Blackburn Expedition 1 Disc Rear Rack review

High quality, reliable rack for bikes without mounts

Image shows Blackburn Expedition 1 Disc Rear Rack
(Image credit: Future)
Cycling Weekly Verdict

The Blackburn Expedition 1 is a super solution if you want a rack but don’t have any mounts on your frame. It’s exceptionally easy to fit and will tolerate decent loads. Even if you have mounts, the quick-release attachment is a speedy, hassle-free alternative to conventional screws, providing you have a rear wheel with a 9mm QR axle. The finish is quite delicate, but this is far outweighed by the rack’s quality construction, affordability and modest weight.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Easy to mount

  • +

    Quality construction

  • +

    Doesn't require mounts on frame

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Removing rear wheel is no longer so quick

  • -

    Places luggage further out than most racks

  • -

    Only for a rear wheel with a 9mm QR axle 12mm thru axles are not compatible

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Blackburn’s Ex-1 pannier rack has been around for years, in fact, it was designed by Jim Blackburn in 1975. While there may have been one or two refinements to the design, the primary functionality of it remains the same, for good reason. The extended, quick-release skewer makes it arguably the easiest rack on the market to mount.

Construction

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Emma’s first encounters with a bike were in between swimming and running. Soon after competing for GB in the World Age Group Triathlon Championships in Edmonton in 2001 she saw the light and decided to focus on cycling. 

With a couple of half decent UK road seasons under her belt, she went out to Belgium to sample the racing there, spending two years with Lotto-Belisol Ladies team, racing alongside the likes of Sara Carrigan, Grace Verbeke, Rochelle Gilmore and Lizzie Deignan. Emma moved from Lotto-Belisol to Dutch team Redsun, working primarily as a domestique for Emma Johansson. When Redsun folded, Emma was offered the opportunity to ride with a newly formed Belgian team and home to the first year senior and budding rider Anna Van Der Breggen.

After retiring, Emma returned to teaching, setting up her own tutoring business. When not coercing kids to do maths, she is invariably out on two wheels. While the road bike remains her true passion, she has also developed an addiction to touring, with destinations including Iceland, Georgia and Albania, to mention just a few. There have also been sightings of Emma off-road, on mountain and gravel bikes… As if all of this isn't enough, she's been working as a freelancer since 2005, testing and reviewing the latest kit and sharing her insight into the sport.

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