Just to start off, i should say that i am not really a 'hardcore' cyclist. If you're the kind of person who can put an entire bike together from memory, or the kind of person who commutes every day on a 900$ road bike and always wears spandex, your level of commitment and bicycle knowledge is probably years ahead of mine. I know enough to be able to name all the parts on my bike and do light maintenance, but i don't ride every single day, i don't tour, and i find road bikes kind of intimidating.
All that said, i like this rack a lot so far. It fit perfectly fine on my hybrid bike. I have a step-through frame, so the top of the rear tyre is actually several cm higher than the bosses on the seat stays, so i did have to bend the little rods on the front of the rack down quite a bit to get them to reach. But it's fine, it just requires a little effort; if i can do it, anyone can.
This might be self-explanatory, but just in case it's not, i do have one tip regarding those rods: If you do have to bend them, bend them only as much as you need to to get the holes on the rods to line up with the holes on the seat stays. Don't try to get it perfect, just keep it in place with one hand and use the other one to screw it on. The tightening of the screws will easily bend the rods the rest of the way.
Other than that, installation is pretty straight-forward. The instructions were kind of confusing to me at first because they're in a dozen languages, but actually there are only four or five steps. Partially screw the rods onto the rack, then screw the rack to the drop-outs, then bend the rods and/or screw them to the seat stays. You can then optionally install a rear light mount on the back of the rack. All the screws are standard hex bolts (i think #5 but i'm not positive), except for the one that attaches the light mount (it's a Phillips).
As far as quality and usability, i've only recently got 'serious' about bikes, so i don't have experience with any other racks. But from my experience just with this one, i'd say it's pretty good. I use a Topeak MTX Trunk Bag EX with my rack, and i have no complaints. There is a 'foot' on the bottom of the bag that slides into the rails on the bike rack, which holds the bag down and prevents it from moving side to side. Then there is a clip on the front of the bag that clamps down on the bar at the front end of the rack, which keeps it from sliding off the back. It seems very secure and there is almost zero movement.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who needs a rear rack. My only disclaimer is, again, what i said at the beginning -- i'm not a hardcore cyclist and i don't know much about the things that they'd be likely to worry about, like weight and carrying capacity. But for the average person at least i think it's great.Get more detail about Topeak Explorer Bike Rack.
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