Read any review on the Royal and they all say many things, some I have noticed and a lot that I have not.  One thing for sure that every review mentions is the low quality rack that is fitted, for a touring bike something that is quite important.     The main point is that it is rated at only 25kg whereas most decent racks will be a lot more sturdy at 35kg, and this is something I can confirm as I do have a decent rear rack on the Highway which I bought and fitted myself when I made the switch from front basket to more manly rear panniers (I won’t go into the fact that my sole rear pannier is currently off a Phil and Teds pushchair!).   I paid good money for it and it is probably better built than the rest of that bike, it certainly looks much stronger and more suited than the flimsy looking one on the Royal.

Biking to work the bike needs to take the weight and the strain of my bag which contains my lunch, a rack rated at 35kg can do that job and so can one rated as 25kg, so it seemed and idea to swap them over.     This job took only minutes and it looks all a bit more business like on the Royal now, ready for a trip out tomorrow.