Customer Reviews

Delta Mega Rack Post Porter Seat Post Rack with Pannier Support

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you need to buy a seat-post type rack because you have a suspension-type bicycle, this rack works well for bicycle commuting. If you have a traditional "hardtail" bicycle, I would stick to a traditional rack. Previous reviewers reported two problems and I road-tested this rack against their comments.

(1) First problem reported by another reviewer was the rack not staying in place. I didn't have this problem at all. Remember to tighten the screws alternately a little at a time (top right, then bottom left, then top left, then bottom right). Tighten screws alternately and repeat several times until all screws are tight, and your rack shouldn't slide. (Don't tighten one screw all the way then go on to the next; alternate each a little at a time so the tension is even.)

(2) Second problem reported by another reviewer was the loaded bike bags bumped into the spokes and caused damage. I tested the bags at both the 25-pound limit and the 40-pound limit. If you turn sharply, get up speed, or go over a bump, the loaded bags can definitely bump into your spokes. You wouldn't want to fully load the bags for cross-country or sport riding. I just use my bike to commute to work, so I tested it by stopping on the way home to get groceries. At 25-pounds (bread, milk, canned food), there is no real problem, but at 40-pounds (one bag of cat litter loaded on each side), the right-hand bag did tend to bump my spokes if I got up any speed. So if you fully load your bags, go very slow & easy. Try the hard-sided "grocery getter" bags from Sunlite brand.

I bought this because it looked perfect for our needs. It is well-designed: backbone tube is hollow with a cap, perfect for stashing tubes or tools; four-bolt post attachment has hefty Allen screws for limpet-like rigidity. Quality is quite good: light but very strong; excellent welding. We now have a women's Bianchi with a 15.5" frame. If you have such, or an independent suspension bike, this is the only pannier-capable rack to have. My old panniers from my road bike went on as quickly and securely as they did on the Blackurn rack.

I was tired of carrying a bag on my daily commute, so I bought this rack. It's great! I read reviews prior to putting it on. The piece of rubber inner tube between the mount and the seat post is a good idea. The rack is solid and carries everything I need including: saddle bag, tools, U lock and cables, rain pants rain coat, NiteRider charger, and lunch. I weighed myself on the bathroom scale then filled the saddlebag with everything I needed to be sure I didn't go over the 25 lb. weight limit. All of my stuff weighs 19 lbs., so I can even buy a few groceries or put shoes in there if necessary. The rack is long enough so that my heals do not strike the bags; a problem that I had in the past with other racks. the pannier supports keep the wheels clear. An added and unexpected bonus of carrying all of my things on my bike rather than my back is that on the weekends when I use my light road bike I feel really strong. Also, my back isn't sweaty when I get to work. I love this product. All bike commuters should buy it.

The product came just as shown in the picture - with bolts and NOT quick-release - and I have been very happy with it. It is light and sturdy. My old REI panniers from over 15 years ago could fit on it.

The rack stays put just fine. My main issue is with the shape of the pannier supports.

Maybe I'm the only one to experience this problem, but on my ride this morning, the pannier bag wrapped/curled around the pannier support at the bottom, resulting in the bag hitting the spokes, and a Dr. Pepper exploding inside the bag.

The pannier support on this rack (and most others I've seen) is too narrow at the bottom to keep the entire bag away from the spokes. Hence, the wrap-around at the bottom corner of the bag.

To be fair, the problem could be with the pannier bag itself. I have a full suspension bike though, so a seat-post rack is my only option. I'll likely engineer my own solution to keep the entire bag away from the spokes.

This is a great rack, well worth the price. I installed it on my hardtail mountain bike to make it a city commuter/shopping bike that I could still ride through local parks and trails.

Pros: The rack is well-engineered, with beefy tubing, good welds, and a robust 4-bolt seat tube attachment plate. Build quality is very good, and the little orange rubber spots on the flat rack do actually help hold things in place. The side pannier supports work well with my Transit Metro bags, keeping them anchored and out of the wheel or gears. They handle a couple of gallons of milk and juice plus other groceries without any problem. Finally, the rack has plenty of good attachment holes and spots on both the platform and down at the bottom of the pannier supports.

Cons: It's not a quick-release mount (this is actually a plus for me, as the 4-bolt mount is more secure and much less easy to steal!). The included metal L-bracket is too weak to do its job of mounting a taillight to the rack -- mine broke off without a sound after 6 or 7 rides, and my nice Mars 2.0 taillight was lost with it. This is the only reason I gave the rack only 4/5 stars -- do yourself a favor and throw the included L bracket away, replacing it with a beefier one from your local hardware store.

I've had the Delta Post Porter for 2 years and have had loaded to the max for commuting, mountain biking, and touring. I have never had a problem with the rack not staying put. But the trick is to take an old inner tube and cut a piece off to use as a shim. Then tighten the screws down in opposite sides. I haven't used large size panniers yet, but my large trunk back with drop down panniers works great on the rack.

My only complaint is that the rack sits higher than standard racks which causes the weight to sit higher which effects stability. However, if a stem mounted rack is only option, it's something to keep in mind.

I prefer this rack to the quick release rack because the screw mount is more of a deterrent to theft than a quick release. But I still loop my cable lock through the pannier supports, tire, seat hole, and frame.

This is a decent rack for the price and would serve lightweight use on a mountain bike that has no supports for a normal rack...BUT...be advised that two things will happen, one probably correctable and one not.

1. The rack may shift around with weight on it, no matter how tight you dare to make it. Some kind of non-slip material needs to go inside the clamp (I don't have the quick release type, but the bolt-on type)

2. If you use panniers large enough to accept a grocery bag, the bag *will* slam against your tires and spokes, because the pannier supports are too flexible (you get what you pay for). But if you are just stuffing panniers with clothing or other light items, no problems.

I ended up putting this one up for sale and bought a "mountain man" rack, which is 3X the price and 3X stronger, and does not flex because it can mount to the axle, with extensions.

Perhaps my experience was unique, but I had several problems with this product. First of all, the bolts are buttery soft, and I was extra careful, but they still wanted to strip. I contacted the company who mailed me some more. They did this courteously and quickly.

However, try as I might, both with a gasket made from an old inner tube and without, and I could not get this securely mounted to my road bike post. There was very little clearance, so this may have added to the problem. My bike is very old, so perhaps the seat post is different? In any event, I returned it.

Bought it and it was delivered on time. The rack does what it says but there are some glitches.

Problem one: The machine screws provided require a 5mm or 6mm hex key to install and the heads are butter soft. Skip using the factory provided shiny screws and or bolts and go to the hardware store and pick up some equal length screws and use them. The thread is metric and you should use the original screw to match the thread pitch.

Problem two: For the panniers I was using. Do the Hulk Hogan thing and spread the pannier side supports out to keep the panniers from scrubbing your Mountain Bike tire. A road bike may not have this problem.