Blackburn Grid Front Basket Rack Review

Using a basket or crate to carry gear on a bike is far from a new idea. It’s a practical approach that’s been around since the advent of the safety bicycle, and it remains popular because it simply works. More recently, this method, dubbed “basketpacking,” has become a hallmark of alt-cycling and dirt-touring culture, inspiring the development of countless new basket bags and accessories. For me, though, it’s an entirely new experience. The Blackburn Grid Basket Rack is actually the first basket-style system I’ve ever tried. That clearly means I’m not an authority on the subject, but being a basket newbie, I can offer a fresh perspective on this style of packing compared to the dozens of others I’ve tried. Read on for that alongside a specs comparison to other basket racks and a full review of the Blackburn Grid Basket Rack after using it with the purpose-made Grid bag and various other gear configurations over several months.

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Basket Racks

First and foremost, the Blackburn Grid Front Basket Rack isn’t really a basket setup in the purest sense of the term. Basketpacking systems are typically makeshift setups comprised of a relatively rickety wire basket—like the popular Wald 137 or 139—affixed to some sort of lightweight front rack using zip ties or other means of attachment. However, options have come to market recently that aim to streamline the concept using different hardware made in the image and form factor of a basket, but with integral components designed to shore up the load.

There are several such solutions. The most well known might be the the Pelago Rasket, a solid basket/rack hybrid. Of course, there’s also the Wald 137/139 with hardware, but the support is so minimal that I wouldn’t put it into the basket rack category. Old Man Mountain also makes a unique take on the basket, which is constructed from stamped and welded aluminum and bolts neatly onto their Elkhorn and Divide racks. The Manivelle Front Rack is another basket rack variation that offers a shallow basket with integrated upright struts; Manivelle also makes a full-size basket version with burlier hardware. There are several other deep cuts that can be found via Google search, such as the Basil Portland front carrier, but most are marketed toward city use and commuting, so it’s hard to judge their durability when applied to dirt-touring pursuits. Here’s a brief rundown of each of the ones I mentioned with basic specs and pricing:

Blackburn Grid Front Basket Rack

The Blackburn Grid Front Basket Rack is different from all the other prospects listed above. Instead of being a wire basket supported with tubular or solid struts, it’s more like a rack shaped into the form of a basket. The Basket Rack itself is made of a dozen solid 6.2mm aluminum rods bent to shape and welded together. It measures roughly 33cm wide by 22cm long at the bottom of the basket and 39 x 24 at the top. It’s about 7cm tall at the back and 13cm up front. It has three 2mm slotted aluminum plates welded at the bottom to form the base.

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The plates and solid tubes give the Basket Rack a pretty solid structure, and once mounted up with its fairly robust attachment system, it’s as stable as they come. Like all of the basket racks outlined above—except the Elkhorn, which can be mounted in a variety of ways—the Basket Rack’s main point of attachment is at the fork crown. Blackburn provides an L-shaped, 4.5mm thick, 25mm-wide slotted aluminum bar that bolts onto the bottom of the rack with included hardware. The bar is then thru-bolted to the fork crown. Blackburn also includes two thick washers and two beveled ones to conform with the tubing on a standard steel fork crown, which is a nice touch.

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To bear the weight of the payload (up to 10 kilograms/22 pounds), the Grid Front Basket Rack uses two 10mm aluminum hollow tube stays that connect to the rack via standard D-shaped stayholder mounts bolted into the slotted plates at its base. Each stay is threaded on one end to attach the rounded feet that then bolt to their corresponding mid-fork eyelets. The rounded bits nest into conical washers that allow them to properly seat at an angle and eliminate any undue stress on the stays. It’s a very well-executed attachment system that’s rock solid once in place. My only long-term worry is that one of the cast feet breaks or I lose one of the washers, which would be hard (if not impossible) to replace. However, it should be easy to substitute the 10mm stays with standard Nitto rack struts, if need be.

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Blackburn integrated a front light mount into the design, as well. According to their website, it was made with their Grid lights in mind, but it should work with other lights or accessories that have a clip-style attachment system. I never used it, but there are also two holes that could be used for bolting things on the plate. The only other feature I haven’t yet covered are three slotted plates on each site. I suppose they’re meant for straps, but I the strap built into the Grid bag goes underneath the central plate.

Rasketpacking

Like the Old Man Mountain basket, the Blackburn Grid Front Basket Rack is designed to accommodate the same-sized payload as the venerable Wald 137. That makes it easy to source basket-specific bags made to fit in the roughly 32 x 22cm rectangular shape. As you can see in our Basket Bag Index, there are plenty of options available these days—a cycling standard that works! Note that the basket racks from Pelago and Manivelle listed above are a little bigger and designed with a base footprint in between the 33 x 20cm Wald 137 and the 40 x 27cm Wald 139.

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One of the major advantages of bikepacking with a basket is its simplicity, and by proxy, affordability. Once you invest in the rack and basket—or the $120 Basket Rack—nearly any bag can become a bike basket bag, whether it’s a backpack, a combination of dry bags, or the stuff sacks your gear comes in. I’ve taken the Basket Rack out on several overnighters since I got it in the early spring. I’ve tried it with a couple basket-specific bags, including the waterproof Rockgeist Meanwhile bag and with gear just piled into the basket and strapped down. On all of those occasions, I used Voile Rack Straps to secure the load. They work great with the 6.2mm rails; you just have to make sure they’re tight so they don’t disengage when bouncing down a bumpy trail.

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One thing all basketpacking setups have in common is the load placement. Baskets generally sit lower and farther forward than typical handlebar rolls or top-opening bags. The lower center of gravity is good, but in my experience, the fact that the weight is farther out front adds extra counterbalance to the steering, which takes a little getting used to, particularly when packed heavy. It’s also a pain in the ass if you park your bike against a tree as the weight tends to fly your front wheel over and bring the bike crashing to the ground. I like the fact that Blackburn kept to the smaller standard basket size for this reason. It’s still not a setup I’d recommend for riders who prefer to carve twisting, technical singletrack, but it’s a practical option for folks who consider slow-rolling, dirt-touring adventures to be more their speed, especially when combined with a framebag and seatpack.

An added benefit is the fact that this placement helps keep the basket and luggage clear of brake and cable housing, an issue that often arises with handlebar bags. Plus, a basket offers versatile storage options, allowing you to lash things on top, pile in additional food supplies, and even strap things to the side, as needed.

Blackburn Grid Basket Bag

I also used the Basket Rack with Blackburn’s accessory Grid Basket Bag. It’s a pretty simple and well-made bag constructed from recycled nylon and polyester. It has a gray outer fabric and yellow interior that sandwiches a thin layer of foam that helps it keep its shape, which is a nice addition. It’s not waterproof, but Blackburn claims it’s water-resistant thanks to the inner drawstring closure. I never used it in inclement weather, so I can’t make any claims, but based on the design, I’m assuming it could collect water pretty easily in a heavy downpour.

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Features on the bag include two interior side elastic pockets, a zippered sleeve on the “outer” flap, and a multi-position daisy chain with a corresponding buckle. For $80, the Grid Basket Bag is generally fine and fits perfectly in the Basket Rack. And at 345 grams (12.2 ounces), it’s not at all heavy, despite the interior padding. My one main complaint is that the double top flap situation is slightly awkward. What Blackburn shows as the outer flap on their website is too long, so if the bag isn’t overstuffed, it covers up the daisy chain and makes it impossible to close. I mostly used it the other way, with the short flap as the outer, but it’s worth noting that doing so would create a water funnel effect if used in the rain, I think. In addition, the metal buckle can slip when the bag is overstuffed and the buckle sits at an angle.

• Model/Size Tested: Blackburn Grid Front Basket Rack
• Actual Weight: 982 grams (with struts and hardware)
• Place of Manufacture: Taiwan
• Price: $120
• Manufacturer’s Details: Blackburn

Further Reading

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