Expedition Hybrid Models

The Expedition Hybrid (both front and rear) racks are the original ATS racks.  I say this with some hesitation as the current versions have little in common with their initial form (RBD Sakkit) nearly two decades ago.  Their design has gone through vast changes over the years as I've made the racks more and more versatile and much lighter in weight.  For almost two decades their design has been in a constant state of evolution, and for many years they have been crafted to a much higher standard than they were originally in the 1990s (I didn't build the racks back in the 1990s).  Like all other ATS racks they are crafted to a standard that is completely in its own dimension.

The Expedition Hybrid Mid/High is designed for very serious expedition-oriented and tandem touring, and is an exceptionally rigid rack that is designed to carry the most extreme tandem and expedition gear loads.  Its exceptional rigidity is the function of steeply inclined triangulation struts (separate opposed to integrated) and extraordinarily rigid rack-to-fork mounting.  Of equal importance in terms of performance, the Expedition Mid/High is designed to provide very wide upper and lower pannier hook spacing and a truly exceptional level of pannier mounting stability.  This rack is set up and mounted in several ways.  It is direct-mounted, in a mid/high pannier-mount version, to the upper end of fork blades.  This version of the rack may be modified to fit low-mount fork fittings as well and has been built since the 1990s.  My personal preference is to set the rack up in a high-mount version to be used in conjunction with long, 18.25" panniers.  This version of the rack is mounted to a fork crown (in lugged bicycle frames) or top of a uni-crown fork either with a Pivot-Mount adjustable mounting mechanism or by direct, custom-fit mounting.  The high-mount versions of the rack are exceptionally lightweight at about 22 ounces, which provides great performance at a very low weight in an expedition type rack.

This rack is now being made in two separate versions for bicycles with 26" wheels or for 700c wheels, and as with all other ATS racks, the front Expedition Hybrid racks is available with all ATS rack options in finish, lighting systems, strap guides and integrated pannier mounts.

Base price in a system with RBD panniers: $1275

Like the Expedition Hybrid front rack, its companion rear rack has evolved through the years, in many different versions, always moving toward a lower weight with higher rack/pannier stability.  In its latest ATS hybridized version it is being built with a long, tapered top platform and is to be used with 18.25" panniers.  This design places panniers well below the dropouts of a bicycle frame affording both proper ground clearance for panniers and at the same time a low center of gravity in mounting touring gear.

The Expedition Hybrid rear rack represents the ultimate in performance and quality.  The craftsmanship of the rack is completely unlike any other racks and its combination of extreme rigidity, exceptionally low weight (about 21 ounces in the custom-fit version), very wide upper and lower pannier-mounting fittings and exceptionally rigid pannier mounting provides performance that no other rack even begins to approach.

In line with all other ATS racks, the Expedition Hybrid rear rack is a highly customized, hand-made rack that is available in many different versions that are designed in systems with ATS and RBD panniers.  This rack is currently being built in two different vertical designs, one for bicycles with 26" wheels and another for those with 700c wheels, and it is designed, stylistically, with either a tapered top platform or a slightly wider platform with parallel sides.  It reflects a truly remarkable combination of form, function and finish, and is available with all ATS custom rack options.

Base price in a system with RBD panniers: $1375