03 February, 2012

Super Rack


I took this rack photo at the 2007 Cirque de Cyclisme and just came across it while looking for something else. It's on a French constructeur demountable frame. This thing has to be super sturdy, and super expensive to make. I can't help but wonder if it isn't overkill; that's a lot of tubes. The removable mini platform on top is cute. Anyway, such a cool design that I thought you'd like to see it. Wadda ya think?
at

24 comments:

  1. Ben2/3/12, 10:50 AM

    It's ok.

    ReplyDelete
  2. jugdish2/3/12, 10:54 AM

    Not very elegant. I would prefer to see something simpler and cleaner. I do like the crankset though.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hans Jatzke2/3/12, 11:24 AM

    I think it's a great design! Carrying cargo on that little top platform might be useful for bulky items but with the weight so high up I would be worried about it affecting my bikes handling. Also, I would have had the horizontal stays come straight off the cantilever braze-ons

    ReplyDelete
  4. 2wheeler2/3/12, 11:29 AM

    As a cargobike rider and commuter, I say "bring it on"! But there is a lot to be said for the simplicity of the venerable milk crate ziptied to a basic rack (F or R).

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bicycle Ryder2/3/12, 11:34 AM

    I like, but I don't love it. There was a protoype VO camper rack somewhere here in the blog that I really liked. Any update on the super fantastic VO camper rack?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ethan2/3/12, 11:34 AM

    whoa.

    ReplyDelete
  7. dr2chase2/3/12, 11:47 AM

    Longtail cargo biker here, not sure how that load so far back will affect the handling in general. The rule of thumb is to get the heavy stuff in front of the rear axle, as much as possible, otherwise you can get some wonky oscillations. And the further back, the worse the bad effects.

    But it looks nice and functional.

    ReplyDelete
  8. James2/3/12, 11:59 AM

    Ditto on Ryder's comment. I got all excited when I saw this post's title because I thought it might be news on the camper racks.

    ReplyDelete
  9. VeloOrange2/3/12, 12:02 PM

    The camper racks are approved for production. I'll be at the factory in a few weeks and, hopefully, get a firm ship date.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Andy Squirrel2/3/12, 1:36 PM

    looks like about the same total length of tubing used to make my Tubus Cosmo.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Kilroy2/3/12, 5:18 PM

    Greetings,

    Stunning. The most important aspect of this rack, and similiar others, is the rear "wrap around" design. It provides a significant measure of strength and is very appealing the the eye. The top mini rack would serve its purpose since the load there would be minimal. Similiar to the AleX Singer Camper. A marriage of form and function that matters when you're "miles from nowhere". Who wouldn't want one?

    Best regards

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ben2/3/12, 7:19 PM

    Overbuilt! I really can't see the purpose of the rack connecting not once but twice behind the back fender. I'm sure it's super solid, but to what end? In what way will this help? And in the meantime, it's adding unnecessary weight and cost to the bike.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Trailer Park Cyclist2/4/12, 2:02 PM

    All too often the world of bicycle design finds it necessary to emulate the world of motorcycle design. Those racks look like they came off a harley. Visually cool but...

    ReplyDelete
  14. davidmorganrn2/4/12, 5:37 PM

    awsome to load it up and ride wheelies. Seriously, this should ONLY be paired with a fully loaded front rack.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Robert Linthicum2/5/12, 8:09 AM

    Brilliant piece of gear, one that I would buy and install if you carried it.

    Overbuilt is my middle name.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous2/5/12, 7:25 PM

    Looks ridiculous to me. Constructeurs minimize material used. Wrong in so many ways...

    Will

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous2/5/12, 8:57 PM

    I know the bike - that rack wasn't made by a French constructeur, but by a North American builder as a retrofit for a French bike that was missing its racks.

    The little rack cannot support any load, as it is very poorly supported. The lower attachment flexes the horizontal tube of the large rack. And the rack lacks any reasonable upper attachment.

    ReplyDelete
  18. mikep2/6/12, 8:15 AM

    That curving around the back design would have helped me when I got bumped from behind by a Buick a couple of years ago :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Joel2/6/12, 9:40 AM

    It's nice, but I would rather see a front rack with detaching capabilities - something that turns from a handlebar rack into a ow-rider. This reminds me of a custom rack I saw from MAP Bicycles a few years ago.

    It would be amazing to see VO make something like this.

    ReplyDelete
  20. doc2/6/12, 10:19 AM

    Too much weight behind the axle.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Tim2/6/12, 10:51 AM

    Something similar on my Pitard here: http://vintagebicycle.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/l-pitard-campeur-bicycle-c-1948/ I think the Pitard design is more practical. The rear part removes quite easily being held by 2 nuts and forked into the dropouts. Also the smaller rack is much more substantially supported.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous2/6/12, 7:40 PM

    Over-designed. Not the K.I.S.S. philosophy.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Chris Kostman2/7/12, 1:50 AM

    Everyone is, I believe, missing the point of that rack: It's for low-rider rear panniers.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous3/24/12, 4:34 PM

    You have the answer in your own blog: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xZURBxIso6s/TsVrMWwxnlI/AAAAAAAAAHA/oU9kRDNof08/s200/yellow-dutch-postal-bike-with-large-racks-and-trailer.jpg

    Jim

    ReplyDelete