What pannier rack should I buy for a Sun EZ-1?

I'm interested in using a set of medium-sized panniers that I already own on my SUN EZ-1 (20-inch rear tire). Should I buy a rear rack or an under-the-seat rack? I've never seen either type in-person and have 2 questions:

1. Rear rack: Is there a rack model that extends 12-inches beyond the seatback rods to fit my panniers? I can't tell the dimensions based on photos.

2. Under-the-seat rack: Is there a model that will accommodate my 12-inch wide panniers and also not allow them to drag on the ground? My panniers are 14-inches top-to-bottom.

Thanks for your advice!

 

I can't answer your specific questions about your Sun EZ-1, but I can give you some information about the type of racks you are looking for.

I ride a V-Rex. I always put a rack on my bents because I like having a bike trunk with me to carry tools, spare tires (in 2 different sizes. Oh the joy of having different size wheels), rain jacket, cell phone, water, snacks and a first aid kit. (Can you tell I am an Eagle Scout???) You look at these hammer head riders and they have 1 water bottle, a CO2 inflator and a patch kit and that is it!!! Me I like my luxury items with me. I need a bike trunk to keep all my stuff. Now I bought a Blackburn rack from Nashbar and it works just fine. The key is my seat struts go through the top portion of my rack to make it work. But it works just fine.

The only problem I have ever seen with rear panniers is having them overload the back wheel and get the back wheel out of alignment or cause more frequent flats because of weight. They can also make your front end light. I rode a trike 250+ miles with a rear bike trunk AND rear panniers and didn't have a lick of problem.

I bought a used pair of under the seat racks made specifically for the V-Rex. What I like about them is that they carry the weight forward so you front wheel doesn't float on you and it distributes the weight between the two wheels much better. This give much better riding handling. I haven't gone long distances with the under the seat racks and panniers yet, but have tried them out to see what they felt like. I like them.

That being said, mine are custom made for a V Rex so my panniers fit fine. I don't know about getting generic racks for your bike. Best thing to do is make sure where ever you buy the racks they have a no questions asked return policy so if they don't work, you can send them back.

Hopefully, someone much smarter than I will give you more insight to your questions.l

 

Places where you might be able to get more information regarding the underseat pannier racks would be The Bicycle Man ( http://www.bicycleman.com/ ), Sun Bicycles (http://www.sunbicycles.com/sun/index.html ), Hostel Shoppe (http://www.hostelshoppe.com ), TheFind (http://www.thefind.com/sports/info-sun-bicycles) which goes to other web sites.

Hope this helps and enjoy your bike!

Curtis

 

Jon and Curtis - thanks for your helpful advice. I'm leaning toward an under-the-seat rack from HostelShoppe.com that fits the EZ-1. After it arrives I'll try my panniers on it, which are likely too tall for the rack. Then my next Challenge will be to find shorter and wider panniers (maybe front panniers?) - roomy enough to tote my laptop and a few books.

Any suggestions on low-medium-priced panniers that are short and wide (e.g. 11" tall x 14" wide x 6" deep)?

 

Arkel makes two recumbent specific panniers, the RT-40

http://www.arkel-od.com/panniers/rt40/overview.asp?fl=1&site=

and the RT-60

http://www.arkel-od.com/panniers/rt60/overview.asp?fl=1&site=

These are pricey but very high quality. I have a set of the RT-60's, they're a bit big for underseat use. The RT-40's were specifically designed for underseat racks.

 

$250 is higher than I want to spend on panniers, but they do fit the dimensions I'm looking for. Thanks for the tip. If anyone knows of any lower quality panniers of similar dimension I'd love to hear about them.

 

The two panniers I bought totaled $40 from Nashbar close out. I took them on the KATY trail (250 mile) with no problem. But I had all my clothes in zip lock 2 gallon bags inside them so NO wet clothes during the rain. Best buy for zip lock 2 gallon pages is Wal Mart.