A buyer's guide to racks and baskets

Whether you're a city commuter or a cycling enthusiast, make sure you carry your essentials the right way.

Bikes aren’t just great for personal transport – they fit the right accessories and have impressive carrying potential. Here’s our handy guide to bike racks and baskets to help you turn your steed into the ultimate packhorse

One of the best things about bicycles is that with simple accessories, you can turn almost any bike into a convenient, goods-carrying mode of transportation, fitting in everything from work essentials to groceries.

But what are these accessories? The first and probably best known is the rear rack, perfect for all sorts of bags and a requirement for many types of a child seats. The second, which will enhance your bike’s luggage-carrying potential, is to fit a front rack. Or, for ultra-simple carrying, you can fit a basket. Let’s look at the options.

Rear racks

The traditional rear rack is a relatively simple metal tubed affair that mounts to points on the bike frame near the rear hub and at the top of the seat stay, just behind where the seat post enters the frame. Once fixed to your bike, your rack is ready to have pannier bags attached to it or rack-top bags, or you can simply bungee cord anything you need to carry to the top surface. Our ultra-lightweight Elops 900 rack can safely carry up to 18kg of kit, has extended side sections to protect the rear wheel and even comes with a mount for a VIOO Clip light. Rear racks are useful for more than just luggage carrying - many child seats, such as the Polisport Groovy require a rack for fitting.

Specialist racks

Before you go ahead and buy a rear rack, there are a couple of things you need to consider. Many traditional rear racks are designed for bikes that roll on 700c wheels and don't use disc brakes. So if your bike has smaller wheels or disc brakes, you'll have to find a compatible rack, such as our Elops 500 Disc Ready rack comes with special spacers and shaped mounting arms. It's compatible with a whole number of pannier bags and child bike seats so that you can prepare for any occasion.

Elops 500 seat post pannier rack on a Riverside Hybrid bike

Seat post rack

Not all bikes will accept a traditional rear rack. More sports-orientated road bikes and some mountain bike frames might not feature rack mounts, but their practical load-lugging potential can still be enhanced. Our Elops 500 Seat Post rack can be clamped to a bike’s seat post to carry pannier bags or even 10kg rack-top kit.

Elops 500 front pannier rack on a Elops 500 Speed urban city bike

Front racks

Keeping with the theme that a bike frame’s rear triangle isn’t the only place to fit racks, the front of the bike offers some options, too. Traditional front racks tend to sit above the front wheel and may be attached to the bike’s head tube. The advantage of designs such as our Elops 500 Front Bike rack is that you can easily access whatever you need - and keep an eye on it!

Lowriders

Another option for front carrying, most popular with touring cyclists, is racks referred to as lowriders. These are usually straightforward flat metal frames that can be bolted to special mounting points on the bike fork’s leg, although some products can even be used on forks that don’t have dedicated mounts and will happily transport up to 9kg of luggage on each side.

Front basket

Of course, you could avoid front racks altogether and fix a basket directly to your bike. Simple designs such as our Elops 100 Front Bike Pannier just hooks onto your handlebar for super-easy fitting and removal. Alternatively, for a slightly more secure setup, our excellent Elops 500 Front Bike Pannier uses a sturdy mounting bracket around the handlebar and a quick-release mechanism for fitting and removing the basket. As with many of our B’Twin-carrying products, both baskets have dedicated mounting points for VIOO Clip lights.

Rear basket

Finally, we come to the last carrying option – a rear basket. For these, you will still need a rear rack of some description, but having a basket makes for ultra-convenient carrying. The Elops 500 Universal Rear Bike Basket can be clamped to most rear racks without tools. Our baskets can be enhanced with VIOO Clip lights. If you're worried about not noticing if anything falls out of your basket, you can secure your load with our Elops protective basket net.

So when it comes to transporting stuff by bike, there are plenty of options. From simple baskets for everyday items to full front and rear racks that handle weighty cycle luggage, we've got the right kit for the job.

Transport your belongings in the most comfortable and securely possible. Whether you're getting ready for a city break or simply commuting to work, there are plenty of options for you to choose from.