Nexus – bits & bobs (pt 4)

I used the Trek to go pick up a rather oversized parcel from the post office.

Contained in the monster box was a modestly sized zefal rack (£9.99) and a set of shimano spds (these were for using on the marin trail) and a whole massive load of shredded paper. I’m guessing either SJS cycles had run out of medium sized boxes or needed an excuse to get rid of some paperwork.

The rack went onto the Nexus pretty easily. It’s a bit of a fiddle to get everything lining up nicely and kit itself doesn’t come with all the fixing bolts you’ll need. Presumably because different bikes use different sized threads for the mounting points (they are bottle cage screws/bolts). i.e. the threads on the Nexus vitamin are the same as on my old Raleigh, but the threads on all the various mounting points on the Trek are not the same. For me it wasn’t a problem as I could swipe bolts from the Raleigh to make up the numbers, but for other folks it might take another frustrating trip to the shop.

Unfortunately  Zefal don't seem to have designed it with my Ortlieb Classic panniers in mind. There is no suitable place for the bottom hook to hold onto the frame properly. However with a bungee held in the right place that gives a decent place to hook the pannier to and is just as sturdy as if there had been a spot on the actual frame.There's the old adage 'you get what you pay for' and for moment the pannier problem made me regret going for the cheapest rack I could find, but that moment passed and I realised for £9.99 this rack is light, easy(ish) to fit and does the jobwell.

(although its not as pretty as this one).

With the rack fitted it meant the Nexus is now finally ready for some regular commuting, but when I was finished with the spds on the Marin trail I swapped them onto the Nexus to finish the job.

The gearing is still too low on this bike, so that’ll be the subject of part 5.