Bicycle Front Luggage Racks
A sub-page of http://bicycleluggageracks.com
Earth's Independent, Authoritative, and Only Source for Bicycle Luggage Rack Information
(More than you ever wanted to know about Bicycle Luggage Racks)
Last Update: 23 September 2008
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What's New? This Whole Page |
| Introduction |
| Criteria for Inclusion |
| Front Rack Design Considerations |
| Front Rack Specification Summary |
| Cargo Racks (not for panniers) |
Front racks are typically installed only on bicycles that are used for touring, trekking, or randonneuring. These bicycles will have non-suspension front forks that are specifically designed for front racks, and include a mounting system for panniers.
Rack must be welded or cast. No racks with swiveling struts like some of the Pletscher and Zefal racks.
Front Rack Design Considerations
Materials
As with bicycle frames, the best material for racks is chromium-molybdenum steel tubing (aka "Cro-Mo"). Unfortunately, as with bicycle frames, the trend is to use much less expensive aluminum. There are still some high end racks made out of 4130 Cro-Mo, including ones from Nitto, Tubus and Robert Beckman, but you'll pay a high price for these racks. For the ultimate in long term durability without paint damage, a couple of manufacturers offer stainless steel racks. For heavily loaded touring the Cro-Mo racks represent a worthwhile expenditure.
That said, the aluminum racks are fine and a well-made aluminum rack will last a very long time. No need to pay the high price for steel unless you're a real purist.
Mounting System to Fork and Headset
Front racks have a wide variety of mounting methods. Only a very few front forks (touring, trekking, and randonneuring bicycles) have braze-ons for front racks, and separate eyelets for fenders and racks at the drop-outs. Clamps around the fork and bolts into the fender eyelets on the drop-outs, are what are typically used for front rack mounting in the rare cases that a front rack is used on a non-touring, non-trekking or non-randonneuring bicycle. A few racks use the brake bolt/mud guard hole on the fork, and a very few mount to the fork crown (and not all forks have crowns).
If you're buying a new bicycle with the expectation of attaching front racks, ensure that the fork has the proper braze-ons. Since some low-rider racks bolt on to both sides of the fork blade, a proper fork will have the threaded braze-ons on both sides. Generally these forks have the braze-ons in the position to accommodate the Blackburn CL-1 rack (which established the pseudo-standard positioning) and other front low-rider racks have been designed with the same positioning of the braze-ons. If the braze-on positioning doesn't match the rack correctly then the rack won't be level.
In most cases, the racks that use clamps around the fork can also use braze-ons if they exist.
I remember attaching a Blackburn FL-1 to my 1984 Specialized Expedition, and being dismayed that the fork braze-ons didn't match the rack holes, and that I would apparently have to use clamps. I mentioned this to someone at Blackburn that I saw at a Blackburn booth at bicycle show, and he told me that Specialized hadn't followed Blackburn's specs, but that the next year's Expedition fork had corrected the problem. Then he took down my address and sent me a pair of adapters that solved the problem. The adapters were basically a short piece of metal with two holes in it; one threaded hole to attach the rack to, and one unthreaded hole to attach to the fork braze-on. It was short enough that it didn't seem to affect the sturdiness of the rack when mounted to the fork. The moral of this story is that you could easily make some short adapters if the rack doesn't precisely match the fork braze-ons.
Presumably no one is going to put front racks on a bicycle with a carbon fork, but just in case, don't put clamps on carbon forks.
A Proper Fork for Front Racks, Cro-Mo Steel (of course)
Top Area Length
This is less of concern with front racks. Low-rider racks have no platform at all. Unless you're planning to mount a trunk bag on the front rack, don't worry about the top area length.
Positioning (Low-Rider versus High Rider versus Mid-Rider)
This is where you need to be careful. There are several types of front racks when it comes to positioning.
The "low-rider" racks, popularized by Jim Blackburn back in the 1980's, position the panniers very low, with the bottom of the panniers far below the front axle. The idea is that this positioning increases stability because heavy loads mounted high make steering more unstable, especially at high speeds. This is true, though the benefit is often over-stated. The hybrid racks which allow panniers to mount mid-way down the fork are also very stable. What you want to avoid is hanging heavy front panniers with the top hooks above the front wheel.
The "high-rider" racks, such as the Blackburn MTF1, mount the panniers on the top rail of the rack, above the front wheel. This is not a good mounting position.
The "mid-rider" racks, such as the Jandd Extreme, Rivendell Nitto Big Front Rack, and IRD Lhasa, allow the panniers to be mounted with the bottom slightly below the axle, and retain the stability of a low rider rack, while adding the functionality of a platform.
The Beckman Sakkit, allows the panniers to be mounted lower than a "high-rider" rack, but completely above the front axle.
With the non-low rider racks the top of the rack will hit the frame if you turn the handlebars too far. Pad your frame or the rack to prevent scratches. Use a short length of black fuel hose, split open with a knife.
Reflector/Light Bracket
A few racks have a mount for a front light, though most lack this feature.
Capacity
The amount of weight that the rack is designed to carry. A fully loaded tourist could easily be carrying 25 pounds (10 kg) of gear in their front panniers. Some of these racks can carry considerably more than this.
Weight
The sturdier racks, and more feature-rich racks, weigh more.
Disc Brake Compatibility and Adapters
Disc brake hardware often interferes with the mounting of front (and rear) racks. Jandd makes some little adapters which may solve this problem by moving the rack struts a bit further away from the mounting hole. See http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FDBFA for details.
Suspension Forks
Two racks will work with suspension forks, the Tubus Swing and the Delta Shock Treatment. The Tubus swing has the advantage of putting the pannier weight above the fork, where it's supposed to be. The Delta Shock Treatment puts the weight on the fork, which is not such a great idea.
Carbon Forks
Do not use front racks on carbon forks.
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Model |
Material | Capacity (kg) | Weight (g) | Level Top Area for Additional Luggage | Fork Braze-Ons Required | Suspension Fork Compatible | Disc Brake Compatible | Upper Mounting Method | Light Mount | Price |
| Low Rider Front Racks for Forks that Must Have Front Rack Braze Ons (no clamps) | ||||||||||
| Blackburn CL1 | Aluminum | ? | 525 | No | Yes | No | Unlikely | Braze-Ons | No | $40 |
| Bor Yueh BY207 | Aluminum | ? | ? | No | Yes | No | Unlikely | Braze-Ons | No | $23 |
| Hebie Low Rider | Aluminum | 20 | ? | No | Yes | No | Possibly | Braze-Ons | No | $52 |
| Tubus Duo | Cro-Mo | 15 | 490 | No | Yes | No | Unlikely | Braze-Ons | No | $80 |
| Low Rider Front Racks for Forks that don't Require Front Rack Braze-Ons | ||||||||||
| Tubus Tara | Cro-Mo | 15 | 325 (estimate) | No | No | No | Unlikely | Clamps or Braze-Ons | No | $85 |
| Tubus Nova | Stainless | 15 | 440g | No | No | No | Unlikely | Clamps or Braze-Ons | No | $160 |
| Blackburn FL1 | Aluminum | ? | 535 | No | No | No | Unlikely | Clamps or Braze-Ons | No | $45 |
| Jandd Low | Aluminum | 10 | 752 | No | No | No | Possibly | Clamps | No | $53 |
| Delta Front Rider | Aluminum | 10 | 330 | No | No | No | Possibly | U bolts & P clamps | No | $45 |
| Axiom Journey 2 | Aluminum | 30 | 380 | No | No | No | Unlikely | Clamps or Braze-Ons | No | $19 |
| Zefal LOW RIDER 773 | Aluminum | 20 | 530 | No | No | No | No | Clamps | No | $41 |
| Bruce Gordon | Cro-Mo | ? | ? | No | No | No | Possibly | Clamps or Braze-Ons | No | 165 |
| Mid-Rider | ||||||||||
| Jandd Extreme | Aluminum | 10 | 1055 | Yes | No | No | Possibly | Clamps | No | $73 |
| Rivendell Nitto Big Front Rack | Cro-Mo | A lot | Call Grant | Yes | ? | No | Possibly | ? | Yes | $145 |
| IRD Lhasa | Aluminum | 10 | ? | Yes | No | No | Unlikely | Clamps or Braze-Ons | No | $70 |
| Surly Nice Front | Cro-Mo | ? | ? | Yes | No | No | Possibly | Clamps or Braze-Ons | Yes | $109 |
| Mid-High Rider | ||||||||||
| Sakkit | Cro-Mo | A lot | ? | Yes | No | No | Possibly | Clamps | Yes | A Lot |
| High Only | ||||||||||
| Blackburn MTF1 | Aluminum | ? | 540 | Yes | No | No | Unlikely | Clamps or Braze-Ons | No | $45 |
| Bor Yueh BY201 | Aluminum | ? | ? | Yes | No | No | Possibly | Brake bolt | No | 23 |
| Dahon Tour Rack | Aluminum | Not Specified | Not Specified | No | No | No | No | Bolts, Dahon Only. | No | $30 |
| Suspension Fork Racks | ||||||||||
| Tubus Swing | Cro-Mo | 15 | 789 | No | No | Some | Unlikely | Clamps | No | $175 |
| Delta Shock Treatment | Aluminum | 10 | 300 | No | No | Yes | No | Clamps | No | $40 |
| Front Cargo-Only Racks | ||||||||||
| Cetma | Steel | Not Specified | Not Specified | N/A | No | No | Possibly | Handlebar Clamps | No | |
| Aluminum & Wood | 20 | ? | N/A | No | No | Possibly | Stem | No | $199 | |
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Low Rider Front Racks for Forks that Must Have Front Rack Braze Ons (no clamps)
The classic and original low rider rack for true touring bicycles that have fork braze-ons. This rack requires proper fork braze-ons on both sides of both fork blades. No fore/aft adjustment is possible.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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| Blackburn CL1 | |
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Hmm, does anyone wonder who manufactures the Blackburn CL1?
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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| Bor Yueh BY207 | |
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This rack appears to have a very adjustable mounting system to the fork braze-on (in terms of fore and aft). This rack requires a fork braze-on on only the outer side of the fork blade.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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| Hebie Low Rider | |
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No place to hook pannier hooks so they won't slide off. This rack requires proper fork braze-ons on both sides of both fork blades. A little bit of fore/aft adjustment is possible due to the multiple mounting holes.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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| Tubus Duo | |
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Low Rider Front Racks for Forks that don't Require Front Rack Braze-Ons
(in many cases braze-ons can be used instead of clamps, if they
exist)
No place to hook pannier hooks so they won't slide off.
Requires the Tubus Aluminum Alloy Fork Mounting Kit if the fork doesn't have braze-ons. A little bit of fore/aft adjustment is possible due to the multiple mounting holes.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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| Tubus Tara | |
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No place to hook pannier hooks so they won't slide off.
Requires the Tubus Aluminum Alloy Fork Mounting Kit if the fork doesn't have braze-ons.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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| Tubus Nova | |
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I don't like the fact that this rack consists of three bolt-together pieces. There is a somewhat good area for the lower pannier hooks.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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| Blackburn FL1 | |
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I don't like the P-Clamp mount on the fork, preferring U bolts, which can't be used on this rack. No place to hook pannier hooks so they won't slide off.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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| Jandd Low |
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I don't care for the lower mounting P-Clamps, but I think it can be mounted to the fender eyelets as well. There is some adjustment possible on the U bolts. This is one of the few racks with a captive area for the bottom pannier hooks.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price: $38 from Lickton's
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Delta Front Rider |
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This is the only non-braze-on low-rider rack that doesn't have the extra support of a hoop over the wheel. I would be very cautious about using this rack.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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| Axiom Journey 2 | |
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The mounting positions on this rack are highly adjustable, but that also may cause it be less rigid.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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Zefal LOW RIDER 773 |
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Photo shows the use of braze-ons, but clamps can be used.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Cro-Mo Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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| Bruce Gordon Front | |
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Not a great mounting system on the fork, using P clamps. No place to hook pannier hooks so they won't slide off. One of the few racks with a solid top platform, at least on part of the top level.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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Jandd Extreme |
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Rivendell Nitto Big Front Rack
A very nice design, but I'm not sure of the fork mounting method. Looks like U bolts would work.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: Yes Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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Rivendell Nitto Big Front Rack |
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Not a great mounting system on the fork, using P clamps. No place to hook pannier hooks so they won't slide off. The only rack with a full solid top platform, at least on part of the top level.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: Drilled for bracket Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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IRD Lhasa |
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Looks like a good rack, but Surly provides no specifications. This is one of the few racks with a captive area for the bottom pannier hooks.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: Yes Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price: $109
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Surly Nice Front |
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A beautiful design, but very expensive.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: Yes Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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Sakkit |
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A poor design, that lacks the ability to mount the panniers anywhere but on the top rail. Top platform could be useful in some situations.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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Blackburn MTF1 |
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The mighty Bor Yueh BY201 with an adjustable height front rack with brake bolt mounting. No data available.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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Bor Yueh BY201 |
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The only front rack for a Dahon.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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Dahon |
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A better design for suspension forks because the weight of the packs is above the suspension where it belongs. Suspension forks are not designed for a lot of extra weight on the bottom.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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| Tubus Swing | |
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Not a great design because all the weight of the rack and panniers is in the wrong place.
| Type: Capacity: Weight: Material: Aluminum Light Bracket: No Mounting: Disc Brake Compatible: U.S. Price:
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| Delta Shock Treatment | |
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Cetma makes a wide variety of front cargo racks that mount to the handlebars and fender eyelets. Very cool product. See http://cetmaracks.com/.
7 rail with removable fence
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Nice retro rack. $199, but handmade by Paul. See http://paulcomp.com/frmbasket.html.
Paul Flatbed
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