Zefal Touring Raider Front Bike Rack (Black)

The rack itself is OK. It's not exceptionally strong but it seems sturdy enough once it is mounted to the fork. It is lightweight if that is important to you.My complaint with this rack is the mounting hardware. I bought the rack for my alloy road bike, which doesn't have any rack mounts. I hoped to mount this rack onto the fork without rack mounts. The included hardware is insufficient. I don't like the hose clamps. It is difficult to mount them to the fork without scratching the paint all up. The plastic protective inserts are difficult to get in place. I slso had to mount the rack higher than I wanted because the hose clamp tightening scews hit the spokes when mounted lower. Hose clamps are a bad idea in my opinion. At best they look tacky, and how well they will work and holdup is yet to be seen.Additionally, I had to use spacers between the rack and the fork because the rack is much wider than the fork. I also had to make my own mounts for the top mounting position using some spare tail light mounts that I had in my miscellaneous bike parts box. They seem to work pretty well and look much better than hose clamps!!! I then used plastic pull ties to attach the bottom of the rack to the fork near the wheel mount.After "rigging" up this install, the rack looks good and feels pretty solid and secure. I mounted a pair of inexpensive BV panniers, which mounted on pretty well. Now, to test this new system out on a trial tour to see if it will take the abuse of the road.If it does I will be satisfied with my purchase, if not, well, back to the old drawing board...Bottom line, if you are not handy with modifying things and making things work that are not made to fit, even with the supplied "universal" mounting hardware, you will probably be frustrated with this rack and send it back, or bend it in half or jump up and down on it!!!If you are pretty handy with this sort of thing you might be able to make it work for you.

I'd have given it a 5 star rating, but it is a royal pain to install on a standard fork. As another reviewer stated, the instructions that came with it are practically useless. The written part talks about safety, and even mentions a rear rack (which this obviously is not). Also, the written part, as well as the graphic requires a magnifying glass to see clearly... and there is no instructions / graphics for installation on non-suspension bikes.Got it finally installed properly & tight. Problem is they say it's universal... but it is really oriented more towards bikes with front shocks. I have non-disc brakes (cantilever). They have a special bracket that used the brake mounting bolt to attach the upper bracket. My 1st problem was that my mounting bolt counter sinks into the brake arm... so if I attached it without mods the bracket would push against the brake arm, locking it in place... so I had to put some washers in as spacers.Then the lower end fastens with a special style of hose clamp. Problem is the clamp is large so as to fit shocks, not a standard size non shock fork. It would be nice if 2 smaller sized clamps were provided to accommodate installation on standard forks. So I had to cut short sections of an old garden hose and layer it 3 times to make the clamp fit. Had to tweak it as the clamp bolt kept getting too close to the spokes... so again, more pieces of hose for spacers... grrrr... And then finally had to cut off the excess clamp that stuck out of the clamp so as not to dig into the bags. Satisfied when done, but an annoying the job for installation.I chose this rack because it also fits 'over' my front rack, allowing me to keep the front rack... so in essence I have a front rack and this pannier rack.

Just received it and temporarily mounted it on my suspension fork to see how it will work. I can see some changes that would make it a five star product. One simple change: I think if the slotted mounting bars were welded to the inside of the rack it would go a long way towards preventing the rack from rubbing away at the paint on the fork; possibly even cause a thin spot on the rack tubing, eventually leading to failure. As it is, I think by I can solve that problem by swapping out the supplied bolts for a little longer ones and adding some washers. Also, I'm pretty sure the heads on the carriage bolts supplied with the worm clamps will stick above the plastic liners and rub against the fork. Perhaps grinding a little off will help but that will expose the bolt to rusting. The brackets that mount the rack to the brake bosses on my suspension fork are not wide enough. They need to have a longer tab with a slot for better universal fit, but again, swapping out the supplied bolts for some longer and a few washers should do the trick. Since it's meant to be a universally mounted rack I think if they sent a length of spacer material that could be cut to the proper length, for bolts selected by the purchaser, and some thicker plastic liner for the worm clamps, this would be a 5 star rack. Using extra washers will work, but I am of the opinion that it always contributes to things loosening up quicker by allowing more play compared to a solid spacer. All in all, I think it's a serviceable Light to Medium duty rack for a reasonable price. Like everything made to fit many different styles, it will need some modification to be perfect for you.

These were a little difficult to install and they rest slightly angling upward (I think that is due to my bikes shape). That being said, now that they are on, these are a lifesaver. I ride each day to class with my law books and this little rack doesn't even flinch.On the base of the rack is a curved part, this works great if you have quick release rims. I have quick release rims, and disc brakes and it was not a problem to install the racks. Now that they are on, I don now have a problem detaching my wheels for maintenance, etc.Regarding Installation, the directions are terrible. If you are not mechanically inclined, have your bike shop install them. I consider myself an intermediate bike mechanic, and it still took some time to perform the installation. It is more helpful to look at the picture than to look at the directions.