Return of the rack: Restrap launch new Switch Rack & accessories
Restrap recently launched their new Switch Rack, a lightweight rear rack designed for bikepacking.
Priced at £124.99, the Switch Rack forms the central component of a modular system that includes various bolt-ons including panniers (£79.99), the Rack Cage carrier (£39.99), Multi Mount brackets (£14.99), a UDH adaptor (£19.99) and other sundries.
As we’ve come to expect from the Yorkshire-based luggage specialists, it’s a nice looking piece of kit – as perhaps it should be, given it’s been over two years in development.
But the very fact Restrap have poured two years of development into a rear rack system is interesting. For the past 10 years, it seems that bikepackers of the new wave – as opposed to old-school cycle tourers – have studiously ignored the existence of rear racks, opting instead for seat packs mounted to the saddle rails.
Saddle bags, seat packs, whatever you like to call them, have their advantages – they are generally light weight, and relatively aerodynamic and well balanced owing to their alignment with the central axis of the bike. But they also have shortcomings: trickier to mount/detach than a pannier, and in larger sizes, prone to sag and “tail-wag” when over packed or on rougher ground.
Ironically, Restrap’s excellent line of saddle packs went a long way to solving these problems. But with the launch of their new Switch Rack, it seems we’ve come full circle. Are saddle bags out, and rear racks back in?
Trek, for one, seem to think so. Anyone who spotted their recent CheckOUT SL could almost be forgiven for missing the rear rack, thanks to the twin distractions of full suspension and dazzle-cam paint job. But the rack was there, its presence further evidence for the prosecution.
However, a quick skim through Bikepacking.com’s always excellent Rigs of… post on this year’s Atlas Mountain Race quickly settles the question decisively. Of the 50 bikes pictured, racks outnumber packs by a whopping 31-17.
That’s sorted then: the rack is very much back in the frame (pun absolutely intended).
A lot of the Atlas Mountain racks appear to be by Tailfin, who have been keeping the flame lit for racks through the dark years with their swish lightweight carbon and alloy carriers. This, you’d imagine, is the competition against which Restrap are positioning their Switch system.
But at this point the likes of Tubus may want to enter the conversation. They were old hands at the rack game long before upstarts like Tailfin and Restrap were in nappies, trusted by tourers and commuters alike since way back in the last century. Tubus, like Ortlieb, never went away: racks may come in and out of fashion, but the Germans probably didn’t even notice.
What does it mean for cyclists looking to set up for extended tours or bikepacking races today? Options are good, but also mean there’s a decision to be made. Should we invest in a rack (again), or continue with a saddle bag?
The answer likely hinges on the discipline involved. For rugged terrain like the Atlas Mountain Race or similar MTB style events and touring, a rack is always a solid choice for the extra stability and load capacity offered. They also have the advantage of offering extra mount points for water bottles, which can be in short supply on mountain bike frames.
For gravel and road touring, it’s probably in the balance. If you can get away with the more limited capacity of a saddle bag then there is little to argue in favour of adding a rack: it’s just more weight after all. And the best seat packs, like Restrap’s, have evolved to the point that sag and wag are consigned to the realms of history.
Mind you, that’s what we thought about racks too until recently.
But the Restrap Switch has one last Ace up its sleeve…
…yep, the Rack Cage doubles up as a bottle opener for your trailside brew. Can your saddle bag do that?
Find out more: www.restrap.com
