Bikepacking - a viable alternative to racks & panniers

I didn't want to use the frame kit because I'd already bought the OMM axle because it's a neater solution (if it works).

There was a guy on bikepacking.com youtube comments that had made it work using... something

I think it was this front dropout kit: https://www.bike24.com/p2675341.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf4CcTFvz38

So I can attest to the the Old Man Mountain experience, but went a slightly different route. I'll be honest, the $168 price tag just for the rack was too rich for me, and everything said and done starts getting into the Tailfin space.

So what I did was purchase a mounting kit and 2 sets of axles kits (one for my 12x142 hardtail Ibis Tranny29) and one for my gravel bike (12x142 Rodeo Labs Flaanimal). I was hoping to get lucky that they shared the same thread pitch and length but unfortunately luck was not on my side.

I really wanted the Ortlieb Quick Rack to work but I believe it was going to be too wide with the quick rack mounts. So after some searching, and measuring, a quick hack if you don't necessarily need a beefy overbuilt OMM rack that's quite spendy, it will work with racks with boost spacing, but you need to have the rack dropouts to have 2 holes to mount to the "Divide Drop Outs - Pair" (DRO100) to interface with the axles. Two screws to attach it to the rack with bolts. When you see the kit, its self explainitory. I personally went with a Racktime BOOSTIT 2.0 which fit my price/needs. I also purchased the Seat Post Clamp (SEA101) which is awesome because it splits in half. It doesn't fit on the frame but added some extra rubber to connect it to the seatpost directly. Which is even better because you remove the need to adjust anything when taking on/off.

I really like this setup because its literally 4 bolts and I can move the rack from my gravel bike to my HT in less than 5min, and its 4 bolts (assuming the axle is installed) I don't even have to adjust the angle or length moving it from bike to bike (got lucky there). It's a slight hack and I had to drill two holes in the rack to get everything to line up, but the axle kit and Divide Drop Out kit is a legit robust easy pairing if you find an alternate rack that works with it.

I will say that one of the reasons I looked at this particular rack is the "Snapit2.0" base that snaps onto the rack. I attached an Ortlieb Rackpack 24L to it and it basically does the same as the Tailfin AP20. I use it everyday to commute into work. Just quick-disconnect and carry the bag into work. Works better than loading/unloading panniers. This was my personal hack.

If anyone wants to know more about this setup/DIY, I'm willing to help through the process.

@firsthippy
Do you have pics or video of your setup? I wanted to use OMM axle with Ortlieb Quick Rack but the rack wasn't tall enough so I bought OMM rack. But I still have Quick Rack so I also bought their frame mount kit. Now I'm wondering if I could use the Quick Rack on my partners gravel bike with another OMM axle and your bodge to extend the legs. I see the OMM leg extender parts but I'm not sure how they'd mount to the Quick Rack.

@josh33172
I do have pictures, but I don't have close-ups and the bike is very dirty to take pictures...and the water in the hose is frozen to clean the bike....It's just a consequence of riding here in Belgium. :/

To connect to the rack and what slips over the axle is the "Divide Drop Outs" you purchase from OMM (the were $32 for the pair when I bought them). I chose my rack specifically because it was the only stout rack with two bolt holes to mount the dropouts so that they functioned very similar to the Divide rack. That is what will give you the extra height because it's adjustable depending on which thread holes you use.

As far as using the Quick Rack, I literally just got it in the mail and haven't even cracked open the box to start looking at the bits... I haven't decided if I will use the rack for bike touring or commuting. I have Ortlieb Gravelpacks so that's what I would be using for a pannier setup.