Navigation
If you know something about cycling, you will not underestimate the value of a rear rack.
Even if you do not plan to do an inter-state tour with your cycle, a good rear rack can help you a lot.
For instance, a rear rack is excellent at making your commute between your home and a grocery store more accessible. Every once in a while, you can let someone get a free ride on the back too.
Here is the problem, though: cycle makers fail to consider a rear bike rack as necessary. As a result, you cannot find a rear bike rack on most of the models in the market. On the bright side, though, finding a suitable rear bike rack is straightforward.
You can finish the process in under five minutes with the proper instructions. Yes, you heard it right; you can install a rear bike rack in under 5 minutes.
We have explained how to install a rear bike rack in less than five minutes in this guide. As you can guess, it is talking about the everyday bikes out there.
For instance, if you have a mountain bike, you may need a few extra steps. Even then, the core idea stays the same. Now, shall we see how to set up a rear bike rack without further ado?
1. Find and Separate Hardware
Depending on the rear bike rack you have ordered, the package may contain fewer or more elements.
You should look for the following pointers first. Once you have confirmed these elements, you can proceed.
- The Adjustable Rack Module
- P-Clamps
- Adjustable Arms
- Adjustable Arms Hardware
- Light and Reflector Mount
While these are the components you have to install, you need a few tools for the installation process. First and foremost, you need the Allen keys for the bike, which you need to tighten/loosen some parts. You also need a screwdriver and an adjustable wrench.
We recommend an adjustable wrench since it would be multipurpose. Once you have ensured these parts, we can move to the installation process.
2. Set Up Adjustable Arms
The first part is to connect the two sliding arms to the rear bike rack. You have to attach those arms to the underside of the rack.
Here is the crucial thing, though. You do not have to tighten the arms to the max level yet. Instead, you should leave some space for it to move around. This flexibility will come in handy as we optimize the angle and strength of the bike rack.
3. Install the Rack at Dropouts
First, you have to find the dropout eyelet of your bike. Do not worry; these are easily found near the wheel.
Once you have seen the eyelet, we can start mounting the rear bike rack to the dropout eyelet. To do this, you need a couple of bolts, though. In some cases, your bike manufacturer may have provided a few extra bolts when you bought the bike.
If you cannot find extra bolts in the package, do not worry. Most bikes come with a few bolts here and there. For instance, they may have attached a few bolts you can use to connect a bottle carrier.
In that case, you can take those bolts and use them at the dropout eyelet. Once you have the bolts with you, you can connect the rear bike rack and align the legs to the dropout eyelet.
4. Set up the Arms
We have set up the bottom part of the rear bike rack by now. We can now move to the top part and start leveling things up.
There are two ways to go about it. You can seek a friend’s help and ask them to tell when the carrier is at the right level. Otherwise, you can use a leveling app on your smartphone and find accurate readings.
Either way, you have to remember where exactly you have found the level. Once you have leveled up everything, you can add the bolts and tighten them.
5. Connect the Arms
Connecting the adjustable arms to your bike is a little tricky. Depending on the model, your bike may or may not have mounting points on the frame.
If you cannot find mounting points on the frame, you can use one of the P-clamps to create a mounting point. Once you have done this, you can adjust the angle of the arms and align them towards the mounting point. You can add the bolts and tighten them using the Allen keys with ease.
Given that we have set up the arms, we can also tighten the connection between the adjustable arms and the rack. You have to tighten the screws you inserted in the first step. These steps will ensure that the rack will stay intact and supported at all times. It will also help you when it comes to carrying a lot of weight.
Optional Step
You can use almost the same techniques to connect the light/reflector module the rear bike rack came with.
You have to find the right set of bolts and leave enough space for the reflector/light. It is an easy task and is optional for the most part.
Some Tips
- Once you have finished all these steps, you should tighten all the bolts and screws once again. As we said, you do not want the bike rack to move around or tumble so quickly.
- You can also use cargo straps to add extra support to the rack. This extra protection layer will come in handy while you want to carry a lot of weight.
- Finally, you should try to keep this rack module well-maintained at all times. Using some lubrication oil at the connection parts is a great way to do this. We also believe you have bought a rust-resistant rack in the first place.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, you can finish a rear bike rack within five minutes.
If you have the proper hardware and know the steps to follow, each of these steps will take less than a minute. Therefore, in just five minutes, you will have a bike equipped with a super-sturdy rear rack.
