Pannier Rack

The Pannier Rack is a rack which can fit on your bike. With the Rack, you have the option to add a removable CargoPack or SpeedPack Top Bag and Panniers (this can be done during configuration of your rack order or separately on its own product page at a later date, too). The fixed CargoPack is an integrated seat pack, meaning that the bag and arch are connected together. For some riders, these differences are important; for others, less so. The Rack is slightly heavier overall but allows more flexibility by offering a removable Top Bag, meaning you can leave just the Rack fitted to the bike. The fixed CargoPack and SpeedPack systems are lighter and have a simpler design. For more info, read our blog.

Yes, from Mid 2025*, Tailfin rack systems are safe with all our removable bags, apart from the removable CargoPack (formerly AeroPack) and 22SL and 22UD Pannier bags. If you wish to ride the CargoPack off-road on rougher trails, we recommend choosing the fixed CargoPack. We recommend you reduce the load rating by half when riding very aggressive singletrack – i.e. 4.5kg per side.

*In Mid 2025, the TopStay was redesigned to be stronger when riding off-road.

Yes, our Racks work with road and gravel bike suspension systems such as Trek’s IsoSpeed and Cannondale’s Kingpin suspension systems.

Yes, racks from mid 2025* onwards are compatible with full suspension. However, when the MTB suspension and/or dropper post is fully compressed, please ensure the saddle does not contact the top of the rack or removable Rack Top Bag. Any contact may put additional force on the top of the rack. Our racks and fixed CargoPack / SpeedPack use a Tri-pivot design that allows for the suspension to compress with minimal friction.

*In Mid 2025, the TopStay was redesigned to be stronger when riding off-road.

Both alloy and carbon racks have been tested to the same standards and are capable of carrying a maximum of 27kg (road use only). The carbon Rack has been designed to be strong, and we have historically seen close-to-zero failures due to impact. The main differences between the Alloy and Carbon versions of the Rack are weight, price, and aesthetics. You can check out our comparison blog for more information.

It is possible to mount a seat-post light to the Rack, just as you would your regular seat post, but it may rub the Rack finish after heavy use. The removable CargoPack Top Bags have loops on the rear of the bag made for certain clip-on lights, or we offer an Adjustable Light Mount, and a Fixed Light Mount, which fits to the 64mm spaced bolts on the base of the removable CargoPack Top Bag to allow you to mount your rear light directly to the pack. Unfortunately, it is not possible to use these light mounts with the removable SpeedPack due to a lack of mounting points on the bag.

We don’t recommend carrying your laptop in your CargoPack Top Bag due to the shape of the bag. We have a range of Panniers well-suited to carrying your laptop instead.

This depends on the type of riding you’re doing now and your plans for the future. If the majority of your trips are short overnighters, then you probably may not require panniers. If you’re planning some bigger adventures, commute often, or want the option to carry up to 27kg in the future, then we recommend the pannier mounts, as these cannot be added after (you would require a new arch available on our Spares Page). With our Pannier Adaptors, you can also carry other brands of panniers.

Yes, all Cargo Cages fit the alloy arch only, even if it has pannier mounts, although you cannot use the panniers if the cargo cages are fitted, though.

You can only mount the Varia to the CargoPack Top Bag. To do this, you will need the Adjustable Light Mount, and fit this to the underside of the CargoPack Top Bag. For the most secure fit, we recommend ordering the Garmin Seat Rail Kit separately too. The Tailfin Adjustable Light Mount has a GoPro fitting, so you can use it in conjunction with the Garmin kit to attach the Garmin Varia Radar to it.

The CargoPack is an 18L bag featuring 1.5L external mesh side pockets, 1 central TPU strap over the middle of the bag, and the option to roll the bag to clip together in the centre, or down the sides (V2 – Jan 2026+ only) using provided T-hook straps. The SpeedPack is a 10L bag featuring a 3L external mesh pocket over the top of the bag. It rolls close at the rear of the pack, allowing you to clip it down the sides with provided T-hook straps, or closed in on itself like a standard dry bag.

We offer spares for much of the Pannier Rack, including a Rebuild Kit, and these can be found on our Spares Page. For warranty queries, please submit a warranty form.

Assembly requires a Torx T25 key (found on most multi-tools), and you can find guidance on our Assembly guides.

We’ve designed our products to fit the majority of bikes, from road to full-suspension. You can search our Reviews to see if another customer with the same bike is already using this product too. We offer frame mounting as well as Axle mounting (both QR and Thru Axles). We have a useful guide explaining our mounting options. If you’re still unsure, contact our team for help and advice.

26″ Maximum Tyre Width – 4″ / 100mm
27.5″/650B Maximum Tyre Width – 3.5″ / 90mm
29″/700C Maximum Tyre Width – 2.9″ / 75mm

For help choosing your axle, please use our Axle Finder tool.

For riders with XS-L bikes or less than 100mm of exposed seatpost, we recommend selecting this in the configuration to choose the Long TopStay. For additional tips, see this blog post.

The fixed CargoPack System (V2 – Jan 2026+ only) comes with the long 50mm Seatpost connector as standard. This is not adjustable but is designed to fit as many bikes as possible. The V1 (pre 2026) comes with 2 lengths of seatpost connector, and the Extended Seat Post Connector is available on our Spares Page, too.

The fixed SpeedPack comes with 3 different lengths of FitLink connectors, 30, 60 and 90mm in length, which are all adjustable up to +/- 50º of vertical alignment. The hardware at the rear is similar to the original, just 10mm lower and with a slightly different profile, giving improved stability.

The arches on all our Rear Systems measure 447mm in height (when measured from the Thru Axle), so you can use this measurement to see how high it will come relative to your frame. We have many customers using our Rack system with XL+ bikes. In the configuration of your Rack order, you’ll need to select bike size (XL+) to receive the Short TopStay that we recommend for XL+ size bikes.

The fixed CargoPack System (V2 – Jan 2026+ only) comes with the long 50mm Seatpost connector as standard. This is not adjustable but is designed to fit as many bikes as possible. The V1 (pre 2026) comes with 2 lengths of seatpost connector, and the Extended Seat Post Connector is available on our Spares Page.

The fixed SpeedPack comes with 3 different lengths of FitLink connectors, 30, 60 and 90mm in length, which are all adjustable up to +/- 50º of vertical alignment. The hardware at the rear is similar to the original, just 10mm lower and with a slightly different profile, giving improved stability.

We don’t recommend using the Rack system with a full-suspension bike – it is best suited to road/gravel frames on road/light gravel riding. We recommend the fixed CargoPack and SpeedPack system for all terrains and on full-suspension MTBs. All our Rear Systems use a unique articulated design; each pivot contains replaceable plain bushings, which allow it to adjust position as the suspension compresses. See our blog for further tips on fitting Tailfin products to full suspension bikes. All our Rear Systems are compatible with road and gravel bike suspension systems such as Trek’s IsoSpeed and Cannondale’s Kingpin Suspension.

Yes, the quick-release seatpost connector is compatible with all seat posts, including dropper, carbon, and aero. An extra-long seat post strap is included with all shipments for deep-aero seat posts.

All our Rear Systems come with 2 choices for mounting:
– Axle + Fast Release Dropouts: Your system includes a rear axle (choice of QR or Thru Axles) to swap out on your bike, the Rack then fits to this axle in seconds, allowing it to be mounted or removed in seconds.
– Frame Mounts + Fast-Release Dropouts: Your system includes mounts which screw into the frame eyelets on your frame, the rack then affixes to this mount in seconds, allowing it to be mounted or removed in seconds.

We have a comprehensive mounting guide for the different options.

Yes, all Tailfin Rear Systems come with security torx screws that allow you to ‘lock’ your Fast-Release Dropouts to your Tailfin Axle, or Frame Mount Adaptors, depending on your chosen mounting option.

Yes, you will need to add our Third Party Pannier Adaptors to your order.