Comments on: Topeak Explorer Bike Rack

By: Host

Host — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:45:37 +0000

Not for bikes with disc brakes
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
The only reason I am giving this a 1 is so hopefully people see that this only fits bike frames that do NOT have disc brakes. Unfortunately, this is not listed in the description of the product, it only states "fits all bike frames."

However, amazon does sell the disc brake version of this bike rack, and I did a simple return through amazon to get the disc brake version, which fit perfectly onto my Cannondale.

Great product, amazon just needs to update the product description.

By: S. Beal

S. Beal — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:41:40 +0000

Great slide in and click design
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This Topeak Rear Bike Rack uses their patented slide and click design. Match this up with a Topeak rear bike trunk, and you’ll be delighted at how easy it is to attach and remove your trunk. This rack also works well with side panniers that are both seperate or integrated into the Topeak trunk.

By: Teri L. Aparicio

Teri L. Aparicio — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:44:00 +0000

nice rack!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased two of these racks for our Motebecane “comfort” bikes. They installed very easily and look great!

Also, bought the Topeak bags that slide and lock on. They are a great addition to our bikes and will allow us

to take stuff with us on our rides, bring more home too! Recommend getting bike fenders if you like to ride

year round.

By: LoveTeaching

LoveTeaching — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:18:55 +0000

Great rack!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love this rack! The only downside was that it was very difficult to attach to my bike because those two metal pieces in the front need to be bent (or at least did for my bike.) It is very sturdy and fits all Topeak products very well. I would recommend this rack over any others.

By: A. C. Hatch

A. C. Hatch — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:35:42 +0000

Great Rack
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Easy to install. Very durable. Works marvelous withTopeak MTX Trunk Bag DX. Good value.

By: J. Barrow

J. Barrow — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:34:44 +0000

Good rack
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Fairly easy to install. Only buy it if you plan to buy a Topeak bag as well.

By: Mark S. Schaffer

Mark S. Schaffer — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:44:14 +0000

Good and sturdy
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This rack, with a little bending and an extra pair of hands, was easy to install and is very sturdy.

By: bookowski

bookowski — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:23:39 +0000

Easy to install, works perfectly
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I had never installed a bike rack and wasn’t sure if this would fit on the bike. The rack easily installed on my girlfriend’s female mountain bike. It feels very sturdy and well built and is as good looking as can be expected for a rack. I’ve seen cheaper ones on here but i’d say this one is a good value for the quality.

By: William Wimberley

William Wimberley — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:30:49 +0000

Sturdy and easy to use!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I looked for quite a little bit at the various bike racks available before finally deciding on this one. I had wanted a seat post mounted rack at first, so that I knew it would fit properly without frame modification or much trouble. After looking around for a while, I came to the conclusion that all the available seat post racks were much more susceptible to being stolen and load shifting. I eventually reluctantly made the purchase, and hoped for the best.

After I got the rack, I was pleased - and somewhat amazed - to learn my bike (Trek 4700 Mountain Bike) had pre-threaded holes to which I could attach a rack such as this. After that, installation was virtually a snap. Only one thing took more than an allen wrench and a little time to install. One of the curved support tubes near the bottom of the rack was preventing installation because of a mount used for optional disc brakes. It was a simple fix, however. If you simply remove the rubber end cap and remove about half of an inch of the tubing from the problem spot with a hacksaw, you can put the cap back on and it will fit perfectly. It does look a bit odd if you know to look for it, but I found it a small price to pay for such an excellent rack.

For anyone who may be interested, I bought this with a Topeak MTX Trunk Bag EXP Bicycle Trunk Bag with Rigid Molded Panels, and they work perfectly together. And excellent trunk bag (and panniers!) for an excellent rack. The bag slides and locks into place on the rack, and doesn't move or vibrate like other mount types can.

By: Thomas Philips

Thomas Philips — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:20:46 +0000

A good rack, but I had to grapple with two issues
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The rack is well made, light, and the MTX system makes it very easy to slide MTX compatible attachments (baskets, bags) on and off. I ran into two issues, though I suspect they are specific to my Jamis Aurora Elite.

1. There is too much metal around the holes at the bottom through which the mounting bolts pass, and it consequently interferes with the frame - I had to file it down till it fit snugly. This may make it a bit weaker, but not enough to make it dangerous. On a bicycle with larger clearances, this would not be an issue.

2. The arms that attach the top of the rack to the bicycle front had to be bent to align them with the mounting holes on the bicycle.

All said and done, though, it's a good rack at a reasonable price.