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| OMM Axle Pack on a bike. (Image courtesy of OMM) |
The idea of mounting accessories, bags, or water bottles from a fork is not a new one. Touring cyclists have been using brazed-on mounts for racks to hold panniers from forks for years. I first saw water bottles mounted off a fork at the first Trans Iowa gravel race in 2005. A rider had hose-clamped two cages to the fork blades of his Redline Team Conquest cyclo-cross bike.
Now days any "adventure" or bikepacking bike worth its salt comes with fork braze-ons, those little warts sticking out with bolts that can accept a Three-Pack style rack or water bottle cages. However; many "racing" style gravel bikes and older bikes do not have such accessories. What to do?
That's where Old Man Mountain's recently developed and manufactured "Axle Pack" comes in. It allows any bike to have "three-pack" style attachments on the fork - even suspension forks. What's nice about this is that not only can you add this accessory on your bike, but it is not permanent. So, you can use the Axle Pack for the over-nighter you've got planned and then remove it for the fast-paced gravel group ride the following week. OMM have made the Axle Pack versatile by way of their famous "Fit Kits", Mounting Pucks, and through axles which are available through the Robert Axle Project.
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| My Noble GX5: Great bike, but no fork mounts! |
The Problem: I have a Noble Bikes GX5 which is a great bike for long gravel rides but for one detail. It does not have any way to mount a water bottle to the forks. This, to my way of thinking, is a handicap in that I have to find more creative ways to go long distances on this bike and have the hydration capabilities that my body requires on a hot, Summertime gravel grinder.
I do have other bikes, and some of those do have the mounts on the forks I desire, but none of those bikes are lightweight carbon fiber machines that have the stiffness under power that the Noble has. What if I could add water bottle cages to this bike?
Sure, there are other ways to solve this conundrum, but I happen to think that fork mounted bottles are actually easier to access while riding than even a traditional cage placement in the main triangle, not to mention any bottle in a bag, frame bag, or jersey pocket. Hydration bladders are also an option here, but again - I like my fork mounted bottles. Your mileage may vary there.
The Solution: The Axle Pack will easily mount to this Noble GX5 and allow me to use water bottle cages, or even a larger cargo cage that might hold a Nalgene bottle, or gear for a sub-24 trip. The through axle needed to be swapped and the Mounting Pucks ordered along with that to make it all work, but the solution is there. And as I stated earlier, I can easily remove the Axle Pack with no harm done. Suddenly, the GX5 just became a lot more versatile!
The Parts: So, as stated, I received the Axle Pack, which is two long rails with slots and threaded bolt holes in it. On one end is the receiving side that mates with the special Robert Axle Project through axle. The upper portion of the Axle Pack will be cable tied to the Mounting Puck using the heavy-duty cable ties provided in that kit. Those cable ties are a special design which does not "zip", (no teeth), and they are UV resistant. That's a great quality to have for peace of mind hauling.
The Axle Pack retails for $60.00 USD and most fit kits, which includes the proper 12m through axle and Mounting Pucks, costs $80.00 USD.
Here is what OMM has to say about the Axle Pack:
"Old Man Mountain Axle Pack is unlike any fork mount adapter you’ve seen. Rather than trying to clamp to round or tapered surfaces and just hope it doesn’t slip or spin, Axle Pack is, you guessed it: Thru Axle mounted! Attaching to the axle makes it impossible to slip or spin.
Axle Pack is lightweight, reliable, robust, and rigid. With four mounting point you can also choose to run your gear higher or lower depending on your needs."
What I Got: Referencing the image above, starting out in the center and then rotating counter-clockwise: We have a Robert Axle Project through axle for the Axle Pack, or any Old Man Mountain Rack as well (#1), then we have the two rails that make up the Axle Pack itself (#2). Following that we have two sheets of protective film to avoid scratching the fork legs (#3). Then in the upper right hand portion of the image you can see the two rectangular shaped objects which are the Mounting Pucks (#4). Then we have a handful of cable ties (#5) followed by the mounting hardware that comes with the through axle (#6) Finally we have the mounting hardware that comes with the Axle Pack (#7)
The OMM site has a nice step-by-step procedure to help you find the Fit Kit and axle for your bike, and they also offer "real people" contact via the phone if you have further questions.
Next: In my next update I will go over that installation process on my Noble Bikes GX5 and show you how this will all go together to offer me a more versatile bike. I'll then go on several rides and see how the Axle Pack works in practice. Since it is cold I was thinking of strapping on an old Thermos full of chicken soup or tomato soup for a nice lunch stop on a ride. Mmmmm...... Soup!
Thanks to OMM for the opportunity to review and try out these products. Stay tuned for an update soon.
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