Topeak  Explorer MTX 2.0 Bike Rack

Very steady and strong. Is a perfect rack for your touring bike trips.

Quality is similar to the Blackburn racks of the 1980s. Rack required longer stays for mounting onto a small Trek Marlin mountain bike. Used the Jandd 16 inch stays for mounting this. Quality of rack is almost as good as steel Tubus racks. Will be using this with the Topeak Trunk Bag EXP.

I’d rate this rack a 5 for final result and 1 for ease of installation, so 3 overall. My bike has attachment points for a rack, and mounting the rack should be easy. However (as another reviewer pointed out) the front support arms have to be bent to reach the attachment points on the seat stays. I called Topeak to verify this because it seems weird, but that’s correct. Requiring the customer to bend the support arms is a very poor design (their older racks had a “joint’ in the support arm that allowed an easy fit). Also, having a bendable support arm means using non-painted aluminum (I guess that’s why they didn’t paint it), so the support arms don’t match the rack.

Solid product, fairly straightforward installation. I purchased the MTX Trunkbag at the same time. Not sure if I'd rate it as high if I were to use a different manufacturers bag. The only small disappointment was the included hardware was silver and not black. The upper attachment arms are understandably natural finish-they have to bend to differently to allow universal fitment and any finish applied finish would likely flake off during installation, but the screws certainly could have been black. I replaced them as soon as I could. I'll probably Plastidip the the upper arms at some point to complete the look.

Works good on co-op city bike. You may need a adapter if you have a smaller bike frame(5'3 height) that costs additional 12$ which is sad.

Overall not impressed with this bike rack, here's why: The down brackets that attach near the wheels are not enough to support the rack. The rack sways front-to-back unless the supports that attach near the seat are used. The problem there is that only one of the brackets was able to attach due to interference from the rear brake adjustment. Also, the brackets are soft shiny aluminum and do not match the color of the rack or the bike and they have to be bent and manipulated to function properly. The system could have been better designed, but that's what you get with "one size fits all."

Great product. Fit perfectly. Bags & Paniers attach easily.

This (combined with the cargo rack) is the best bike accessory I've ever purchased. Another reviewer said they treat it like their car trunk, and I completely agree. I've caried packs of seltzer, watermelons, cakes, you name it. I love the generous capacity, and just add a short bungee cord and you can strap all sorts of things into it. I also like that it's easy to remove when I don't need it.

Did not come with installation instructions and did not fit 29 in tires as advertised. Good quality, but was hard to install for it to just not work for my bike