Regardless of what purpose your road bike serves, whether it’s to race, take long trips, or even run errands, you’ll need a place to carry your belongings. A bike basket is a great solution but can you put a basket on a road bike?
You can put a basket on a road bike’s handlebars if the basket is sized well to fit between the bike’s clamps and its attachment clamps correspond to the handlebars’ diameter. Alternatively, install a rack then attach either a rear or front basket. Secure the basket using leather straps/zip ties.
Baskets transform road bikes into utility machines, so this article is for you if you want to attach a basket to your roadie. in addition, read
How Do You Attach A Basket To A Road Bike? Can You Put A Basket On A Road Bike?
You can either attach a basket to your road bike through the handlebars or by installing a bike rack first. Once you do so, attach the basket on the handlebars or rear or front rack using leather straps or zip ties if the basket doesn’t come with leather straps.
Here’s how to go about each method.
1. Attaching A Basket To The Handlebars
If you go with this method, you’ll have to deal with inconveniences posed by drop bars during installation. These issues are:
- The Drop Bars’ Thickness
The drop bars broadest part is the clamp section where the stems connect to the bars. The attachment clamps must be made for bars that are 31.8mm if you want to attach a handlebar basket to a modern roadie.
While you can find such models, 25.4mm attachment clamp diameter is the most popular diameter because most baskets are made for commuter bicycles. With that said, the clamp area in old-school drop bars is 25.4 mm; hence more basket models can be attached to them.
An excellent front basket to consider for your road bike is the Retrospec Bicycles Detachable Steel Half-Mesh Apollo Bike Basket (View on Amazon). It has handles, effortless to install, and it’s weatherproof.
- The Drop Bars’ Narrowness
The typical way to determine drop bars’ size is by measuring the distance from one drop’s center to the other drop’s center. Most drop bars measure between 400mm and 460mm.
When attaching a basket to your road bike, you’ll also need to measure the distance between the drops’ inner sides. You then need to take away 2cm to 4cm from the number to make sure you can still shift comfortably once the basket is attached if your bike has brake-shifters.
For instance, if 43cm is the inner distance between your roadie’s drops, get a basket that’s about 38 to 40cm.
You could also change your bike’s handlebars, getting the ones made specifically for commuter bikes to eliminate the restriction of drop bars when carrying items attached to the front basket. The standard options are comfort and flat bars.
However, remember that switching from drop to flat or comfort bars means you need new parts, which costs money.
- Avoid Carbon Drop Bars
Don’t attach a basket to drop bars made of carbon because carbon needs gentle care and cannot handle roughness like steel. They are also susceptible to snapping unexpectedly; that’s why some pro cyclists still prefer alloy bars.
2. Attaching A Basket To The Front Rack
A front rack is an excellent option if you intend to attach a basket because the combination provides a convenient way to access the items in the basket. Front rack baskets have a higher carrying capacity (it can support 44lbs/ 20 kgs against handlebars baskets’ about 11lbs/ 5kgs) and more clearance than handlebars baskets.
This method is possible only if:
- Your Road Bike’s Fork Contains Eyelets For A Bike Rack
Front racks come with support straps/legs that connect to the threaded eyelets found on the fork through M5 bolts. Therefore, your bike needs to have eyelets.
- The Fork Should Have A Hole In The Arch’s Middle And Use Rim Brakes
A majority of front racks are made with a single brace attach to the fork through a bolt that passes through the brake mounting hole. If the fork is made only for disc brakes, it may not have the hole.
After installing the rack, attach the basket by securing the basket to the rack using leather straps or zip ties. Alternatively, metal brackets and bolts work where one metal bracket is beneath the rack while the other is above the basket.
The brackets will firmly press the basket against the bike rack when you screw up the bolt. It’s a more sophisticated method, but it needs more time and parts.
3. Attaching A Basket To The Rear Rack
Rear racks can support a larger basket because there’s a lot of clearance, and it also has good capacity, supporting 44-55lbs/ 20-25kgs.
A back rack needs two eyelet sets- one located near the seat stays top and the other close to the dropouts. You can install a rear rack if your road bike has the needed mounting points.
The problem is, most road bicycle frames don’t have rack eyelets. Fortunately, you can overcome this problem by doing the following.
- Get A Rear Rack That Connect To The Axle Directly
You can attach particular rear rack legs to the rear axle; hence no need for eyelets. However, when you need to detach the wheel, you must dismount the rack.
- Get A Rear Rack That Has Clamp-On Mounts
You can tighten the clamp-on mechanism found in some back racks around the seat stays. Don’t use this on a carbon-framed bike because carbon cracks easily.
- Get A Seatpost Rack
You can also choose a rack to attach to the bike’s seat post because it works with any bike with sufficient seat post showing. The issue is it has a low capacity (22lbs/ 10kgs) and is unstable due to its high center of gravity.
After installing the rear rack, attach the metal basket using the bracket with bolt method or zip ties/ leather straps.
If you go with a handlebar bike basket, MTX Rear Bicycle Basket (View on Amazon) is an excellent option made with high-quality components and materials, making it durable.
How Do You Carry Things On A Road Bike Without A Bike Basket?
While baskets are excellent for carrying various items like a purse, grocery bags, notebooks, and even your pet, you can also use regular backpacks, trunk bags, seat packs, handlebars bags, or a trailer.
Alternatives To Baskets:
1. Regular Backpack
It’s undoubtedly the most accessible and a common method of carrying items when riding a bike because you don’t need to modify your bike. It offers a bigger carrying capacity, and you can go with a bright backpack for better reflectivity.
However, carrying it for a long time can hurt your back and shoulders, strains your clothes with sweat, and it’s also exhausting.
2. Seat packs
They come in various colors, shapes, sizes, and fitting systems, ranging from the universal Velcro strap and proprietary tech. They are also easily transferable between different bikes, cheap and simple but vulnerable to theft, and have limited capacity.
An excellent example of a seat pack for a road bike is the Roswheel Race Series 131432 Ultralight Bike Saddle Bag Bicycle. This durable, well-shaped seat pack is made to minimize wind and air resistance and easy installation and removal.
3. Handlebars Bags
They are easily accessible, offer a decent capacity, and you can easily take it with your once you pack your bike. However, it can impair your handling, and you might need a clamping system for better quality.
4. Trunk Bags
While they are similar to extended seat packs, trunk bags have the advantage of sitting on your road bike’s rear rack, making them more stable and better equipped to handle heavier loads. A majority have many pockets, and others even have flap-down extendable side pockets; thus, you can carry more items.
You can detach a trunk bag easily and take it with you, but you must have a rear rack to install it.
5. Trailers
They have a huge capacity which means you can comfortably carry a big load at a go. The initial installation may be slightly fiddly and alters how your ride your roadie.
You can detach your trailer when you do not need it. In addition, some trailers function well off-road.
If you are shopping for once, Retrospec Rover Hauler Cargo Bike Trailer (View on Amazon) is worth considering. This weather-resistant trailer with a collapsible frame is compatible with most bike models and has a vast capacity.
FAQs
1. Can I Put A Basket To A Road Bike?
You can attach a basket to a road bike if it can support a front or rear rack, or the handlebars are well-shaped and sized to let the basket sit snugly and steadily. Many basket varieties are available that fit road bikes both at the front and back, so you can choose the one that suits you most.
You can also adjust your roadie’s handlebars to ensure the basket fits perfectly or even change the bars entirely, going for comfort or flat ones.
2. Can You Put A Front Basket On A Road Bike?
You can attach a front basket on a roadie if you install a front rack to stick the basket to it. Alternatively, attach it to the handlebars if the basket can fit between the drop bars and the attachment clamps correspond to the handlebars’ diameter.
3. What Is The Best Front Basket For A Road Bike?
The best front basket needs to be adjustable, water-resistant, easy to access, and easy to release. Get a basket with a mounting bracket rather than rip-and-stick belts or buckles.
In Conclusion, Can You Put A Basket On A Road Bike?
Baskets let you carry items on your road bike more conveniently, allowing you to ride to various places more comfortably. Get a basket that complements your roadie’s design and also your taste and style.
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