Pannier rack for Urban Mover UM36?

[Haku]

I got an Urban Mover UM36 on 1st May (waited since Jan because I wanted the 12Ah Lithium Polymer battery version) and have been loving riding it, almost daily I find an excuse to go out somewhere now the hills prove almost no problem, but as there's no mounting holes in the frame near where the seatpost goes in for 'standard' pannier racks to fix onto I was wondering if there are any large pannier racks that I can fit onto my bike somehow?

I've seen the small Topeak RX Beam Rack and similar that clamp to the seatpost but none that clamp to the seatpost and the frame down by the wheel (where there are mounting holes on the UM36 frame)


BTW I've had a good look around these forums and it seems I'm in the minority with an Urban Mover machine I went for it partly because the company is only 15 miles away from me, and after emailing UM a few questions about the bikes, Keith of UM invited me to have a go on the bikes in Jan at their main unit, pre-ordered the UM36 that day

 

[rsscott]

Hi Haku,

welcome to the forum and glad to hear you are enjoying your new bike!

There are rear racks available for bikes without mounting holes. My old MTB-style electric bike was the same. The rack I purchased still bolted to the frame above the rear spindle but there was the addition of a couple of clamps to fit around the frame to provide the stability and could take a full 25kg load.

I'll try to find out who made it, I think it cost around £20-£25 from Argos (just checked and can't see it on their site anymore).

 

[flecc]

No problem Haku. If you use the first link below you'll see the fitting kit for Blackburn EX racks.

Then use the second link or navigate to rear carriers and you'll see the Blackburn EX racks you can buy to go with the kit. All from St Johns Cycles:

fitting kit

EX racks

The racks are on page three, or choose the option to view 32 products at once.
.

 

[Haku]

Thanks for the replies, I went to my local bike shop this morning and asked about racks, they had some standard ones and one of the ones that clamps to the seatpost but the guy there said that he's bodged a standard one onto a frame that didn't have support holes by hooking up the top pieces to the seatpost bolt, so I bought a black aluminium rack for £15.

Finished fitting at lunchtime after adding two pieces of 10cm aluminium bars onto the top fixtures to extend them, very sturdy and fitted perfectly first time.

But now I've got a new challenge, pannier bag(s)! there's so many types to choose from I don't know where to start. Something basic that can be removed easily is all I need.

 

[flecc]

The Altura range are very easy to pop on and off Haku. There's two hooks at the top that go over the carrier rail and a central velcro strap that loops around the top rail as security. There's a further adjustable lateral hook that engages with one of the vertical carrier struts. I have a pair that I freely swap between bikes in moments, for speed you can ignore fastening the velcro strap if you wish. Mounting them is just a quick lower, and twist to vertical to engage the lower hook.

You'll find the range on this link, scroll well down.
.

 

[JohnInStockie]

Hi Haku

I have the Ortlieb panniers, 100% waterproof but expensive (£90+ a pair) however a colleague of mine has just got something almost identical from Decathlon for £46 a pair see here. Unfortunately its the item thats not visible but I can tell you they are 100% waterproof and sturdy from what I have seen of them.

John

 

[allotmenteer]

I've got the Decathlon ones that you can see on that link above. They come as a pair and use velcro straps. They're cheap and cheerful at £26.99, maybe a bit heavy, but have plenty of room. Don't know how waterproof they are though as I'm a bit of a fairweather cyclist with my electric bike at the moment.

Paul

 

[Haku]

I think I'm going to have to take a look at some pannier bags first-hand because thumbnail pictures don't help much, when I had a bike with panniers some 10+ years ago the pannier bag was a very simple 3-pocket square design, one on top and two on the sides which I quite liked (till the bike was nicked & haven't had a pannier setup since)

The ones that just clip on the side and also double as a rucksack will probably be the type I go for, or one the sits on top and also doubles as a rucksack.

How does having just one bag on the side with a load inside affect the balance of the bike?

 

[flecc]

How does having just one bag on the side with a load inside affect the balance of the bike?

Not severely once you're rolling Haku. I often ride with a spare 4.4 or 5.5 kilo spare battery in one side pannier.
.

 

[Haku]

Thanks for the pointers guys, I had some spare time this afternoon so dipped into Halfords to see what they had to offer, bought some small black panniers on offer for £26, they only have one extra zip pocket on them but that's perfectly fine as I only wanted something basic. They clip and unclip from the rack in seconds which is really nice but they don't double up as rucksacks.