BEFORE You Buy a Tailfin Rack! 

I was an original Kickstarter backer for the tailfin rack. It solves a simple problem, it will fit on a bike with no mounting points. You replace the through axle/quick release and it clamps onto the new longer through axle. Very useful for putting a rack on a carbon race bike 👍 love the tubus racks on my koga but different bikes need different solutions.

I have the ortlieb quick rack and I've carried well over its capacity (about 25kg) and it held up absolutely fine. It's such a great product, made by a reputable company and it's a great price too! Glad to see you cover this

Maybe try the Tailfin, before throwing out a warning. I own a Tailfin, and I see many differences. I don’t agree with your comparison, as you say you haven’t even ran one. Plus the Tailfin that can mount to a skewer. You should do a comparison not just compare what you see online.

The germans definitely know what they're doing! I could see this being particularly handy and thrifty for swapping between a sturdy all-weather commuter bike and a fun sporty weekender bike. Rather than have two different racks on two different bikes, with pannier hooks you'll need to adjust for each rack, each time you swap, it'll just be set. Or sometimes, you'll simply not want to have a rack on your weekender bike for the more zippy rides, and won't have to fuss with any tools or bolts.

I have purchased the "lite" version as soon as it came out, as I wanted something universally compatible that also is easy to remove. I use it on the days when I work from the office in combination with an Ortlieb backpack/pannier. Almost a year later, I am still amazed at how good it performs! Doesn't rattle, can carry quite a load, and is still as tight as on the first day when you put i on. I have carried around 15kg of groceries in it, without a single problem. Definitely a great product that does what it is supposed to do.

Nearly everybody agrees that the worst thing about cycling is the spiralling cost. Traffic is probably at the top of the list too. I love to see manufacturers providing products at a "reasonable" price level. Value for money. I can't afford top of the range & I hate buying rubbish. I hope that we see more middle ground develepments like this.

Clickbait title - this is a review of an Ortlieb rack and doesn't even show the Tailfin for comparison.

Another Tailfin owner here. I had the carbon and now the alloy rack. Their adapters work seamlessly with Ortlieb bags which I purchased, but have since swapped them out for the lower profile Tailfin panniers and top bag. I love the versatility of being able to choose panniers only, too bag only or all 3 depending on how long my trip is. That being said, if the Ortlieb rack was out before the Tailfin, I’d certainly give it a try. I love the quick release racks especially when swapping to different bikes.

I'm 62yo and have used just about everything for touring and bikepacking going back to the original Blackburn and Bruce Gordon racks. My fave.......Tumbleweed T Rack. I primarily use mine with just a top bag and water in cages on the side mounts. However, with cargo cages of your choice you can strap dry bags on the sides and effectively create panniers. The best part about the T rack is its versatility which is always a good thing when it comes to bike touring/bikepacking. One of their racks will take mini panniers and you may be able to adapt Ortliebs to it. In New Mexico on the GDMBR I strapped gallon jugs of water on either side. Another trip I carried a gourmet selection of food in dry bags on either side. I don't work for Tumbleweed and never met the guy who owns it. Russ knows him though. I have an original T Rack from Ratking Bikes. Still going strong after 5000+ off road miles. It's not quick release but four bolts to mount? Come on.

I'll stick with my Tailfin. Yes it was pricey, but worth every cent (AUD). It's been used constantly since Sept 2020, added and removed from the bike every fortnight, used for commute and bike packing and it still doesn't make a noise. It also totally blends into my bike, rather than looking like an after thought add on.

From your videos, I have a solid sense of whether a product is built well enough to last for me - and how it works (or: attaches in this case). This info is rather rare. Thanks for being clear and also for offering your considered opinions.

I use the frame mounts. Very solid. Not zipped tied. They have a metal band that tightens as you mount them.

I love my Tailfin set-up! Super easy to mount, light and never notice it is even on my bike!

You are taking the words out of my mouth, I love my Ortlieb Quick Rack! I got it as a more versatile and much cheaper option after looking at a Tailfin initially. It´s holding up well after 6 months of on-and-off use. I use it for grocery shopping and have combined it with a Ortlieb Trunk RC bag and the Revelate Designs Nano paniers which I´ve installed permanently on the Quick Rack so that I can take off and install the whole shebang in a few seconds. I can also recommend the fender that Ortlieb offers for the Quick Rack, the 50mm size is just right for a gravel bike although it´s a bit short but if you ad a Ass Savers Toetector it´s perfect. I even got a battery operated taillight (B&M Toplight 2C USB) for the rack which is a great fit.

The thing that makes the Tailfin so appealing, its way more seamless to swap between bikes with their universal thru axle or qr skewer. Their Panier clamping system is also a lot sturdier than ortlieb, vaude and it doesn't rattle at all. With the Ortlieb Rack if my bikes doesn't have eyelets, I have to attach what are essentially hoseclamps to my carbon seat stays, which I am not comfortable with. The Tailfin pays for it self with being able to use it on all current and future bikes plus their top tube bag is amazing it keeps the faffing around time on trips to a minimum so one can get the maximum ride time. There is definitely a crowd for the quick rack though.

Seems like a pretty good idea. If I need quick release I'd consider it. But I'm super happy with my Tumbleweed mini pannier rack.

I have decided on the quick rack. I wanted something for when i go grocery shopping or fishing, but easy to remove when going out on gravel rides. It looks sturdy enough and easy to install/remove.

There's also ones that have quick release clamps for the seat stays and the seat post. So much easier for swapping between bikes and doesn't require extra mounting pieces. Downside is I'm sure the clamps and adjustable legs all add weight.

Man, you sold me on that rack quick! Watched the vid, bought the rack. Thank you so much for reviewing this, it will hopefully solve a problem that the last 2 racks i bought couldn’t solve. Well done!

Still won't work for me and my bike which has no eyelets for a rack. Went with the Tailfin because of the thru axle mounting system. The other (much cheaper, but a lot heavier) option for me was the Old Man Mountain, but I really like Tailfin's integrated roll top dry bag and how light the whole thing is.

My carbon Canyon grizl has those bottom hole mounts but goodness do I feel sketchy attaching stuff to carbon fiber.

Dog like design how does it bark against traditional racks. It does look rather small

I’ve been running the Quick Rack Lite for commuting for a while now. Works as you would expect from Ortlieb. I whip it off for weekend rides. When I go touring I will probably bolt my on my Tubus rack.

I’m not a fond of aero/ultralight touring things which is a target market for tailfin, but yeah some people with deep pocket out there definitely love that brand.

I have a Tailfin thing, for which I did in fact pay through the nose. I also have a Tubus rack and Ortlieb panniers. I actually love both systems. For quick weekend jaunts, I prefer the Tailfin; it's easy to get on and off, it's solidly made, and it doesn't muck up the ride experience the way panniers can do. You can get out there, carry quite a few extra things, and still feel like you're not driving a truck. For longer, more "serious" trips, I still prefer the Tubus with panniers. And a Surly Disc Trucker with a Brooks Saddle. If you're going to bring a ton of stuff with you, you might as well just use the truck. The quick-release Ortlieb rack system is intriguing; it might be the best of both worlds.

Wonderful timing on this. My custom steel gravel bike is getting finished this weekend and I've been eyeing the Tailfin setup for over a year now. My thought is I would mostly use just the Tailfin top bag, not panniers But that could (should?) change, especially as I'm in for the Ochoco Overlander this year. But... This rack definitely opens up options for bags both top and side; I do have an old Arkel trunk bag that could be put to use again. And looks like it might visually fit a little better on a small frame with 650b wheels. Thanks, Russ!

Russ, much to the dread of the industry, you find solutions to problems cheaper than the industry would prefer. There is definitely a place for the Tailfin rack and definitely a place for the Ortlieb rack as well. Nice job!

Ortlieb didn’t used to even list this rack on their US site and now it’s in stock and buyable! Just placed an order for one. Awesome!

Its pretty difficult to spec up a bike with eyelets for racks these days, bike manufactures really hate them as they are fiddly to braze or weld on and a disproportionately expensive mod. The dominant design ethos is "for race" and they dont use em. Its back to the 90's mountain bike thing, the perfect do anything cycle, they (M5 bosses) were generally fitted as standard, so if you did want to use it for a weekly shop as well as touring Africa and bombing down local trails, all you needed were some (BOLT ON) accessories.

Not bikepacking/touring-proof!! I used the ortlieb quick rack for a touring/bikepacking trip of 3000kms on both pavement and fireroads and I am not convinced by the toughness of the rack and the fixation at all. I found the rack to slip out of the quick release rod and fully rotate on its bottom mounts to touch the road after a few kilometers on the road. I strapped it to the frame for the rest of the trip. So I recommend this rack only for commuting and not for too much beers packing 😅. It has a non-slip paint which wore out very quickky with panniers.

I love the Ortlieb stuff. Reliable and really long lasting. At least the stuff from the time in the past. I am not sure if these solutions are for me because for me its just one additional part. People who bought 23 bikepacking bags for their "bikepacking"-bikes and mounted one in every corner of their frame triangles, 3 on the handlebar and stem and one on the seatpost should be convinced to go (back) to panniers. These people should now be attracted to use panniers on their bikepacking bikes because there are now racks easy to clip on... 🤦‍♀ I prefer a solution with a second bike or more. One for sport/training/lightweight journeys and another with permanently installed Tubus Titanium rack(s) for touring over many days or weeks and purchases. Tubus Titanium because they are so light that they are not noticable and at least mine never broke. Liebe Grüße🙋‍♀

I guess the deal breaker here (compared to the tailfin) is the lack of a through-axle mount for bikes with no mounting eyelets. Especially when the Ortlieb instructions say "NO CARBON" next to the seat stay adapters. Looking at what tailfin do though, they have a lot of variations of axles and collars to deal with all the variations in thread pitch and axle length. Lots of additional complexity.

Just used the ORTLIEB on the Badger Divide route in Scotland. Worked really well

I have the Quick rack and it is amazing. I descendend a volcano full of panniers and worked so well.

Orlieb looks great but bad on Carbon frame bikes

Theres a tubus/racktime system now even with a thru axle solution. Affordable too.

I mounted a carbon tailfin on a stigmata and am so impressed with the engineering. Possible to mount racks on seat-stays (stigmata lacks....what do you call braze-ons, on a carbon bike....) but using the through-axle is easy and I am very confident about the solidity of the fit of the tailfin. Another thing to note: I've bent fender or rack braze-ons through fairly normal abusive riding. Any add-on that uses a modified through axle is now my preferred method of attachment. I would definitely recommend taking out an additional mortgage and considering the tailfin. I love it. Seriously, I paid about a grand for the rack, two bags and the top bag. That's a couple of tanks full of gas. A total deal considering.

This really needs an option to attach it to a QR axle like the Tailfin. In Germany (Europe?) Tailfin still is the only option which offers that and I don’t get, why Ortlieb doesn’t offer a competitor for this scenario…

Actually I needed a new rack. Good that you uploaded this quick review.

as a rack by itself I do not feel like it really solves a problem. But, being able to swap the rack from other things, like a baby seat, or a box, or low rider style rack... but without that I do not see a lot of use in this.

A few points; firstly I'd not really see much benefit in removing and refitting racks all the time unless you're super-conscious about weight (which I bet most viewers of this channel aren't!). Doing this with traditional racks will increase the liklihood of damage to paint and wear to threads. On the subject of fixings; I'd recommend leaving them fitted to the bike as this will prevent ingress of dust / damp / contamination when the rack's not fitted, as well as preventing them getting lost. The Ortlieb rack looks like a nice solution if you must remove it - no personal experience of that item but I do have a pair of Back Roller 2.1 bags which are great and IMO also really good value. They're like a uniform for serious utility riders round these parts - accounting for probably 70-80% of the bags I see when out and about. As always keep up the good work Russ - love the channel and I think it comes closest to my cycling ideal - i.e. utility and relaxed mooching on steel :)

The cheap aliexpress does the same for a lot less

Yep, I added up the TailFin rack, bags, through axle, that I wanted and was close to $900. Blackburn Alu rack, $70, Arkel front pannier set $125. I've used that system across the U.S. three times.

I use an Ortlieb Quick Rack for quite a while now on my road bike which doesn't have classincal mounting points for racks. Therefore I also use their adapters to mount it to any bike even without classical mounting points. Installing the adapters was a hastle. Overall, I love the rack however. Mounting and dismounting it in seconds is pure joy as it allows me to turn my commuter back into a sports bike within seconds.

For me the big selling point of Tailfin is their 20l trunk bag. Ortleib only goes up to 12l. A big difference!

The adapters are great, I use them for my Ortliebs and haven't had any issues

happy owner of tailfin aeropack and its perfect and i use it on my mtb - not a lot of options where (not a fan of wabbly seatpacks)

Some of us would like the international system measures : kg (kilograms) please!

I am a rack packer for sure only bummer is i really like racks that have bottle bosses on the side like the tumbleweed or my old man mountain rack which has been great

The Ortlieb quick rack bolts up easily to my Kona Sutra Ltd but I had to modify it to fit a Soma Wolverine with sliding dropouts. The shoulder washer and the regular washer were too large to fit into the space around the boss so I needed to grind a flat side on both of those parts. Other than that, no trouble at all. It would be nice if they included several sets of the mounting spool so you could more easily move it from one bike to another. The include a set for 3mm bosses and another set for 4mm bosses, but if you have two bikes that both use the same size hardware then you effectively only get one set.

Really a nice rack. So far I used it only on shorter trips and it worked pretty well.

Have this Ortlieb rack. Solid build, using with some random panniers no problem. Perfect for an old-fashioned aluminium/steel bike. Quick release imho is useless: how often would you unmount the rack? And yeah, not friendly to modern fast carbon bikes. Tailfin axle system is perfect.

Russ, It is great that you highlight this product. I have the ortlieb quick rack and I am really Happy with It. I have It on my bike and can clear a 29*2,6 tire,, so even more versatile!

FYI I'm running the simpler and lighter Otlieb Quick Rack on a GT carbon grade elite. I was concerned that 25mm of compliance in the rear triangle might be an issue. However figured there is some flexibility in the seat post fixing. Seems to work well. Takes a minute or two to mount. I have a steel touring bike for heavy duty hauling.

I have rear racks on all my bikes; they are permanent fixtures that I use to mount my go-pro, reflector, basket, etc.

I have a Tailfin rack and I like it because it's amazingly solid and rattle-free. I have the carbon version and it's also extremely light. And it does also come on and off the bike very easily and quickly. However, as you very correctly pointed out, it doesn't take Ortlieb bags which I much prefer to the Tailfin bags (which I also have). So when I use the Tailfin rack I tend to use it only with the top-bag configuration, which also holds quite a bit of gear. But for multi-day trips you would need side bags too, and again, whilst the Tailfin panniers are fine, I do prefer ortlieb bags.

Neat. If I need another rack this is definitely a front runner.

Not even sure if I can take the rack off my Volae Expedition, since it's kind of holding the seat on? 🤔

Looks like you can thread the Ortlieb attachments through a qr axles to ocercome the lack of lugs.

Thank you for the interesting review. I have a Tailfin and use it on Brevets or ultra events here in Germany. For those the Tailfin is a very well designed and produced solution. I will agree , that it is very expensive. But it surely is a solution you can use for many years. The Ortlieb alternative I will take a closer look at. I wonder if I can use it with the Tailfin axle. I like, that the tailfin top rack bag is aero, easy to access and water tight. I am looking forward for similar solutions from Ortlieb or other companies.

Thank you for posting this! I have been wanting this rack for so long and your video let me know they finally have them in stock. I have done everything including reaching out to distributors and ortlieb themselves trying to get this rack with no leads but now I have put in my order for one!

I'm very impressed with the tailfin rack. I use it off road on a full suspension Santa Cruz Blur (been 5ft 7" I cannot use a saddle pack) and have had no issues even when giving it some stick... which the Ortlieb would not be compatible with. I just use their rack & my own 13 or 20 litre dry bag depending on whether I'm camping or not.

Russ, I have the Tailfin Alloy Aeropack, I love it, you however would not. The aeropack Alloy was the perfect answer for my needs for something for light fast overnight trips. That set up and a frame bag and I am good for up to 4 days. Most folk do not go as light as I do. If I was looking for an all round touring setup there are better options.

I am a big fan of Tubus racks, and this Ortlieb rack looks like it is solid Quality. What I absolutely hate on some modern gravel bikes... that even when they do have eyelets for a rear rack, the eyelet is in the wrong position. Surely, they can put the eyelet in such a position so that most racks would fit. The Tailfin rack is way to expensive, just like the OldManMountain racks. Also, I like to have metal racks (Tubus) , because if you do long tours, aluminium rack can fail over time. Also think it is funny that everybody is jumping on the rear rack bandwagon this year. Maybe those saddlebags were not so usefull after all ....

Quick FYI: for GBP £ sign you should use it before the numerical value. e.g. £70-£90.

I didn't find an aerodynamic solution for my Tubus rack that could hold my laptop. So I got the Tailfin Aeropack (without pannier mounts since the goal is to be aero). It fits my laptop, and I go so much faster than with my pannier setup, particularly in head winds.

Find the video misleading. The version that has quick release and mounts to a special through axle is a true gamechanger. Very different to the one tested. Super lightweight, rigid and easy to take on / off. Use it on my daily commute. Putting it each time on and off in seconds to carry the back to the locker room. That way I can also commute by roadbike to work without needing a backpack, and enjoy an after work ride with company team without extra weight.

I was so excited about this for a build I'm working on... but it's a Bombora.

Tailfin carbon with just the rack bag makes loads of sense for fast and aero bike packing/racing if you don't like rear seat bags and want the extra capacity, brilliant for ultra distance like the tour divide. But I'll always use my tubus logo for slower pannier based rides, but then I'll always use rim brakes and a 26". Comes down to the correct tools for the job. I started off only bike touring, and got into faster riding later. It's a gateway drug, that leads to greater expense. But worth it...

This looks awesome. I'm a Tailfin owner, thanks to a generous gift card. At first look at this I 🤦 that I could have saved myself some $'s, then saw that eyelets are required, not an option for my bike. But, I have friends who are looking at quick mount options for panniers they already own, they'll be happy to see this review. Thanks!!!

What are the odds that the Ortlieb's bottom clamp mechanism would fit on the Tailfin QR Axle? Would Ortlieb consider making a similar QR axle for this system? I'm not a fan of seat stay clamps, but I cannot find the relevant dimensions on either website.

Racks are a funny thing. Some work most of the time and others are straight garbage. The best rack I ever had came stock on my Raleigh sojourn. Never failed once and it held 60 pounds day in day out for thousands of miles. There are many racks that wouldn’t be able to hold up to that.

I’d try to use the staightest line to the seat post!

I love the quick rack but I will not mount it on my carbon seatstays.. I love the mudguards as well which are very cheap and very effective

I like the fast clip technology idea to attach to the threaded bolt at the bottom. I don't have one and just thinking. the adaptor that the click on attaches to creates a one inch lever The longer the leaver the more chance to snap the connecting bolt. By attaching the rack directly to the frame threaded eyelet, the shorter the lever. In most cases this may not be a problem but with a over loaded rear rack and a bumpy trail the chance of shearing a stainless-steel bolt is possible. It has only happened to me once in 50 some years. Drilling out a stainless steel bolt snapped off in an eyelet is pain. I don't recall how I finished the tour. Duck tape? Not a clue, but I figured out something., I'm not one that buys or tries new equipment until mine falls apart. Both me and my adult kids are using English made racks I bought back in the early 70's.

Any updates on how this rack has been holding up? I currently have a Racktime fold-it. But I’m considering a rack with the option to lower the mounting position for my Ortlieb bags for more stability. I usually carry most of the weight between my wife and I, so an improvement in handling would be great. That being said, we’ve done the Congo Nile with homemade panniers and the fold-it rack. Also curious to hear if you’ve had much experiences with the various Racktime racks?

Outside of the context of racing or major travel, seems like the best option is still to have a rack permanently affixed to the bike

Cool stuff. I have racks on like 6 different bikes right now. I could basically consolidate into one rack and just put the mounting pieces on each bike...tempting

Isn't the main difference with the tailfin, that you don't need eyelets at all by default, am i right?

I was considering getting Tailfin Aeropack, as it has an option of pannier mounts too. But those mounts are the same kind of short rudimentary rails, even shorter than on Tailfin rack. Perhaps I'll stick to the more traditional rack for the saddlebag support.

existential rack dread is real

still, not solving the main problem, not every bike have rack eyelet, but if they just come with axle option then it should be fix....just one little step

Can you still run mudgurds that use the same frame attachment point as the rack ?

Why wouldn't you just keep the mounting hardware (screws) inserted on the bike instead of removing and taped to the rack? This way you always know where the rack mounting hardware is plus keeps the rack mount inserts from getting filled with dirt and grim. I can see the Ortlieb Quick Rack as a possibly solution for a bike that does not have mounting inserts for a rack but as you pointed out depends on the mounting location.

In keeping with the theme of alternate attachment racking systems, I'd be interested in a review on the Old Man Mountain products. Specifically curious about the perfomance of those Robert Axle Project mounts throughout a long off-road tour. I've heard pro's and cons..Thanks!

Thanks for the review. Ordered 1 to tryout. Have Ortlieb bags and want to try this out for my gravel bike. I was considering the tail fin system but is expensive to outfit for bike backing.

Silly question, now that I've gotten a rear rack and am considering my options for panniers, foldable crates, etc. How do you *get on a bike* with that much stuff. It isn't that bad when I've got a flat bag strapped down with a bungee cord but some experimentation with a spare milk crate suggests that anything level with my saddle or higher is going to be....problematic. And it isn't like the milk crate is much higher than my saddle, it's just getting my leg over it is *hard*

nowadays the price tag is not really an issue, expensive bikes, motorbikes, cars actually sell easier than cheap ones. tailfin found a very profitable market and delivers good quality from what I can see. only bummer is that it needs to be ordered from the UK...

What's the max tire clearance this can work with?

How would you compare Tubus and Ortlieb racks with "Old Man Mountain Divide Racks"?

Hey! I got an interesting question. What if you order the axel accessory of Tailfin and use it to install the Ortlieb Quick Rack? Would they be compatible? Then you could use the Ortlieb rack without installing the complex seat stay adapter of Ortlieb, making it possible to use even with carbon bikes... or is this crazy?

Alternatively, build your own ultralight composite rack with hardware store elements. No mounting points required. Recipes at Bikepackers Foundry.

Love the tailfin but with my new bike (votec) the thru axle and derailleur hanger are one and it's not a thru axle, tried to Dremel a hole but didn't work (and no more hangers in stock so had to stop before getting drastic). Had to buy a saddle pack and a stabilizer (which worked great btw)

Hopefully they sell those mounting lugs separately for those with multiple bikes.

I was wondering if you would review this after seeing the Ortlieb video. The value and convenience it offers can't really be compared to price of Tailfin. I just wish I could afford Ortlieb bags.

Annoying bike trends - my Cube hybrid has no pannier mounts on it. You have to buy some expensive proprietary German fork system on the front and Cube's own rack system on the back. So I bought the 'Quick Rack' and have it mounted on those variable rear stay mounts you briefly mentioned. using it in anger for the first time next week... cycling a canal towpath in Southern France.

The Ortlieb back rack doesn’t look like it stands the test of time with regards to money heavy loads, I know it may cover how many heavy loads but to be fair, why not just keep your back on? Is it to do with aerodynamics? I know you do get a certain amount of weight but it isn’t that much surely on a trip?

Iberia has a strap-mount rack for years now so I don't think Tailfin started anything, really. Heck I think I have seen no-name Chinese racks with QR type mounts a while back, too.

Does anyone have thoughts or comments on the following: 3rd party or aftermarket racks when used on full suspension bikes. (This is quite common on Fat Tire E-Bikes) but I've seen even acoustic bikes have rear suspension's on them and what I've heard and trying to get further feedback on is this: Rear Racks when used in combination with the rear suspension design can injury the rider or damage the bike, or both, (at this moment I can't unpack that statement anymore, I'm trying to discern how common this opinion is held )

I agree with your views... ;-) Have you done a follow up as announced ?