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You may be fortunate enough to own a few different bikes, or perhaps you’ve recently switched bikes – so what about your Tailfin kit?
The good news is that all our Racks and AeroPacks are designed to fit 99% of bikes on the market so switching should not be an issue. Below are some example scenarios;
I’m switching from a bike with QR axles to one with thru-axles
Disc brakes now dominate the bike industry and any new bike is likely to feature these. The majority of disc brake bikes use a 12mm diameter Thru-Axle so you will require a new Tailfin Thru-Axle to continue using your Rack/AeroPack.
Use our Axle Guide to find out which axle is required for your bike and simply install the new version when it arrives.
I’m switching from one bike with thru-axles to another
You may already have a Tailfin Thru-Axle from your original order, unfortunately, this does not guarantee you can continue using the same axle on your new bike though. The bike industry has not agreed on a single axle standard so different bikes may use axles with different thread pitches (put simply, the pitch of a thread is the distance between two threads on an axle). Some manufacturers use the same pitch on all their bikes, some choose different pitches on different models and some change the pitch on the same bike from one year to the next!
If you screw in the wrong axle on your bike you risk damaging the axle and your bike’s frame too. For this reason, you should check your new bike using our Axle Finder and order a new axle if required. The Axle Finder will also let you know if your new bike might need additional adapters to make everything work.
If you have several bikes with disc brakes then our Universal Thru Axle is a great option. It includes the four most common thread pitches used on bikes and with this one axle, you can switch from bike to bike.
I’m switching from rack mounts to a bike without. What should I order?
Many bikepacking frames feature rack mounts for carrying luggage, most road and MTB frames do not though. If you originally purchased a Tailfin and fitted it to the frame using the rack mounts (bolting directly to the frame) but now have a new bike without these, you can simply purchase a set of Fast Release Dropouts and relevant Tailfin Axle. Attach the Fast Release Dropouts to your existing arch and install the new axle on your bike. You can now fit your Rack or AeroPack.
For a deep dive into our Thru-Axles see here
