INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS
SELECT YOUR RACK:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
All panniers work with Old Man Mountain racks! While the rest of our rack frames use robust, oversized tubing, we use the industry standard pannier rail size. What about Ortlieb? Yes! What about Vaude? Yes, those too. Smaller brand panniers also work with Old Man Mountain racks. The rack is designed to work with all brands of panniers.
If you are looking for a recommendation, we are fans of the Revelate Designs Nano Panniers as they are incredibly well made and were designed specifically for our racks.
The weight limit of an Old Man Mountain rack is 70 pounds (or 31.75 kilograms) when axle mounted. When eyelet mounted we recommend a weight limit of 55 pounds (or 25 kilograms). whether 55 or 70 pounds, that is a lot of weight to carry on a bike and it will diminish the ride quality. We suggest spreading your total weight load to be 40% on the front wheel and 60% on the rear wheel.
Almost certainly! Our Divide racks come ready to eyelet mount front or rear. If your bike doesn’t have rack mounts or you’d prefer the higher weight capacity and reliability of axle mounting we have an excellent Fit Kit Finder. When using the Fit Kit Finder we guarantee the rack will fit your bike.
Absolutely! If your bike has eyelets all toy need is our rack. If it doesn’t have eyelets, we have a full offering of compatible Fit Kits.
We don’t think it is an either/or situation. Racks can compliment bikepacking bags, and vice versa. But we do think there are advantages to racks:
- Cargo racks are ideal for small people with small bikes, who don’t have the frame capacity for soft bags.
- Cargo racks also allow for more carrying capacity, for those of us who want to carry more food and clothing, or a trombone. Just sayin’.
- Racks allow for the weight to be carried lower on the bike, which generally allows for better handling.
- Racks require no adjustment to suspension settings.
- Racks require no adjustment to your cockpit and do not compromise your bike fit.
- Carrying a backpack that has more than a hydration pack is horribly uncomfortable for long days in the saddle and just dumb. There are less painful methods of birth control!
Well, first of all, every bike has a wheel and a center of a wheel, so this allows us to mount Old Man Mountain racks on pretty much any bike with a thru axle. Additionally, there are a few other benefits:
- All the weight is carried on the axle, which is the most secure, durable and lowest mounting point on the bike.
- On eyelet-mounted racks, the bolts are in shear, which is fairly weak when stressed over time. Our axles provide a physical interface for the rack that is far stronger for carrying load.
- Axle mounted racks can be used on suspension bikes and require no adjustment to suspension settings
2016 and newer Surly owners, be sure to mount our racks to the eyelet closest to wheel-center for best fit. Our racks fit great!
2015 and older Surly owners, due to structural issues in their dropouts Surly does not recommend their lower eyelets for mounting racks. The mid-stay mount (found on some models) is not a viable option for our racks. Sadly, we cannot recommend OMM racks for Surly bikes that are 2015 or older.
We love to hear that you’re taking your kid riding with you. However, due to the wide variety of kid carrier designs and our solid deck design we do not recommend using an on rack kid carrier with Old Man Mountain racks.
We do offer a Kid Trailer Dropout to replace the left dropout of your rack and allow you to tow a kid trailer while still axle mounting your rack.
Another great option for riding with you kid on your bike is the Mac Ride bike seat.
INSTALLATION
Almost certainly! Our Divide racks come ready to eyelet mount front or rear. If your bike doesn’t have rack mounts or you’d prefer the higher weight capacity and reliability of axle mounting we have an excellent Fit Kit Finder. When using the Fit Kit Finder we guarantee the rack will fit your bike.
Yes! Our racks carry the majority of the weight directly on the axle or lower eyelets, depending on how they are mounted. All modern carbon bikes are built to meet or exceed the strength of their metal brothers.
FIT KITS
The beauty of the design of Old Man Mountain racks is their modularity. Your OMM rack frame will fit your bike, your next bike, and probably your next bike. The Fit Kit is the key. Each Fit Kit contains a thru axle to replace your stock thru axle and provide a strong foundation to attach your OMM rack. Also included are all the components to secure the rack to the frame or fork and prevent it from rotating around the axle.
Our pucks are made of fiber reinforced nylon and have been thoroughly abused and tested to meet the demands of the roughest trails and the heaviest loads. We always turn to trail builders to test our racks’ durability because if anyone can break a bike part and load far more than is advised on a bike it’s trail builders.
Additionally, the upper attachment uses the pucks only to prevent the rack from rotating around the axle. The vast majority of the weight is carried on the axle.
We provide protective clear tape to protect the finish of your frame or fork. It may need to be replaced after extended use. You order more from us here: Link to Protective Tape
For lightweight carbon race bikes, we include a seatpost clamp instead of the pucks, as the pucks will not work well for thinner diameter carbon tubing. The seatpost clamp attaches to common 27.2mm seatposts. If you have another size seatpost we recommend the Salsa Post-lock or Salsa Rack-lock.
We supply special high-strength UV-resistant zip ties because they are safe for use with various frame materials and they are easy to install. Here’s a link so you can order replacement parts as needed (link….)
No problem! Our pucks are designed to accept metal hose clamps. Just don’t use them on carbon frames. We also offer seatpost clamps with additional mounting points for the extenders.
Yes, we probably do. While we do not make Fit Kits for mounting to the nutted axles, most bikes with nutted axles have eyelets for rack mounting.
Yes, we probably do. While we do not make Fit Kits for mounting to internally geared hubs, most bikes with internally geared hubs have eyelets for rack mounting.
WARRANTY, SHIPPING & RETURNS
We have a lifetime Warranty Policy.
Shipping costs can vary, depending on location. Once you place items in the cart and enter your address you will see your shipping costs. Our warehouse is located in Bend, Oregon USA.
Our shipping costs are flat rate, so you only pay for the first rack or Fit Kit. So add another rack or Fit Kit for no additional shipping charges. See if your riding partner or neighbor needs a rack.
If you have more shipping questions go to our Shipping Page (link)
It depends on where you are. Check our Shipping page for details (link)
Still stumped?
Contact us here. We make every effort to get back to you as soon as possible. Be sure to give us as much information as you can.
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