Review of Axiom Streamliner Road DLX Rear Mount Rack

Axiom Streamliner Road DLX Rear Mount Rack - Black.
Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 4
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Good Rack for the Buck, if Properly Managed

On: 2009-12-11

This rack is a great fit for most old road bikes. It is well priced and a good choice for lightweight pannier loads for daily commutes.

The only downside is the that the top support acts like a lever, and if a lot of weight is applied to the rack, it can generate a substantial amount of torque and snap the top support off of the rear break bolt. This happened to me on a 100+ mile ride. I dont blame the rack though, it was my own fault as I was riding with one pannier that was heavily loaded so the rack was unbalanced.

When used appropriately for short commutes the rack is great. It is essential that the weight is distributed evenly about the panniers so that you do not risk breaking the top support. Use caution when using the rack to carry heavy loads, and on long tours, as it may fail, leaving you in a tough situation.

Good rack, but it should come with instructions.

On: 2009-10-12

I am pleased with the rack. However, it did not come with any instructions. I was able to figure it out anyway. You have to take off your rear brake and mount the bracket on the brake bolt between the brake and the frame. You put your wheel skewer through the holes on the bottom. Note that this makes it annoying to remove the rear wheel.

As another reviewer noted, the bracket needs to be bent in order to fit. This is unavoidable because different bicycles have different frame geometry. It is easy to bend with pliers and I had it bent correctly in about 2 minutes.

Note also that it is a narrow rack and is meant for mounting bags or baskets on the sides. Mounting to the top is iffy. (I mounted a basket to the top anyway, using enough zip ties to make sure it wont move).

This rack is much more securely mounted than my old one, which was mounted with p-clips. It is also much lower and closer to the wheel which helps keep the weight down low so it doesnt affect handling as much.

If you have a road bike, you can definitely use this rack to increase your cargo capacity. I was looking for something like this for a while and Im glad someone makes it.

Best bang for the buck

On: 2009-09-24

When I went looking for a rack I wanted something that would be strong, light and durable. This rack has all that and one other feature I like also, its designed to keep the panniers close to the center of gravity of the bike. Like all good racks, this one becomes an extension of the frame itself with little to no flexing at all and strong enough to carry the heaviest of loads. I dont think I would ever want to test its 130 lb capacity but Im sure its capable of carrying that. This thing is a real work horse.

Works on my road racing frame!

On: 2009-07-17

I bought this rack in a sort of desperation after my bike shop told me the only rack in the whole world that would fit my newly purchased bicycle would be about $150, plus installation. I sought a second opinion at REI and they told me the same thing. I did some research and decided this was worth the small gamble and it paid off, much better than I had hoped.

This rack does not come with any directions whatsoever, but after two hours the rack was finally installed. Read further for time saving hints:

Remove the quick release skewer and place the skewer through the mounting holes on the rack. I went in the order rack, spring, quick release/cap. I had to push the rack legs together about ½ an inch to be able to screw the cap back on the skewer, this was probably the hardest part, squeezing together and trying to screw on the quick release cap at the same time.

Next, this comes with a bracket you mount to the rack and the brake caliper, not shown in the stock photo.

Important part! I had to BEND this bracket to get it to fit from the rack to my break caliper. The bending part wasnt too difficult, but it did take some time to get it to fit correctly. It originally was too parallel to the floor, and I had to methodically bend it to the angle between the rack and the caliper.

Once the bracket looked correct, I completely removed the break caliper and went in the order bicycle frame, rack bracket, caliper unit. I had to remove a thick washer to be able to have the break caliper screw be long enough to reaffix.

At this point, I then affixed the bracket to the rack with the included screws and bolts. I used a level to make sure I wasnt pulling the rack too far forward when attaching the bracket. They include 6 screws, in sets of varying length, but only two bolts.

The only tools you need are an Allen wrench (to remove caliper) and a screwdriver and pliers (to affix bracket to rack), and maybe a level if youre like me.

The rack seems super sturdy, I can lift up my bike with the rack, and I can push and pull the rack and there is no give. It works great!

I guess the $150 rack manufacturer has some competition now!