I have dreams of doing so many self-supported, multi-day road and gravel rides but I don’t really want to do them on a heavy, fully-kitted out touring bike or while wearing a large backpack all day. It looks like now I don’t have to. Tailfin is an ultra-light, quick release bike rack with a set of panniers that blends seamlessly into your road bike. Now you can still ride fast, but while carrying more.
Tailfin is a carbon fiber bike rack that fits the majority of road bikes, including carbon and those lacking rack mounts, via a custom-made quick release skewer with built-in mounting features. The rack mounts to your bike by forming a stable triangle between the ends of the skewer and the seatpost. As it mounts to the quick release, you can take it on and off your bike in seconds, without the need for tools.
The Tailfin skewer and lower rack connection is designed to accommodate both common hub widths used in road bikes–130 mm and 135 mm. The seatpost connector is carbon friendly and designed to fit almost any size from 25 mm to 34 mm, whether it is round or an aero shape.
The accompanying Tailfin panniers contain a rigid backbone to keep items stable in transit and reduce any sway or swing when you are riding. Each pannier features a capacity of 24 liters–enough to fit your 17″ laptop, a change of clothes, shoes, and plenty of other gear.
Both the Tailfin bike rack itself weighs only 275 grams and can take a load of up to 40 pounds–875 grams in weight if you add the two panniers. For security reasons the Tailfin rack can be locked with a small screw when needed.
If you already own panniers, the rack accommodates other pannier brands and for those that would rather attach the carbon fiber bike rack to the frame itself (versus the quick release), rack mount adapters can be used.
The company is running a Kickstarter campaign for pre-orders. Currently, you can get a Tailfin bike rack for $219 ($254 for the rack and one pannier)–expected delivery in October. This thing is beautifully designed and I can’t wait to get my hands on one.