We’re moving into our third season of building Sakkit racks. The response to the quality and performance of the racks has been really great. During the past year I have modified their design in a number of subtle ways to enhance their performance and to help meet the needs of a very broad range of tourists. Plus, this year we will be offering a low-mount front rack to individuals that prefer the low-mount design or that already have braze-ons for low riding racks fitted to their bicycle.

REVIEWS AND TESTIMONIALS - As I said, the response to the racks has been really fine. We have recently received some glowing testimonials that clearly express how well our racks stack up against other quality racks. The first is from an individual that had used Gordon racks for tens of thousands of miles before purchasing our system (rack/pannier). The second is from an individual that had used Gordon racks on his tandem for more than 20,000 miles before purchasing our gear. The third is from a person that bought and used both Gordon and Bilenky racks before purchasing our system.

“You should be very, very proud of your racks. I am convinced that the Gordon racks are a couple of steps above all of the other racks, and yours are a couple of steps above the Gordon racks. They are a much needed addition to what’s already out there.”

T. A. Rochester, NY

“We made it safely to our journey’s end a few days ago, from the North Cape, Norway to the South Cape. It was a hard ride, but worth the effort. We wanted to let you know that your equipment held up great and if I got a quarter for every time I remarked “this idea of Beckman’s was a good way to do…etc. etc.” I could have paid for the trip! You make the absolute best touring racks and panniers, no contest. I will use your products forever.”

H. M. Vernon, CT

“The racks and the rack/bag system is the best, hands-down, that a guy could have.”

N. T. Lincoln, NE

    There is a very extensive and highly favorable review of our racks in the June 1998 issue of Adventure Cyclist. If you have not seen the article and would like a copy of it, just give me a call and I’ll be happy to send you one.

SAKKIT REAR RACKS FOR 1999 - It wasn’t long after we started building our racks that people asked us to build custom racks for recumbent bicycles and mountain bikes with suspension, or to slightly modify Sakkit racks to meet specialized design criteria. One design feature that tourists have asked about is the ability to mount RBD panniers ‘flush’ with the top of our racks. For 1999 I decided to alter our rear racks to accommodate flush mounting of all of our pannier models, even our large tandem models that are quite long from top to bottom. Redesigning the racks required adding more flare to the bottom of the racks so that our largest panniers could be mounted in a way that would allow their placement on the racks to fall outside the travel of the rear derailleur. In the process of retooling to build the latest design of the rear racks, I also added about 15% more side support to the racks at the bottom of the side platforms. I altered the design of the triangulation struts to provide a little bit more rack rigidity, and I designed a new fitting at the bottom of the rack to allow for greater adjustment and rigidity of the lower rack mount. In 1999 we will have two models of rear racks that have different amounts of flare. The FM model will be for ‘flush’ mounting of tandem panniers, for tandems with 160-mm hub spacing and for recumbent bicycles that require widely spaced rack mounting. The S model rear rack has 2.5-degrees less flare and is being built for panniers that are not to be flush mounted.

SAKKIT MID-MOUNT FRONT RACKS FOR 1999 - In the process of altering the rear racks I also modified the front racks to provide a larger surface area of pannier support and to allow the front panniers to be mounted lower on the racks. Front panniers can now be mounted as low as six inches off the ground on a bicycle with 26-in. wheels, in the lower of the two mid-mount positions that we offer. Fairly early in 1998 I changed the shape of the front racks to allow wider hook spacing at the bottom of panniers mounted in the mid-mounting position, and to provide more potential for fore/aft adjustment. A picture of the latest front rack has yet to appear in our catalog or web site. I will try to get one into the site before we get too far along into ‘99’.

    Nearly all of the front racks that we built in 1998 were mid-mount racks. With two vertical mounting positions of panniers designed for the mid-mounting position, we are now able to offer panniers for the mid-mount position that are nearly as low as low riding panniers. Panniers that are mounted in the upper mid-mount position are high enough on the racks to provide adequate ground clearance for off-road touring. I seriously doubt that we will build many more mid/high combination racks.

SAKKIT LOW-MOUNT FRONT RACKS FOR 1999 - I decided to offer a low-mount rack in 1999 for one simple reason: many bicycles come with braze-ons for Blackburn low riding racks and there are many individuals that want to mount a rack to their existing braze-ons.

    The Sakkit low-mount rack will be, in the tradition of our other racks, a more high performance rack than other low riding racks that are currently on the market. There are a number of elements of design that sets it apart from other low riding racks. It has much greater side platform surface area and pannier support, 1.5-in. fore/aft pannier adjustment, and it can be built with two types of braze- ons for lighting systems. In addition, it’s designed to provide greater pannier mounting system stability, and it has a fully integrated and brazed-on mounting system for panniers.

    The Sakkit low-mount front racks will be available in 1999 in two models. The S model is being built for bicycles with Blackburn Lowrider braze-ons. And the BG model is designed specifically for bicycles that have forks that have braze-ons for Bruce Gordon low riding racks.

LOW-MOUNT RACKS VS MID- OR HIGH-MOUNT FRONT RACKS - I regard our front mid-mount racks and panniers to be of a more versatile design and one of higher performance compared to low riding racks and panniers. Our low-mount racks weigh about eight ounces less than the mid-mount front rack, they can be mounted to existing braze-ons, but they will not provide greater stability. Our mid-mount racks and panniers have essentially the same potential in terms of stability (which is much higher than with other rack/pannier combinations). Their design is conducive to far fewer ground clearance problems and the mid-mount rack is a more versatile rack. The mid-mount design has more potential in terms of carrying gear simply due to the fact that it has a highly effective platform over the wheel that significantly increases gear carrying potential.

    There is a long-held and highly false notion that low riding racks and panniers provide greater stability. In normal touring and riding conditions the potentially lower center of gravity of low riding panniers has extremely little effect on bicycle performance. Enhanced bicycle performance, as it relates to racks and panniers, is far more closely related to other factors. To understand this you will have to be open to the fact that various combinations of racks, panniers and bicycles have an extremely wide range of potential in relation to overall stability or performance. It’s due to the fact that some bicycles have frames that are built to carry weight far more effectively than other frames. Certain panniers are dramatically more stable than other panniers, and have far more sophisticated means of distributing the weight of gear. Some racks are of far more sophisticated designs than others. And there is a wide range in potential performance that is simply related to how well racks attach to bicycles. In short, performance is highly design- or gear-specific, with some combinations of racks, panniers and bicycles performing far superior to others, regardless of the vertical placement of the front panniers.

    If you consider any panniers that are currently being sold through bicycle stores (Madden, Ortlieb, Jandd, etc.) you shall find that none of them has a stable mounting system, or very high overall stability. The nature of the RBD/Sakkit system, which incorporates an extremely stable mounting system, a highly evolved stiffening design and an extremely effective compression system, contributes to a much higher level of stability. If you add to the equation the fact that we can provide many vertical mounting positions as well as provide fore/aft rack and pannier adjustment, the margin of stability of the our system is more enhanced. To that we add a design that allows the ability to isolate the weight of gear within the panniers. The long and the short of the issue is that our system is far more advanced in terms of carrying gear on a bicycle, and it has extremely little to do with the vertical placement of panniers. I think that if you could really experiment with a wide selection of panniers, racks and bicycles that you would find that the net gain in performance of low riding panniers does not come from how low they are. It’s more closely related to the simple fact that in moving from a high-mount position to a low one, the fore/aft orientation of panniers can change to a position centered over the front hub that is desired in a low- mount pannier.

    All I am really getting to is that if you are trying to decide between our low-, mid- or high-mounting position, I would advise that you don’t make a decision based upon what you have heard regarding other racks and panniers. Or from people who possess extremely little or no empirical knowledge of a wide range of rack and pannier performance. In 1999 we will be building panniers that have the potential to be built in eight different vertical positions on our racks. None of the vertical positions that we offer is based upon stability. The vertical positions are a reflection of potential ground clearance, the type of fork braze-ons a bike has and the desire to utilize a platform over the wheel.

LIGHTWEIGHT VERSIONS OF SAKKIT RACKS - We shall once again be building a lightweight version of each model of our racks. The lightweight version reduces the weight of each rack by several ounces.

RACK LIGHT BRAZE-ONS - I changed the type of braze-on for the rear taillight. It is now set up to accept a Vista Eclipse seven- LED taillight that is extremely bright and will run 100 hours in the flashing mode.

SAKKIT FRONT RACKS FOR BICYCLES WITH SUSPENSION - I had hoped to offer a standard front rack for 1999 that will fit bikes with front suspension. Currently (Christmas Eve) it’s a project that I have yet to complete. We will continue building custom front racks for suspension and I will get the standard rack into production as soon as I can.

ORDERING SAKKIT RACKS AND RACK/PANNIER SYSTEMS - One issue that comes up during the course of the year relates to the fact that I do not sell Sakkit racks independently of panniers. I designed Sakkit racks in a system with RBD panniers. The whole idea for me behind the racks was to design them to perform to a much higher standard than the other racks that were on the market, and to make RBD panniers function significantly better. A very important part of the design is the integrated mounting system. Our panniers are designed specifically for the Sakkit PivotLoc mounting design; no other panniers are. They are also designed to take advantage of the racks in terms of hook spacing and pannier support; the other panniers on the market are not. I sell Sakkit racks with RBD panniers. I also sell them to individuals that send me their panniers at the time they order racks to be modified to work with the Sakkit PivotLoc mounting system. That’s what I feel comfortable with.

    When you order Sakkit rear racks it is important that you provide me with the frame size and the rear dropout spacing of your bike. It is also essential that I have the other measurements listed in our catalog (shoe size, chain stay length, the distance between the outer faces of the seat stay eyelets).

    It seems as though every other conversation I have with people interested in our bicycles starts with a question like, “well, since your touring bikes are custom-built, could you possibly...........?” So since the first bikes we offered were built we have built no two bikes that are the same. We have done a lot of customizing. We have a bike currently on order that will be built for 700c wheels and side-pull brakes. It will also accommodate wide 26-in. tires and cantilever brakes. And the customer also wanted it to have fittings for Hayes disc brakes in the event that he may want to use disc brakes in the future as well. So that should give you some idea of the requests that I receive with regard to building a touring bike that covers personal needs or desires thoroughly.
    To me, buying a new touring bike is a big deal. It’s a very important purchase. And for many people it doesn’t happen very often. In fact, buying a very high quality touring bicycle may be a once-in-a-lifetime purchase. So I want you to get what you desire and need. Over the course of the past couple of years I have listened closely to many individual’s desires, needs and prejudices with regard to the bike of their dreams. It is my desire to build touring bicycles that cover, very thoroughly, the fullest possible range of touring bike design. In 1998 I began to offer several different models of touring bikes to meet that end. In 1999 we will offer four models of fully integrated touring bikes in an effort to cover an extremely wide range of touring bike design, and to match the needs and expectations of anyone looking for the most highly evolved touring bikes available.

SAKKIT EXPEDITION 26 - Our original touring bike designed for touring on both pavement and dirt. It’s the bike that I would use on an around-the-world tour. There are a few changes that we have made in this model during the past year. It is now available with a sloping top tube and 1.9-inch tire clearances are now standard. We have also quite recently started to build these bikes with a very beautiful and cleanly executed fully integrated fastback seat stay design. We have moved the generator mount from the left rear seat stay to the back of the front right fork. We are no longer running the lighting wires throughout the frame. We now run the rear brake cable through the top tube in a fully sealed design to develop better braking performance, reduce paint wear and because it looks better.

SAKKIT EXPEDITION 700 - The same bike as the Expedition 26, but built for 700c wheels and lacking a fourth water bottle behind the seat tube.

SAKKIT ODYSSEY 700 - The Odyssey 700 is designed as a responsive touring and commuting bicycle for those who travel primarily on paved roads. Although similar in design to other touring bicycles that are described as bicycles for widely variable conditions, we consider our other models more suitable for riding dirt roads and single-track touring. The Odyssey 700 is designed with quicker steering than the Expedition 26, shorter chain stays (44- or 45-cm) and, as its name implies, its a touring bicycle built for 700c wheels. Because all of our bicycles are custom, we have the option of building this bicycle as one for light touring or we can easily alter the frame to accept expedition loads. The Odyssey 700 comes with all Sakkit features and options including half-step gearing, a redundant lighting system that is either powered by a high quality Nordlicht or Busch and Muller bottle dynamo, or a Schmidt hub generator. It’s available with a combination of Shimano 105/Deore LX or Shimano Ultegra/Deore XT components groups. It’s also available with custom components of your choice.

SAKKIT GREAT DIVIDE TOUR - If you first think “mountain bike” when you think of the touring bike of your dreams, then our Great Divide Tour will fit your needs perfectly. The Great Divide is a full-on mountain bike for extensive single-track and expedition touring. Like the Expedition 26 it has a very rugged frame with a sloping top tube, oversized down and top tubes, and it comes standard as a lugged and silver brazed bike for the greatest reliability in the roughest of conditions. It features a highly responsive frame with relatively quick steering, a wheel base that is regarded as medium to long (medium by our standards) and chain stays of medium length (44- or 45-cm). It is designed with clearances for 1.9- and 2.2-in. tires. We can build the bike with either a rigid fork or a suspension fork (as long as we can get suspension forks with one-inch steerers). The standard setup with the Great Divide is with flat bars, but we are also very comfortable setting the bike up with drop bars and bar end shifting. Like our other touring bicycles, it is a fully integrated touring bike incorporating the finest custom-fit touring racks and panniers, the very finest generator-driven lights and an extremely wide range of custom components and options.

COMPLETE BIKES AND BIKES SOLD AS A FRAME, FORK AND RACKS - In the past year each bike that we sold was sold as a complete bike, with only one exception. Well, they were almost complete. When you see a price for a bike listed in our price sheet, it is a base price and does not include the price of pedals, pump, fenders or a lighting system. I price the bikes as I do for a variety of reasons. I do not include the price of pedals because the choice of pedals is so personal and the price of pedals is so highly variable. I consider pumps and fenders as extras. Two out of every three people that have bought our bicycles did not buy fenders. Lighting systems are extremely varied in price and the cost of their setup is highly variable, so I do not include the price of lighting in the bikes. A Schmidt hub generator used in combination with a Busch and Muller Lumotec Plus headlight will add $150.00 to the price of a bike. The light alone costs more than a complete Union set (generator, headlight and taillight). A Busch and Muller Dymotec S6 will cost nearly three times as much as their Dymotec 6 bottle generator. So, I just add lighting to the base price of the bikes. Likewise, when we set up a bike with high quality after market hubs and 40- or 48-hole rims it will add $250.00 or more to the cost of a bike.

COMPONENTS - Unless we ever build a ‘price-point’ bike I don’t think we will ever come up with a standard package of components for our bikes. We have some fairly standard components, but the range of components we use is quite extensive. We build up the bikes with two basic components groups: a combination of Shimano 105/Deore LX or Shimano Ultegra/Deore XT. To the two basic components groups we add the components necessary to build up a bike. In many cases we replace components within the standard groups with custom components. Custom components are added to the base price of a bike. There are some components that I just leave completely up to each individual buying our bike, like saddles and pedals, because the choice is highly personal. During the past year most of the bikes that we sent out the door were equipped with Phil hubs, with a 48-spoke rear wheel and a 40-spoke front wheel. Three of four bikes had drop bars. More than half the bikes had half-step gearing. Only one bike had compact drive. V-brakes and cantilevers were pretty well even in terms of what we used. The majority of bikes shipped were equipped with Nitto Technomic stems and Nitto bars simply because of the elevation of the handlebars that was required in the bikes. A significant number of bikes were built with head tube extensions or with eight-degree sloping top tubes.
    Rather than go through all of the components that we use, I will give a rundown of the components that I will be using on a bike that we are currently building for a magazine road test. It is representative of a common bike that we build. It is an Expedition 26 with a sloping top tube and clearances for two-inch tires. The frame will be built with Reynolds 725 and 531. It will be set up for both the front low-mount and mid-mount racks, and a rear rack. All racks will be built in the lightweight version. It will have a hub generator and be fitted for a secondary bottle generator, which will drive dual front headlights that have electronic ‘stand-light’ capability. Here’s a list of components:

• Cranks: Shimano Ultegra triple (48x44x24)
• Chain rings: Vuelta 48 and 44, Engagement stainless 24
• Cassette: Shimano XTR (12 14 16 18 21 24 28 32)
• Front derailleur: Shimano Ultegra double (it’s what works with half-step gearing)
• Rear derailleur: Shimano Deore XT SGS
• Shifters: Shimano Ultegra 8-speed bar end
• Pedals: user’s choice
• Brakes: Shimano Deore XT cantilevers
• Brake levers: Dia-Compe 287
• Handlebars: Nitto 45-cm or Cinelli 44-cm
• Stem: Nitto Technomic or Cinelli 26.0
• Headset: Chris King
• Tires: Ritchey 1.4-in. Crossbite Kevlar plus Ritchey Speed Max 1.9-in. (two tire sets)
• Tubes: Salsa lightweight presta
• Rims: Sun Metals CRT-18 tandem (40-hole front, 48-hole rear)
• Spokes: DT
• Rear hub: Phil (48-hole)
• Front hub: Schmidt generator hub (40-hole)
• Quick release skewers: Shimano Deore XT
• Chain: Shimano HG
• Saddle: user’s choice
• Seatpost: Ritchey or Kalloy (with decals removed)
• Bottle generator: Busch and Muller Dymotec S6 or Nordlicht 2000
• Head lights: Busch and Muller Lumotec Plus with electronic stand-light
• Taillight: Vista 700 Eclipse
• Pump: Zefal HP
• Water bottles: 28-oz. Nalgene (four)
• Cages: Velocity (four)
• Fenders: none

CANTILEVER VS V-BRAKES - During the course of the last year the number of bikes that we built that had cantilever brakes was pretty well even with those using V-brakes. I have not been real wild with how the rear brake of a bicycle with drop bars functions using a V-brake in conjunction with a Travel Agent pulley. When I get my hands on the new Dia-Compe 287-V levers maybe I will be more enthusiastic about V-brakes. My opinion may also change when the 287-V is used in conjunction with our new design routing the rear brake cable through the top tube, which reduces cable friction by eliminating some housing. We shall see.
    Another issue that relates to V-brakes involves the new Shimano V-brakes. I recently put the 1999 Deore XT V-brakes on a bike and the damn things are much, much wider than their previous brakes. I sent all the 1999 models back and reordered their 1998 brakes. The 1998 model makes much more sense when it is used in conjunction with our front mid-mount racks. One really nice thing about V- brakes is that they can have a very low profile and virtually no interference with racks and panniers. This is no longer the case with the new Shimano brakes. It’s a bad oversight on their part.

HALF-STEP GEARING - I sent one bike out the door with compact drive and that is all my conscience would allow me. It was the first bike that we built up and since that time all of our bikes have been set up with half-step gearing utilizing the Shimano Ultegra triple and after market rings, or with the Ultegra triple and standard Shimano gearing. My preference is half-step gearing simply because the way we set it up provides the most useable gears of any system, and an exceptional gear range with the smallest jumps between gears that is possible. Gear spacing is critical on a loaded touring bike and half-step gearing provides the best possible spacing. I set the half- step up with 48x44x24 chain rings and a cassette or freewheel with 12 14 16 18 21 24 28 32 cog spacing. The Shimano road triples also provide pretty good gearing. You can’t get a low gear that is as low as with a half-step system, but the range and spacing is quite reasonable. We have yet to sell a bike with integrated shifting/braking, but half-step gearing cannot be used with Shimano STI or Campagnolo Ergopower systems. I set the half-step up with Ultegra bar end shifters.

BICYCLE LIGHTING - I consider generator-driven headlights or lighting systems to be very important touring bicycle components. I would be at a loss without one. From the time we sent out our first bike I have been on the hunt in an effort to obtain the very best of the European lighting systems. During the past year I contacted the firms building AXA (Dutch), Nordlicht (Swiss), and Busch and Muller (German) bottle generators as well as the representatives of Schmidt (German) hub generators. In 1999 I will be offering all but the AXA bottle generators. Each of these products represents a much higher standard of quality and performance than the typical Union, Soubitez and Sanyo generators that have been available to cyclists in this country. I chose the Nordlicht 2000 because it is capable of driving two Lumotec headlights rated at three-watts, and because it is both very nicely crafted and beautiful in the tradition of the old Miller generators. The new Busch and Muller Dymotec S6 is the most efficient bottle generator ever produced, with a 60% efficiency rating. Its appearance is very different from that of the Nordlicht 2000. It has a very modern look, in contrast to the ‘classic’ appearance of the 2000. The Schmidt hub generator is regarded as the very finest hub generator available and is highly recognized in Europe for its efficiency, quality and dependability. Its quality and finish is consistent with the best of the U.S. after market hubs. In conjunction with the generators I will be offering Busch and Muller Lumotec headlights. I am importing the Lumotec Plus headlights with the electronic ‘stand-light’ capability. The electronic stand-light allows the headlight to shine brightly when your bicycle is stationary or at low speeds.
    If you would like a lighting system installed on your bicycle I would suggest that you discuss, with me, the various ways that one can be set up to best fit your individual needs. I plan to set both the Nordlicht 2000 generator and the Schmidt dyno hub up with two headlights and they will be available with a single light as well.
    Currently, the rear custom racks of all Sakkit touring bicycles, as well as all of the other rear racks we are building are fitted with a braze-on that is designed to be used with the Vista Eclipse seven-LED taillight. The Eclipse is exceptionally bright and has a battery life of 100 hours in the flashing mode. We had not built too many bicycles before I decided not to run wiring throughout the frame for both the headlight and taillight. A battery-driven headlight on a touring bicycle simply is not practical, but the battery life of taillights is such that I opted to use an extremely bright battery-driven taillight. I am very happy with the results of the Eclipse.

FRAME DESIGN AND TUBING - I firmly believe that very fine touring bikes can be built with many types of frame tubing. That has been my experience. In fact, I have one touring bike that performs very well that has a very inexpensive frame. I think that some cyclists place way, way too much emphasis on the type of tubing used in a bike for loaded touring. The frame sticker that appears on a bike tells you almost nothing about the bike. It does not tell you how the bike is going to ride. And it certainly does not tell you how the bike is going to respond to heavy loads or how it is going to perform in variable conditions. If I consider bikes made from steel tubing, I am far more concerned with the tubing diameters and the wall thickness of various tubes. I also place considerable emphasis on matching frame geometry and fit to individual needs. Ultimately, I regard other overlooked factors to be far more important than whether a frame is built with Reynolds 853, 725 or 531, or another type of tubing. In our touring bikes I consider the fact that our racks and panniers perform so extremely well to be ten times more critical than whether the main tubes of the bike are built with Reynolds 725 rather than 531. I have said for many, many years that no matter how wonderful your bike is it cannot make your racks and panniers perform better, but the performance of your racks and panniers can greatly enhance or erode the overall performance of your touring bike.
    There are small variations of geometry, tubing size and the wall thickness of tubing within the range of sizes in which we will build any model of our touring bikes. Sometimes there are fairly radical variations in the design of a frame required to meet individual needs or body types. One change that has taken place in our frames is that we have gone from a 70-degree head tube angle to one of 71- degrees in the Expedition models simply because that is what best fits the type of lugs that we are now using.

40-HOLE AND 48-HOLE WHEELS - We built a high percentage of 40- and 48-spoke wheels during the past year. There are several reasons why. They basically revolve around the simple fact that touring wheels can be exposed to a much greater pounding than the wheels on an unloaded bike, especially when used by heavy riders or when the wheels see a lot of unpaved roads. I have heard endless stories over the years from our customers about their 36-spoke rims not holding up and also of lots of problems with bent hub axles. So we build wheels appropriate to the weight of the rider using our bikes and the conditions in which our bikes are being used. A high quality 40- or 48-hole wheel is not just one that is stronger and more reliable due to the additional spokes. High quality after market hubs (Phil, White, King etc.) have much larger and more reliable hub axles than what you get in a stock hub.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET OUR BICYCLES, RACKS AND PANNIERS? - It takes a while. I think one thing that everyone interested in using our gear must understand is the fact that almost everything that we build is custom-built. There are, if you consider all of the models, mounting systems, mounting positions, color combinations, and custom options of our panniers, literally tens of thousands of ways that we can potentially build our panniers! We don’t just pull the stuff off of a shelf when you place an order. It has to be made to a variety of specifications. Our racks and bikes are highly customized as well.
    During the past year we had to turn down one of every two orders during the peak season (January through September) simply because many people waited until the last minute before ordering their gear. If you plan a June trip, I would suggest that you have your gear ordered by the previous September. I am serious about that. It won’t take that long to get the gear, but why wait until the last moment? Not everyone can purchase gear during the peak season. The amount of gear that we can produce in a short period is highly limited. If you order your gear well advance of the time you head off into the wilds, you will provide yourself with a better opportunity to be familiar and comfortable with the use of the gear. And, believe me, it will make our lives a whole lot easier. When we have a comfortable amount of time in which to build gear, life is a whole lot better.
    As a general rule, never expect that we will ship any racks or panniers in less than two months. And it can take considerably longer. Or it can be considerably less. Our order backlog can change by weeks and months in a matter of a few days. Currently there is a five- month backlog on bike orders. That could and will change. In 1999 my wife, Jan, will again work with me a bit more, and she will be working toward being in the business on a full-time basis, which should eventually cut our time to ship orders.
    Through the years I have ordered many types of custom gear: sleeping bags, boots, bikes, sea kayaks. The shortest wait I have ever had for custom gear was nine months and the longest (for a custom sea kayak) was three and a half years. So I consider the length of time that it takes to build and ship our gear to be quite short, relatively. But please, plan ahead.

REVIEWS AND TESTIMONIALS - We have been building Sakkit touring bicycles since July of 1997 and have received a couple of testimonials so far. (All testimonials are completely unsolicited.)

“It’s absolutely a work of art. Everything: the bike, the racks and the panniers are an absolute work of art.” -- K. M., Chicago, IL

“The bike is a gem, well worth the wait.” -- J. C., Ripon, CA