Baskets that attach to the front of a bicycle are handy for putting loose items in and are useful for short rides on smooth surfaces. They are also harder to find and I had to take a trip to BicycleWA headquarters to locate some.
Instead of a handlebar bag, you could elect to use a front mounted basket for those short rides. You could also put your small pet dog into one of these.
Baskets come in many varieties and this review is about baskets that attach to the front of a bike. There are also baskets that attach to the rear rack. Front mounted baskets come in two models.
Rear View of Clip on Basket and Mechanism.
The clip on basket shown above allows the basket to mount to the bike with a clip on mechanism and can be removed when not in use or when going shopping. You will also note that the clip mounted model comes with a carry handle, which is good for shopping.
View of a fixed basket.
The fixed basket shown above is permanently fixed to the bike and cannot be removed without using tools. It does not have a carry handle.
Both types of baskets are usually mounted to the bike with a bracket that goes down to the front fork’s front facing lug or the axle. The other part that attaches to the rear of the basket is mounted to the steering neck.
Basket mounted to bike
If you do not need to remove the basket, then the fixed type will suffice. If you ride around town and do a bit of shopping, then the clip on type of front basket will be better as it removes from the bike and has a carry handle.
The baskets are made of a mesh and small items can fall between the holes. They provide absolutely no protection against rain. I also found that on rough off road rides that some items (not the dog) would bounce out of the basket.
The front mounted basket is starting to become hard to locate, but some hire bikes are fitted with them. Placing too much weight into the basket does affect the steering of the bike so only light items should be placed in them when riding.
