Rear bicycle rack?

[ezdoesit]

Hello,

I just emailed Fuji and ask about the rear rack that came with my 2008 Fuji bicycle as far as how much weight the rack was rated at and I must say I got a fast reply from them. Here is a copy and paste from them:
The stock rack on the Touring model is rated at 35 lbs.

So my question is will this rear rack be enough for me to use along with a front rack for self contained touring?
I realize it would be determined by how much weight would I will be taking and I can only answer that saying I have all my backpacking gear from hiking the Appalachian Trail and never carried more them 38 pounds and that was with 5 1/2 days of food,2 liters of water and fuel for cooking.

So I hope this makes some kind of sense and thank you for your time.
Here is a picture of the bicycle and the rear rack.

[DaveM]

Weight ratings are usually conservative, so I doubt the rack would have trouble holding 38 lbs. A few things I'd suggest:
- the way the rack is mounted at the top to the seat stays doesn't look super solid. You may be able to run an extra set of brackets up to the seat post clamp. That would aid strength and stiffness.
- Where the rack bolts on at the bottom, get bolts long enough that they thread through the frame and then put a nut on the other side. This will help reduce the chance of one working loose. (Note you may or may not have clearance on the drive side for this.
- Take a handful of extra nuts & bolts, bungee cords, duct tape, baling wire, etc. Assume something will break and bring what you might need to jury rig it until you hit the next town.

Hopefully others with more touring experience will have some useful suggestions. Have fun!

[GeorgeET]

Thats a very unusual looking rack. It sits high and the most of the load is on the two center supports. The rear support just floats out there. Maybe its for specific panniers?

You are right about the seat stay mounts not being structurally very supportive either at the great an angle.

A u-bolt mount on top of the seat tube would give you a straight tie off point for greater strength The U-Bolt mount is also easy to make with the right size u-bolt and a strip of metal bend at right angle on either end to tie the rack to. Pad the inside of the metal with rubber so the paint does not get damaged.

[ezdoesit]

Thank you for answering my question and yesterday I bought an Axiom Journey from my LBS and the difference was like night and day and I am very glad that I have removed the old rack.
After looking at it I know it won't have held up.