Super Tourist DX Rating: 4.5
Advantages:
- Light (not too light, but not heavy)
- MTX compatible
- Side bar for panniers
- Paint is thick, doesn’t scratch easily
Disadvantages:
- Mounting can be a challenge with some bike frames
Made of Aluminum tubing, Topeak Super Tourist DX is available in two versions. For bicycles with disk brakes and bicycles with rim brakes. So be careful when ordering.
Also, The DX model has a little more tubing in it than the plain Super Tourist rack. It has a side bar for side panniers that is about 3 inches below the rack’s “platform”. This is for people who want to put standalone panniers on their rack. I don’t have the standalone panniers, because I have the Topeak MTX TrunkBag DXP, which has expandable panniers. But I bought the Super Tourist DX anyway. Why? Because that side bar provides anchor points for my bungee cords. I use those for fastening boxes and other stuff to the rack. After taking off the DXP bag, of course…
Topeak’s Super Tourist DX is a high quality rack. The black paint is thick. It doesn’t come off on its own, if you leave your bike in the sun, for example. You really have to try hard to scratch it. The screws are made of stainless steel. So be careful when screwing those to your bike’s aluminum frame! Turn the screws with your fingers at first. If you feel a little resistance, stop and unscrew, then retry. Because it’s really easy to damage an aluminum thread with a steel screw. It’s also a good idea to always grease any screws before using them.
Two stainless steel bars are used to connect the rack to the bike’s frame. They seem identical, but they’re not! One is left and one is right. If you mount them the other way around, they might interfere with your brake levers (if you don’t have disk brakes, that is.)
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Topeak Super Tourist DX is MTX compatible. You can attach any Topeak MTX bag to it. MTX is a very simple and clever technology, which lets you slide your bag on and off the rack in about 5 seconds. You’ll find this especially useful if you commute to work or ride to school/college. Just slide the bag off the rack and take it with you!
Topeak Super Tourist DX Specifications:
- Material : Hollow aluminum
- Compatibility : Different models for Disk Brakes & Rim Brakes.
- MSRP : $40
- MTX Compatible
- Tail light mount
- Weight : 700 g / 1.54 lbs
- Size (L x W x H) : 34 x 17 x 41 cm / 13.4” x 6.7” x 16.1”
The Super Tourist DX has also a nice feature if you don’t have fenders. Topeak calls it “Solid Fender Top”. The rack is closed in the middle, which saves you from the water and mud flying off the rear wheel and landing on your back.
I couldn’t find any significant flaw in Topeak’s Super Tourist DX. Yes, mounting it on some frames could be a little time consuming. But this isn’t really a flaw, just an inconvenience. If you need a rack, then this one won’t disappoint you. You can buy it from Amazon or ChainReactionCycles.