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I use a MTB from 1995 for commuting. I've just added a child's seat up back. So I need a front rack or basket mounted.

I found an old basket that I mounted temporarily.

What are my mounting options? I'm not super keen on using the wheel axle (as now) but if I want to use the fender mounts I must use some spacer there?

Would you recommend mounting it to the bars, crown or canti bosses at the top?

It would be great to be able to carry 10 kilograms (22 pounds) in the basket, so I can stop and shop groceries on my way home.

I wonder how the Wald 157 Giant basket is mounted? Seems to be mounted through the QR axle. That might be working?

All recommendations and tips are welcome!

old basket axle or fender mount?

Ola
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  • I wonder if the brake horseshoe reinforcement might be one point of contact with the bike, but too much weight there might interfere with your brake functions. – Criggie Aug 16 '17 at 12:55
  • I jerry rigged a front rack and was carry about 7 kg when a mount point came loose, the rack collapsed onto the wheel and acted like a brake, and I crashed. Fortunately I was only going 3-5 mph so it was a mostly a bruised ego but it have enough power to destroy my front wheel - a Velocity Atlas. That's a very robust wheel but I guess I found it's Achille's Heel. It could have been much much worse - I wouldn't be writing this message. – Craig Hicks Aug 16 '17 at 22:48
  • Those thin bent metal pipes serving as vertical pipes look unsafe for heavy loads. I would replace with a very sturdy rack that has a weight rating, made by a reputable company.

    I would recommend using rubber wrapped pipe clamps on the fork legs - better not to put more load on the skewer. Pipe clamps (not nece. rubber wrapped) seem to be in common use.

     – Craig Hicks Aug 16 '17 at 22:58
  • The further down the rack legs legs are supported on the forks, the more closely aligned the load force will be aligned with the rack legs, which of course makes it more stable.

    I had a great rack, the problem was that I jerry rigged an extension connecting the rack to the steering tube. That extension fatigued and broke, so the basket pitched forward onto the wheel. When I took it to the LBS and explained my mistake and the accident, they told be surly had started issuing emergency straps to go along with their front rack steering tube support for just that reason (unrelated to me)

     – Craig Hicks Aug 16 '17 at 23:04
  • You could look into swapping out your fork for one that has rack mount holes either at the hub or half-way down the fork legs. Or you could try to find a local frame builder who could drill and braze on mount holes to your existing fork. – Noah Sutherland Aug 16 '17 at 23:51
  • I found the Blackburn Local Deluxe front / rear rack. It is possible to mount on both the axle and on the eyelet. After inspecting the eyelet carefully I decided that it felt like it wasn't up for the load on my bike so I put it on the axle. – Ola Feb 20 '18 at 18:16

2 Answers2

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I have seen one that mounts to the brakes but do not know where to find one.

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paparazzo
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I am not an engineer, but I believe you'd be all right using a spacer to get the screw out where you need it. Cantilevering with the rack Papparazzi posted might be all right for light loads, but I'd feel a little queasy about going to 10 kg. If the struts can go straight down to the axle or fork eyelets, it ought to stand a heavier load, and heavier still if the struts are straight.

Hopefully someone can tell you whether extending the screw from the eyelet or just clamping directly to the fork will be better. (Come to think of it, I have carried some pretty heavy loads on a rear rack clamped to the seatstays, but the clamps were at the top, not at the bottom.)

Good luck!

ichabod
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