got another like a complete insane person. It's better. Still not great, but better. So I'm deciding all this is nothing more than shitty manufacturing, big surprise.

>>1018730

Shoulda bought a tubus ya doofus

>>1018730
I thought about buying one of those cheap beach cruisers that has the rack welded on. Then I could put MTB or BMX bars on it. It'll be a heavy bike but good for carrying stuff.

Get a Topeak rack.

>>1018837
I have an aluminum rack, slight bending isn't going to hurt it. I've damaged mine from it falling over, it bent right back without a problem.

>>1018735
That rack doesnt fit that frame, schwalbe fanboy.

>>1018730
bend it out at the bottom til it fits - simple
the fuckery might be the arms at the top but you can switch the left and right, turn them upside down etc - lightly secure the bottom first and then play with those.
arms might get in the way of fender but you can always mark and trim them (they're longer than necessary) once you've got the rack fitted.

>>1018735
Bend the aluminum by hand

>>1018737
Install the fenders first, you dork

What's the consensus on axle-mounted racks? I need a rack for my commuter but it doesn't have any mounts. Got a cheapo racks that mounts to the rear wheel axle and seatpost clamp bolt, but I can't seem to properly tighten both the wheel and the rack with a QR skewer. Probably gotta get a hex key one.

>>1019940
You gotta get a bolt on axel
but it's solid stuff.
I once carried my dad on it for 10km and it's rock solid. Very hard on the butt though.

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Seems like a good place to ask this. I've always used rear racks and a back pack but I want all weight off me so I've added a rear basket and am thinking of front rack

Do front racks have any negative impact on steering and how quickly did you adapt to it if there was

Also is a basket better than a rack

>>1020126
Any load you put on the front rack will be noticeable on how the bike steers. It will depend on how heavy it is how much you will "feel" it.

Whether a rack or a basket is better is personal preference. With a rack you can attache paniers which I guess sit lower so maybe it helps with stability - usually they are waterproof as well and they are easy to remove from you bike when you park it. Baskets are easy to just throw whatever you are carrying inside it and you can usually improvise a basket so it can be inexpensive.