9 Best Front Bike Racks (Touring, Commuting, Small, etc …)

BEST FRONT WHEEL BIKE RACK COMPARISON

BEST FRONT BIKE RACK REVIEWS

Surly Cromoly Front Rack 2.0

Best Touring Bike Front Rack

PROS: – Designed to work with a variety of wheel and bicycle sizes – Allows panniers to be mounted high or low – Performs flawlessly on the paved road – Works just as well on fire roads – Sturdy and durable – Convenient – Panniers easy attach – Straightforward assembly and mounting

CONS: – No horizontal braze-on to mount a dynamo powered headlamp – Stainless bolts snapped for a user – Heavy

Topeak TetraRack R1

Easy To Install Commuting Front Bike Rack

PROS: – Easy and quick to mount if you have the right tools – No need for screw eyelets on the fork – Very adaptable to many forks

CONS: – Very hard to mount with the included wrench – Velcro straps are easy to be caught on something and be pulled out – Heavy

Blackburn Bootlegger

Best for Around-Town Commuter or Touring Rig

PROS: – Very solid – Useful flat platform – Easy installation as long as it’s compatible – The connecting rods allow for a variety of connection points installation – Durable

CONS: – Takes a lot to install – Minimal instructions – Does not work on carbon fiber forks – Not ideal to use with a set of front panniers

Axiom Cycling Gear Journey

Easy to Install Road Bike Front Rack

PROS: – Fully functional without being cumbersome – Well made – Quite stable – Simple design and installation – Work well with Ortlieb bags

CONS: – Does not ft a 29’er

Salsa Down Under

Disk Brakes Touring Front Fork Bike Rack

PROS: – Very easy to install – Fairly light – Handling is great on pavement and on trails – Almost entirely silent with and without panniers loaded – Low mount design keeps pannier weight close to the wheelbase – Works with Disc Brakes

CONS: – Need mounting eyelets on the exterior and interior of the fork

Aventon Aventure

Affordable Aventon Fat Tire Ebikes

PROS: – Sturdy and very durable – Good looking – Well priced – Very easy to install – Not turning when the handlebar turn gives greater stability

CONS: – Can’t hold anything without straps – Anything over 4-5 inches tall of it will get in the way of the handlebar – Has no rack-to-fork support arms

Sunlite Gold Tec

V Brakes Most Affordable Small Front Bike Rack

PROS: – Very affordable – Very good for the price – Not large and intrusive – Lightweight – Well built and sturdy – Great finish – Easy to install – Large enough to carry a small toolbox – Works well with V brakes

CONS: – No instructions manual – does not work with disk brakes

Basil Front Carrier L

Commuting and Touring Large Front Bike Rack

PROS: – Well built and very sturdy – Durable – Easy installation – Very stable

CONS: – Huge – Need a very high handlebar – Heavy

Origin8 Rush Messenger

Caliper Hole/Front Axle Large Front Bike Rack

PROS: – Looks gorgeous – Tough and sturdy – Easy to install – Bears heavy loads effortlessly – Work great on both disc brakes or v-brakes

CONS: – Come with no bolts – No mounting instructions but it’s not that hard – Not good for people counting grams for an ultra-light load

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST FRONT BIKE RACK?

MATERIAL

The material that the bike rack can be made of is very important because it plays a huge role in the product lifespan and the maximum load capacity.

• Steel: racks made of steels are ideal for long-distance tours with heavy loads because they are very durable and can be repaired if damaged.
• Aluminum: aluminum bike racks are prefered because they are lighter, but on the other side, they are less durable and hard to fix if they get damaged. This is why they are ideal only for short hauls with lighter loads.
• Cromoly: its a strong steel allow that is a good midpoint between steel and aluminium by being lightweight and durable at the same time.
• Titanium: Titanium racks are lightweight and can carry a lot of weight but are expensive.

STYLE

Since touring cyclists they carry large volumes of gear, front bike racks are popular among them because they offer additional mounting spotabove the front wheel.

The front bike rack styles are:

• Lowrider Front Bike Racks

Lowrider front racks keep the set of panniers’ weight very low to have less impact on the bike handling and ensure stability even at high speeds, making them ideal for touring bikes.

They mount using front fork dropouts eyelets and mid-mount on the fork itself.

• Porteur (Classic) Front Bike Racks

Porteur front bike racks have a large platform above the front wheel.

Their sideless simplistic design is good for carrying boxes and objects with unusual shapes, making them rarely used for touring bikes

When attached to city bikes, their considerable width on the road is not an issue, but it is if you are getting in narrow places like stairs and public transport.

• Basket Front Bike Racks

Basket front bike racks have sides that lower the number of straps needed when securing down the load

This type of front bike rack is ideal for people that use their bikes to haul their groceries.

• Shock-Absorbing Front Bike Racks

Because you cannot use the usual front bike racks on theshock-absorbing forks, companies introduced us to a new type of front bike rack toget around the suspension forks.

Suspension front racks are hooked to thefront suspension fork with a piston that follows the shock-absorbing system movement.

• Front Rack for Bicycles Without Mounts

For bikes without any mounts, which usually are shock absorption bikes, you still have a type of front bike racks that mount using U hooks or plastics ties.

When this type uses theU hooks or plastics ties as the primary or the only mounting method, they became untrustworthy with heavy loads.

• Randonneur Front Bike Racks

Randonneur front bike racks are compact, minimal, and lightweight in order to be ideal for long-distance cycling.

They are mounted to the fork and the brake mounts.

• Decaleur Front Bike Racks

If you get annoyed by your rack bags swaying side to side, then you decaleurs or a decaleur front bike rack.

As you see in the photo above, decaleurs have a receiver that attaches to the headset, and an mount that gets bolted to the back of the bag.

CAPACITY

The front bike rack max load capacity is among the important things you should at when you are in the market.

Other things that play a huge role in the bike rack capacity is how many anchor its uses, how it’s installed, and how durable is the bike rack.

When bike rear racks hold up to90 pounds,front bike racks carry between 25 and 50 pounds.

My advice to you is to keep your load as light as possible for easy steering when touring and distribute the weight equally between the right and the left side.

PRICE

• Below $40: Front bike racks in this price range are usually single anchor ones making them reserved for only very lightweight loads.
• Above $40: Expensive front bike racks are usually solid and uses double anchors, making a good choice for touring that usually needs a high load capacity.

ACCESSORIES

The commonly needed accessories for a front bike rack are:

• Bungee cords to tie down your carried load.
• Dynamo lights
• Steer Stopper that stabilize the front wheel sterring during moment like bike parking or roof top loading.

FAQ

WHAT IS BETTER FRONT OR BACK RACK BIKE?

• FRONT BIKE RACK ADVANTAGES

-Little wear on the rear wheel

-Improve the overall stabilization, letting you stand up

-Keeps the front wheel firmly on the road when climbing uphill

-Nice load distribution of dirt roads

-Good help clearance on non-touring bikes

• BACK BIKE RACK ADVANTAGES

-Higher load capacity

-Little change in handling

-No handed riding

-Effortless steering

-Less impact from unbalanced loads

Updated on December 24, 2022 by Ben