rear rack wobble

[kizarmynot]

For those that have loaded the rear rack, have you experienced any wobble? I have two rear panniers (about 11 lbs each) and a rear trunk bar (about 7 lbs), bringing the total to just under 30 lbs. When I started my tour the side-to-side movement of the rear rack, even though not huge, was enough to make handling the bike difficult at times. The wobble also increased when the rear shock was moving in and out while climbing hills. After 7 days I think my body has learned to compensate for the wobble and handling is not so much an issue, but it still exists.
BTW, I have checked all bolts tight.

 

[Robert Holler]

The movement of a load can be exacerbated by the amount of movement of the rear suspension up and down in general. Have you tried to pre-load the stock spring collar a good 6-7 turns to stiffen that up - that can help. Also when carrying that much weight you might need to up the shock to something better like an air shock or a higher lb coil over like a 1500lb version to help increase the overall stability.

Robert

 

[kizarmynot]

Thanks Robert. I upgraded to the 2000 lb shock and made one turn to the collar. I wasn't sure how many turns I could do without doing damage to the shock.

 

[cpml123]

The movement of a load can be exacerbated by the amount of movement of the rear suspension up and down in general. Have you tried to pre-load the stock spring collar a good 6-7 turns to stiffen that up - that can help. Also when carrying that much weight you might need to up the shock to something better like an air shock or a higher lb coil over like a 1500lb version to help increase the overall stability.

Robert

Hi Robert, is it better to put the load by using the underseat panniers because the center of gravity is lower and should make the bike more stable?

 

[kizarmynot]

Hi Robert, is it better to put the load by using the underseat panniers because the center of gravity is lower and should make the bike more stable?

FWIW I have those too. I also fit my tent between the racks. (I’ll post about my setup and the trip when I return next week.)