Chinertown
Other Resources => Component Deals & Selection => Topic started by: CycOps on December 25, 2025, 04:13:22 AM
-
Is there a reliable chiner version of the Tailfin Pannier Rack or something similar? I was browsing AliX but wasn't getting any results.
Thank you and Best Regards CycOps
-
I've been searching for similar rack too but ended up buying the Ortlieb quick rack and their thru axle. I guess there's not enough demand for them so no point making cheaper copies.
-
maybe as an alternative
https://a.aliexpress.com/_msdOUvB
-
I have never seen a "Bikepacking" suitable rack for sale through Aliexpress.
-
You got something like this https://it.aliexpress.com/item/1005007100058126.html (https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3WH7Xfn), wich is te most ordered one, but i dont know if it's suitable for bikepacking
-
Topeak has a new Zi:rak but I havent seen it for sale anywhere yet
https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/439-Zi:RAK-Series
-
When I looked into this a few months ago I think the consensus was that manufacturers dont have any interest in making these. I cant wrap my head around this because i think the demand would be so high. I'd assume the majority of us would be interested in getting one if the price is right.
-
You got something like this https://it.aliexpress.com/item/1005007100058126.html (https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3WH7Xfn), wich is te most ordered one, but i dont know if it's suitable for bikepacking
That design is a boat anchor! When the frame I have been using on my bikepacking adventures weighs under 1KG, using a rack that weighs 1,1kg seems rediculous to me.
-
I believe that in the last thread, or another forum, I commented that I built my own carbon fiber based rack. It has held up for 2 sub-800K rides. This iteration of my rack weighs in at 600 grams.
When I first started searching for a "universal rack" to fit my first bike camping adventures, I didn't really know what would meet my requirement for the gear I would be carrying. I am a firm believer of using a dropper post, so this pushed me away from using a large seat-post bag.
I started out my first few 2-week long bike camping adventures using a modified 30-year old blackBurn rack fitted with left, right and top panniers. I learned to hate riding a bike that weighed around 60 pounds total, when I rode my first bikepacking BKT event.
Over the past few years, I migrated to running dry-bags, with my tent on the front, below the bars, and a frame bag. I have been able to reduce the weight down to around 46lbs, (food and water capacity = big weight variance. )
From my perspective, every bike camping adventure I ride, seems to have different packing needs and weight, so I have self determined that no single "rack set-up" will ever meet a specific ride's requirements.
I believe that most of the bikepacking rides in the US and Canada have been converging on around 800km or 500 miles, in order to accommodate riders who have at most a week to get out there and ride a "published route" or participate in a mass start event. It becomes a different ballgame for rides like the "Tour Divide".
Therefore, if you want to sell racks, the market that Tailfin and other more application specific rack builders participate in is still a very small market. (To me, Tailfin is too heavy, and costs too much, but is very durable.) I spent about $60 on off-the-shelf carbon fiber plates and tubing, spent some time on my mill machining the parts, added some epoxy and rivets, and put mine together.
My winter plans to build a few more experimental racks has been delayed because my next order of carbon plates and tubes was lost and refunded, and to place the same 11-11 order is costing an additional $50 over what I originally paid, and I can't get an of the current coupons to work with my next order. (venting)
-
Hi Tijoe, would you mind to share some pics of your self build carbon rack? Having some experience in composite boat building, I'm thinking of building a carbon rack myself for quite a while, but never really gave it a go.
-
Hi Tijoe, would you mind to share some pics of your self build carbon rack? Having some experience in composite boat building, I'm thinking of building a carbon rack myself for quite a while, but never really gave it a go.
Same here. My biggest sticking point are the tailfin-specific thruaxles. There isn't really much stopping me from machining custom thru axles other than having to give up a hex socket for less than elegant wrench flats :/
-
The Tailfin replacement of the original thru axle is complicated imho.
You could just have a rod inside the thru axle.
-
Hi Tijoe, would you mind to share some pics of your self build carbon rack? Having some experience in composite boat building, I'm thinking of building a carbon rack myself for quite a while, but never really gave it a go.
Here is a pic of my first generation carbon based rack. My first build used aluminum machined side supports from a modified OEM Aluminum rack that kept breaking. The side rails have since been replaced with carbon fiber based side supports that are lighter and stronger. For now I don't want to show pics of the side supports because they have some unique features and I need to load them up more on some longer trips to see if they survive.
I am using an Old Man Mountain thru axle. They are easy to use and almost affordable.
-
Thank you for sharing @Tijoe!
@sh - there are several thru axles on the market that have rack mounting options, search for Old Man Fit Kit, Ortlieb Thru axle M6 connector.
To all of you a happy new year!
Cheers from snowy Berlin
CycOps
-
I've been considering building my own as well with carbon tubes, wax, and pre preg UD strips to join the tubes together. I'll post on the forum if I end up going this route. Doesn't seem too hard
-
Yeah, Im leaning toward the Ortlieb setup. Easy on/off. And not as crazy on the wallet as the Tailfin. The Topeak setup has me curious but until it goes on sale, hard to compare.
-
The Ortlieb Quick rack is working great on my gravel bike, feels like a quality product. I'm thinking of replacing the M6 mounting bolts on the thru axle with titanium ones then it won't be much heavier than the original thru axle.
-
The Ortlieb Quick rack is working great on my gravel bike, feels like a quality product. I'm thinking of replacing the M6 mounting bolts on the thru axle with titanium ones then it won't be much heavier than the original thru axle.
Ortlieb Quick rack is a lightweight rack in general, but is only one part of a complete "luggage system". You get locked into a "pannier" system where you can fit their "my perspective" heavy panniers/bags, and perhaps a few other brands that can be adapted to fit their racks system.
When I write a "luggage system" I believe that you have to plan out what your gear requirements are for each adventure, and then pack accordingly. Over the years, I have found that I personally don't like to bike camp for more than 2 weeks, and for many of my trips, they end up being 5 to 7 days.
Therefore, I moved away from panniers, and started using ultralight dyneema dry bags. (2 to 4 oz total weight per bag, + a couple ounces more per drybag using Viole straps.) With this approach, I literally reduced my luggage base weight by almost 3 pounds!
Migrating away from panniers, or other "sewn and pre-fabricated bike bags/panniers" lets me shift my focus towards racks that properly hold drybags.
By moving to drybags, I select from 10L, 12L, and 20L bags that helps me limit how much gear I carry on a specific ride. This way, I can focus more on how much water and food I need to carry versus baseline gear and clothing. (One other evil these days, weight-wise, is all of the electronics one has to carry in order to navigate, communicate, and record one's adventures.) I carry 3 to 5 pounds in navigation, cell phone/s, emergency beacon, back-up battery, lights and back-up navigation.
Last thing to consider is that all of the companies selling racks and their associated bags/panniers/gear have to design their products to accommodate a wide range of applications, fit/adapt to various bicycles, and a wide range of consumer needs. Therefore, it is very difficult for them to optimize any one of their products and be able to sell enough of that product to stay in business. If you have fabrication skills, you can customize and tailor your rack and gear for your specific bike/s and rides, and this leads to a lot of weight savings and saves a lot of money overall.
As an example, in the rack image I posted earlier, I have a nice little tray area in the center of my rack. I was unhappy with where, and how, I was storing my bike tools and chargers/cables for my electronics, so I sewed up a nice bag that nests into the rack, and then I strap a drybag on top of the tool bag. This home made zippered bag weighs about 2 oz less then when I carried my tools in my "purchased expensive seat post bag", and the other bag I carried my chargers, spare derailleur battery and cables in.
-
You get locked into a "pannier" system where you can fit their "my perspective" heavy panniers/bags, and perhaps a few other brands that can be adapted to fit their racks system.
It's a pretty conventional rack with rails. Not sure, I'd call the need for hooks "locked in".
... moving to drybags ...
What fabric and how do you fix them? I didn't have much luck with straps; with the constant vibrations and chaffing, they would abrade the fabric in no time (no catastrophic failure, you just get a lot of small holes).
-
It's a pretty conventional rack with rails. Not sure, I'd call the need for hooks "locked in".
What fabric and how do you fix them? I didn't have much luck with straps; with the constant vibrations and chaffing, they would abrade the fabric in no time (no catastrophic failure, you just get a lot of small holes).
When I wrote "Locked in" I mean that Ortlieb's bags and panniers are fabricated to fit their rack the best so they want you to purchase their panniers versus other brands, not that they are literally locked on to the rails with hooks.
I believe I wrote that I have been using dry bags made from Dyneema. (Most are Sea to Summit brand.) I have many $3 to $4 Aliexpress rip-stop nylon drybags that I have used on some trips.
When I started using drybags, I had some problems with how I was strapping them to the rack rails, then over time, I evolved a way to pack the contents of my bags such that they don't move around much or become chaffed due to the Viole straps.
I have to admit that the vertical dry bags have to be filled and stuffed with basically the same contents for the entire trip. When I tried to carry my food and other consumables in a vertical side drybag, it became a disaster, and as the contents in the bag were consumed or when the filled shape of the bag changed, I had numerous problems, These days, I carry my food and consumables in the drybag I pack horizontally on the top of the rack, along with a rope and carabiner, and this bag gets hung in a tree each night while remote camping.
-
I had been looking for them as well but to no avail. I ended up buying a cheap aluminum rack and modify myself.
-
The closest thing that might work is this. $29 for the Aluminum hoop rack and you can add stuffs to it.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256809962885025.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.31.1d9f8KNu8KNuZz&algo_pvid=b2ba413b-980e-4c06-92ef-bff8de887dc0&algo_exp_id=b2ba413b-980e-4c06-92ef-bff8de887dc0-30&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%2284%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%2C%22fromPage%22%3A%22search%22%7D&pdp_npi=6%40dis%21USD%2169.50%2129.71%21%21%21482.98%21206.50%21%40210328db17673217877398735ecdaa%2112000051336932033%21sea%21US%21107158402%21X%211%210%21n_tag%3A-29919%3Bd%3A378b7b8e%3Bm03_new_user%3A-29895%3BpisId%3A5000000198013388&curPageLogUid=pd2tARE3aOwU&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A%7Cx_object_id%3A1005010149199777%7C_p_origin_prod%3A
-
The closest thing that might work is this. $29 for the Aluminum hoop rack and you can add stuffs to it.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256809962885025.html
Functional for its price, but as I wrote before, you have to look at the complete system weight versus your use case. The basic rack weighs 625 grams, the bracket sold in the kit weighs 200 grams each, the Special drybag that fits their brackets, weighs 300 grams. 1625 grams total for $108 (3.5 lbs) Affordable, but a heavy system, and this version doesn't have provisions for a top bag. (I saw another version with a flat bracket on top that lets you mount another bag.)
Edit: I don't mean to try to bias readers based on weight only. Sometimes you have to purchase what you can afford and use if for some trips. Then change things as you catch the bikepacking bug and refine your riding/trip needs.
-
Ortlieb Quick rack is a lightweight rack in general, but is only one part of a complete "luggage system". You get locked into a "pannier" system where you can fit their "my perspective" heavy panniers/bags, and perhaps a few other brands that can be adapted to fit their racks system.
Yeah fair enough. I only use a rack bag on mine (Vaude silkroad) to transport stuff and go to the shops as I have no car. It's pretty versatile as it also expands to have pannier bags on the side.
If I do some bike packing in the future I will definitely need different bags for that.
What I understood Ortlieb gives you a lot more freedom than Tailfin. I guess the question is do you need a quick rack or a traditional bolted one. If you need to remove it often there's only a few choices available. Also if your bike is carbon it further limits the choices. I sometimes chase koms on my gravel bike so I needed a quick rack.