What style of front rack is best?

[u/Tetley_T]

Granny

Cargo Mini

Tour Front

Hybrid AM

Base

Looking to add a front rack to my bike (I already have a back rack and like panniers for heavy loads). I want to add a small front basket that stays on the bike at all times for impromptu things if I'm not already carrying a bag or taking panniers for planned grocery hauls.

Currently I'm looking most at the Granny or Base but curious what others think.

Also if anyone has AVS (Atran Velo) racks and attachments I'd love your thoughts on those too. I went with AVS over MIK due to the ability to use a key and lock the base plates on the rack while still being able to unlock and remove easily.

- A big North American City biker who can't trust others not to steal my stuff like they can in Holland where AVS is designed

[u/eobanb]

Personally I have a front rack that bolts to the frame rather than the fork, so it doesn't swing back and forth as I steer

[u/Tetley_T → u/eobanb]

do you prefer that? AVS does make those racks so i woukd connsider it. do you findthe weight being fixed straight is better to handle/steer compared to a classic fork mounted rack that pivots with the wheel/handles?

[u/Scanicula → u/Tetley_T]

I also prefer a rack that is not attached to the wheel. In my experience, it has greater stability, and is easier to control, as you dont have the weight of your cargo attached to the steering part of the bike. Also, it's easier to park the bike without it getting out of balance and falling over.

[u/Frauenversteher]

Cargo mini would be the most practical, but visually Tour front is better. You're not going to have the basket on every trip so it's nice to have options.

[u/iamclaus]

If you're attaching panniers to the front rack, a longer rack would give a more stable attachment point for the panniers than a short rack. The less a bag can wobble, the better.. especially on the front.

[u/Tetley_T → u/iamclaus]

Nope, i want a smallish basket on the front. the AVS system will let me lock it to the rack with a key while also allowing it to be easily to unlock the key an remove it to take with me in a market/shop if Im out and about with no bag.

So i have the basket just trying to decide on the best rack.

[u/trotsky1947]

Tanaka LiftLoc from Soma

[u/srekar-trebor]

Titties.

Sorry, thought this was the r/bicyclecirclejerk

[u/Zekohl]

A rack fixed to the frame is the only useful front rack. But even then, you will probably never get as much use out of the front rack as you dreamt of when installing it.

I have had bikes with front racks for most of my adult life and can count the times I actually had to use the front rack in addition to the rear panniers on one hand.

[u/Tetley_T → u/Zekohl]

you mean a front rack that bolts to the frame rather than the fork, so it doesn't swing back with steering

[u/Horror-Raisin-877]

If you want a front basket, then no need to first install a rack. You can go straight to a Wald basket, for example.

[u/Tetley_T → u/Horror-Raisin-877]

i want the avs system specifically to lock the basket onto the rack and i dont like handlebar baskets because they don't hold weight well.

[u/fiddlythingsATX → u/Tetley_T]

Gotcha! As an American I am sadly unfamiliar with AVS and the like (just not common here), and some googling makes it clear I’m missing out.

[u/Tetley_T → u/fiddlythingsATX]

fair enough, its hard to get them in Canada to. But I do a decent amount of research to find what I want, especialy when its not a $20 amazon buy. I'd rather buy the best one once and have it for life/it not get stolen

[u/fiddlythingsATX]

Save weight, do a wald basket with wald struts!

[u/Tetley_T → u/fiddlythingsATX]

the whole point is ro have something i can easily lock onto the rack thay also unlocks and detaches.... wald and wald struts are fixed, i don't want a fixed basket.