New rubber

[IdahoBrett]

Thought I’d work on Mrs.Idaho’s bike today. I serviced the hubs and installed a set of Continental Town&Country tires. And installed a rear rack. I need to work on leveling it a bit. Funny it looked level while the bike was in the stand. It’s not the correct size (I think). Also I didn’t have the correct brackets to properly attach it to the seat stays. So I MacGuyvered it.

 

[Jon K.]

Thought I’d work on Mrs.Idaho’s bike today. I serviced the hubs and installed a set of Continental Town&Country tires. And installed a rear rack. I need to work on leveling it a bit. Funny it looked level while the bike was in the stand. It’s not the correct size (I think). Also I didn’t have the correct brackets to properly attach it to the seat stays. So I MacGuyvered it.
View attachment 12088View attachment 12089

It looks like you should be able to loosen the bolts on the rack plate (or whatever the weight-bearing area is called), slide the tongue forward and bolt to the bridge above the cantilever brake. That would rotate the rack backward and level it out. Then tighten all the bolts.

 

[JohnnyD]

It looks like you should be able to loosen the bolts on the rack plate (or whatever the weight-bearing area is called), slide the tongue forward and bolt to the bridge above the cantilever brake. That would rotate the rack backward and level it out. Then tighten all the bolts.

Thought I’d work on Mrs.Idaho’s bike today. I serviced the hubs and installed a set of Continental Town&Country tires. And installed a rear rack. I need to work on leveling it a bit. Funny it looked level while the bike was in the stand. It’s not the correct size (I think). Also I didn’t have the correct brackets to properly attach it to the seat stays. So I MacGuyvered it.

My bike rack sat the same way once upon a time when I first put it on over two decades ago. My solution was simple. I made little brackets that attached to the drop out mount and allowed me to shift the rack lower in the rear to level it out. Pretty simple to make and as you can see it leveled the rack out nicely.



OH yeah, She's got a really nice ride too! I love that color.

 

[IdahoBrett]

I think I finally convinced Mrs.Idaho that I can put her on a bike better than her Huffy. Her comment was; “Wow! It does shift nice!” I knew better than to launch into a diatribe about quality derailleurs, once tuned properly work great. I just told her to go for a ride and shift the darn thing.

 

[letsbike]

I know that you are just building up the suspense so you can "surprise" us with your clever fix. I'm on to you .
I hope the Mrs. fully realizes how much Love is associated with such a beautiful bicycle. Some women are forced to ride a Huffy, or heaven forbid, don't own a bike at all. Don't laugh; I've heard rumors.

 

[letsbike]

My bike rack sat the same way once upon a time when I first put it on over two decades ago. My solution was simple. I made little brackets that attached to the drop out mount and allowed me to shift the rack lower in the rear to level it out. Pretty simple to make and as you can see it leveled the rack out nicely.

View attachment 12090View attachment 12091

OH yeah, She's got a really nice ride too! I love that color.

Are those hydraulic brakes? Do you like them?

 

[JohnnyD]

Are those hydraulic brakes? Do you like them?

Yes to both. They are Magura HS-33 R's . They work amazing, even in the rain which is always a problem with rim brakes. Definitely overkill for the riding I do on that bike, but I tend to spoil myself and that bike in particular because it's my first Cannondale and I have owned it since it was new. Technically it is the second since the first was a white M500 (I am working on a certain other bike so I can finally have myself a white bike) that was stolen and that was the bike I replaced it with.

 

[letsbike]

Pretty cool stuff.

 

[letsbike]

I braved a "feels like" 105 degree temperature to get these pictures.

I had to use two lengths of attachment rails to get my wife's Blackburn rack to sit level.

 

[IdahoBrett]

While attached to the correct part of the frame it’s still evident the rack is for a smaller frame.

There is tire clearance. So it stays. For now.

 

[JohnnyD]

View attachment 12108View attachment 12109While attached to the correct part of the frame it’s still evident the rack is for a smaller frame.

There is tire clearance. So it stays. For now.

If you removed the four bolts holding the bracket to the rack you could pivot the rack rearward to get it level. Then add spacers and longer bolts under the rack to to reattach the bracket, Assuming of course that the slots in the bracket are long enough.
If memory serves me correctly, one of the reasons I had to mount mine higher using the additional brackets ont the back was that the rack would interfere with the brakes. It's been so many years since I put the thing on there I've forgotten. I only take it off now to clean the bike, which I sorely NEED to do.

 

[IdahoBrett]

The brackets are slid all the way to the back of the slots @JohnnyD

I’ll have to fabricate or find longer brackets. There is an ad on my local craigslist for a half dozen racks at $15 a piece. I may go check them out. Maybe I’ll find a better fitting one.

 

[black lightning 1987]

Longer brackets. drill new holes toward the front of the rack and/or bending the existing brackets where they bolt to the rack.

 

[JohnnyD]

I am always a fan of frabri-cobbling something to make it work if you have access to the tools/materials to do it right.