The snow has melted and I hope, like me, you are getting geared up for your long distance bikepacking trips and tours! I was able to test out the Old Man Mountain Classic Sherpa Rack as a rear rack.
Note: this rack can be used for the front and the back. I had difficulties getting the rack attached to my front fork. It appears that my bike doesn’t have enough rake to make it work – that or I didn’t do it right. Alas, I set it up as a rear rack. I went on a good ride to my parents’ place with a lot of gear to test this rack’s carrying ability.
Features
The Old Man Mountain Classic Sherpa Rack is made of welded aluminum making it sturdy and light. It can hold up to 70 lbs of gear, includes a hole for mounting a reflector, and is powder-coated matte black. As many are aware, The Robert Axle Project acquired Old Man Mountain. Therefore, you will receive thru-axles or skewers specifically designed for your bike, whether a fat, mountain, gravel, or hybrid bike. You can find the appropriate kit for your bicycle by using Old Man Mountain’s Fit Kit Finder.
Attaching the Classic Sherpa rack
Setting up the Classic Sherpa Rack was a little more difficult than I prefer. It comes with several bags of hardware, (but they are nicely labeled and organized), and printed instructions. You can follow their setup videos on their website here. In addition, you are required to remove your wheel in order to use the thru-axle. This could be a bit easier if you have a skewer versus a thru-axle.
Hauling
My experience riding with this rack was great. I brought lots of gear with me and I fancy the extra bars on it to attach bungee cords. It is plenty wide to haul large items, and with the fewer points of contact with the bike, there was less chance for the screws to the braze-ons coming loose or jiggling. The rack is lightweight and didn’t add many extra more pounds to my other gear. Weighing in at 700 grams (1.54 lbs) without the kit hardware, that’s an extremely light rack for the amount of weight it can hold. For comparison, the Jannd Expedition rack, (75 lb carrying capacity), I used to own was 2.2 lbs. This isn’t a huge discrepancy, but a little less weight always helps!
Considerations
Set-up and Removal
I use racks sparingly. Therefore, on most of my endurance races and tours, I pack light and use soft packs. Occasionally, particularly when the weather gets colder, I have to carry a bulkier lower-rated sleeping bag. As a result, I like to use a rack I can pop on and off quickly. This is because, as soon as I finish my adventure, I remove my rack for my next ride. The Sherpa Rack was not the quickest removal and setup I’ve experienced. On the other hand, if you always have a rack, or need one for a long-term cycling tour, it could be ideal for you.
Best for Tubeless Setups
Tire setup is another element I would consider when purchasing this rack. The Classic Sherpa Rack is great for people with mountain, gravel, and fat bikes that don’t have braze-ons on the rear or front fork like on my Salsa Warbird. Since the rack requires a skewer or thru-axle, if you get a flat, you will need to remove the wheel. This results in a more cumbersome and timely tube change than normal and could get difficult when on the road. Thus, I believe the rack would be more suited to people who use tubeless setups – which many fat, gravel and mountain bike riders already do. Tubeless setups make it less likely you have to take the wheel off to fix a flat. In my opinion, this would be the ideal way in which to use this rack.
Conclusion
The Old Man Mountain Classic Sherpa Rack is perfect for riders that constantly use racks, are long-distance touring, or ride bikes without many braze-ons. Additionally, it best suits tubeless riders. The rack’s carrying capacity and lightweight is ideal for long tours. Its fewer contact points provides less opportunity for screws to come loose and racks to jiggle, keeping your ride smooth and silent. If you need to prepare for summer cycling adventures, the Sherpa Rack is a great start!
