Nice rack !

I am a bit of a Freeload rack fan-boy. (Previous post). I used one on the inaugural Kiwi Brevet and have found nothing bad to say about them since then. One of the big advantages of the Freeload is that it will fit on almost anything, one rack fits all, rigid or suspended, front or rear.

One day I noticed that there was actually a heap of clearance between the wheel and the rack on my 26 inch bike - the same rack also fits a 29er. Tim, one of the designers said, yes it was made one size for all. I thought that maybe if I "chopped" my rack, I could get even more clearance between my kit and the back of my seat under full suspension compression. Tim reckoned it might work and sent me a couple of frames to hack up.  See the results below. It worked brilliantly for my application, but mileage may vary given frame/swing-arm angles etc.

Chopped rack at top, original rack at the bottom.

I have also had a new tour deck, but have not yet had the chance to use it. I lent it to my work mate Andrew (one of 4 of us at work doing the Kiwi Brevet) and he installed it yesterday with some very serious looking panniers on it ! It feels rock solid. I reckon one pannier would do, they are massive.