Let Your Bike Do The Work With Bike Racks
Bike racks have been around longer than bikes have, well sort of, people were carrying things on there horses and donkeys before bikes were invented and basically it’s the same principle, you want to carry things from A to B.
Racks front or back?
Bike racks can go on the front or the back of your bike, usually people start with a rear carrier and then once they have filled that with tents, sleeping bags and all there cooking equipment they need a front rack for all the other stuff, clothes, maps and some bike tools. This is how a lot of people spend there summer holidays, load there bikes up with as much stuff as they can and head off for a cycle touring holiday any where in the world.
Start at the back
Standard bike racks are made of steel, they can carry heavier weights, but they themselves are quite heavy and the more weight on your bike the harder it is to push up hills.
The better option is an alloy bike rack; you have to be careful how much of a load you put on it, as there is a safety factor to consider here. Its better to spend a bit more money on an expedition type bike rack, these are more robust and slightly larger and can carry just about any thing, look for the manufacturers suggested weight capacity, very good ones will be around 50 lbs, this will give you an idea how strong it is going to be and how much equipment you’ll be able to take on holiday.
Then to the front
Front bike carriers are very similar to the rear carrier, but smaller as you don’t want so much weight on the front forks as this will affect your steering. The best kind of front rack is for pannier bags and is called a low rider rack; this keeps the centre of gravity low on the bike and helps steering. The same rules apply to front rack, steel is heavy and look for the weight limits, average is about 25 lbs.
Heavy weight = hard work
The main thing to remember when loading up your touring bike is if you take too much stuff the weight could ruin your holiday with the effort of pedalling it up hills and into a strong wind, so travel light and have fun.
