Skyler Des Roches created the Mica Rack as a solution for bikes without rear rack mounts for riders who didn’t want the hassle of bikepacking saddle packs. Rather than having a bag swaying and bouncing all over, the Mica Rack allows you to strap dry bag with your straps of choice. It is not a pannier rack, nor a rack for fully-loading; think of it as a bag support. Let’s check it out below…
The idea behind the Mica rack began a long time ago, when Skyler Des Roches was still working at Porcelain Rocket. It started with a simple question: how light could a rear rack be made if it was not intended to carry panniers but rather only carry a bag about the size of a seat pack on top?
In 2018, Peter Daam (Daambuilt) made Skyler a custom mini-rack to fit his Daambuilt frame. The experience of using that rack was a revelation for the designer: full use of the dropper post, no sway, and everything was low and out of the way. The challenge remained: how to attach it on bikes without rack mounts?
In early 2023, Skyler returned to this question armed with more experience in mechanical design. Since then, he’s tested many iterations, slowly distilling the concept to its simplest form. The result is a 375 gram micro-rack (more like a bag support) that will fit nearly any bike using fixed-length stays.
The Mica Rack production design is launching today with a pre-order. Skyler will be making this first production batch in Vancouver, BC, so that they can be delivered this summer.
The Mica rack is not intended as a variation on a pannier rack, but rather as a sort of seat pack. It is designed to carry an 8-15 L dry bag directly above the rear tire and also has 3-pack mounts on the sides for bottles, cargo cages, or accessories.
It doesn’t require rack braze-ons for mounting, so it can be installed on nearly any bike. The upper rack mount can be installed to a seat post, an exposed section of the seat tube, or to a fender mount on the seat stay bridge. The lower rack mounts connect anywhere along the seat stays using nylon blocks and 120lb-rated fancy cable ties.
Check out Mica Cycles for more info and to pre-order. Find more of the development story on Instagram @micacycles.
