Bike Racks on a Classic Road Race Bicycle That Has No Eyelets For A Rack

I always throw my lock, tire repairs stuff, etc. in my bike panniers.  In the past, when I’ve left stuff in panniers on the bike, some objects have got ripped off from inside the bags.   So, when I go to the store, the bags always come with me via quick releases.  Thus, my desire for a bike racks over the rear tire on all my bikes.  One set of bags and tools.  Just move them from from bike to bike.

I had a older Specialized Allez Pro from the early 90s.

I loved how this bike handled.  But, this bike did not have any eyelets for either rack or fenders.  🙁

Traditional Bike Racks:

I went to a store with many bike racks.  The rear seat stays were so steep, most all of the bike racks could never sit level.  They would have had sat at an angle sloping down toward the ground.

The one that sat level closest was the PlanetBike EcoRack.

However, given that there were no eyelets, how to attach the rack?  To take this picture, I held it on with twist ties.

I considered having eyelets brazed on. However, this would then require repainting the frame.   Too much work for me.

Some people suggested that I just clamp the rack onto the seat stays.   However, I couldn’t find any clamps that would actually clamp tightly around such a small seat stay.  Turns out that they were really narrow at the bottom, and most of the clamps are designed for something bigger.

And, having worked for a while in construction, I didn’t think pressure fit clamps would be very good.  Much better to have all the weight falling onto a secure part of the frame, and a bolt.

Tubus Disco Rack:

Finally, I got a Tubus Disco Rack.   It “worked”, but not as well as I would have liked.   I’ll make a separate review for it.