I'm looking for some front rack suggestions for my Appaloosa

[Dan]

I have the newest iteration of the Appaloosa from last year and have been thinking of a front rack. I've never been a rack person so I have no idea where to look. Of course the Nitto ones are cool but I am not ready to drop $200+ on a rack. The Specialized pizza rack is priced appropriately for my wallet and is the style I am after but the matte black is not really my thing. It also seems that not every rack will fit every bike which is what brings me here to ask. I'm just looking for a wide rack that can handle 20-ish pounds. I don't need a ton of braze on points. The main purpose would be for a basket that can fit a small grocery run or other random things. No intentions of touring or bikepacking.

[Bill Lindsay]

I think a good rack unlocks the utility of a bicycle

I think an Appaloosa is a $3000 - $4000 bicycle

I think $300 to unlock the utility of a $4000 bicycle is a good value

I think the ultimate wide rack for an Appaloosa is the Pass and Stow 5-rail made in Oakland. 

A used rack usually goes for about half retail.  Search this list and a used Pass and Stow was offered last October for $170.  

That's what I've got.  Good luck with shopping.

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Jay Lonner]

I happen to have a used Pass and Stow 5-rail rack for sale, in silver. And while it might seem self-serving given the above, I agree that a good rack adds a lot of utility. 

Jay Lonner

Bellingham, WA 

Sent from my Atari 400

On Jun 13, 2025, at 07:48, Bill Lindsay <tape...@gmail.com> wrote:

I think a good rack unlocks the utility of a bicycle

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[iamkeith]

If your plan is to use a basket, and if you're willing to affix that basket to the rack semi-permanently, then you really don't need a wide, porteur-style rack.  The basket itself is support structure.  Maybe that will open up some options.

As per other comments, I will say that every time I've gotten a non-nitto rack  I've regretted it.

[Edwin W]

I agree with all the above - racks are awesome AND expensive ones are hard to swallow in the short run, even with a $3000 bike. If you are taking less than 15 lbs or so, I would think any of the smaller racks would be fine

Some racks I have admired or heard about from this list:

$295 Pass and Stow five rail

$288 RBW basket rack. Quality costs! Like many things at Riv, super overbuilt and awesome at the same time. 

$160 Nitto Mark's  creme de la creme

$112 VO Constructeur

$50 Cheap Amazon rack

$25 Brick Lane Bikes cheap but good looking, hard to find in the US

Good luck and let us know what you get

Edwin

[Bill Lindsay]

"if you're willing to affix that basket to the rack semi-permanently, then you really don't need a wide, porteur-style rack.  The basket itself is support structure"

True, to a point.  Plenty of folks load their Wald baskets up enough to cause them to sag at the unsupported wings hanging off a narrow rack.  It all depends on the loading.  20 pounds of groceries (the OP use-case) can be pretty dense and pretty randomly distributed.  

BL in EC

[Garth]

For short runs to the grocery store and nothing bulky or heavy, I'd just use a backpack myself. I did that a long time ago and never really gave thought to rack. They're dead weight otherwise. I also don't like the handling of a front rack, let alone a loaded one,  and a backpack attaches to me, so nothing extra is required. A fancy backpack isn't necessary either, just one that fits well.

If I had to have rack though it would be for the rear with bags.

[Isaak Oliansky]

I put one of these Tumbleweed racks on the front of my Appaloosa with a Wald on top. It mounts really nicely to the fork crown eyelets and thus neatly avoids clearance issues with my cantilevers. The silver is nice, the price is right, and it can hold panniers to boot if you ever decide you don't want a basket. 

[Otto Frey]

Has anyone tried a Pelago commuter rack? I like the look of the platform for a basket most of the time, but with the added support for front panniers when going out on a journey. Interested in your experiences with them, since they definitely come in at a lower price point and quality than Nitto or Pass & Stowe.

[Brian Turner]

My wife has one on her Buena Vista, and it’s a quality rack. The modular rack struts for different applications is a nice design feature. I’m actually quite surprised the Pelago racks are as affordable as they are, because they seem like they should be at a higher price point, IMO.

Brian

Lexington KY 

On Jun 13, 2025, at 5:42 PM, Otto Frey <harry...@gmail.com> wrote:

Has anyone tried a Pelago commuter rack? I like the look of the platform for a basket most of the time, but with the added support for front panniers when going out on a journey. Interested in your experiences with them, since they definitely come in at a lower price point and quality than Nitto or Pass & Stowe.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/93bcaf7b-1ec0-4d8a-9f5b-7aa6a7bc4a6dn%40googlegroups.com.

[chintan jadwani]

I think if the intention is to put a basket, I would recommend buying a wald basket with the parts to fix it on the bike first - if that is not suffficient/stable enough you can then think of investing in a front rack (sorry if I missed something).

[Richard Rose]

I second the Tubleweed suggestion.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 13, 2025, at 3:45 PM, Isaak Oliansky <isaako...@gmail.com> wrote:

I put one of these Tumbleweed racks on the front of my Appaloosa with a Wald on top. It mounts really nicely to the fork crown eyelets and thus neatly avoids clearance issues with my cantilevers. The silver is nice, the price is right, and it can hold panniers to boot if you ever decide you don't want a basket. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c9e94675-ab0c-416b-8756-3b48299afcf9n%40googlegroups.com.

[Cormac O'Keeffe]

The Pelago front rack is excellent. I have one on a Hillbourne and it's a great fit. 

I used to use a rear pannier system for years but since using a front rack for commuting and errands I can't recommend them enough. 

[Dan]

The Memento Ant rack works really, really nicely on my Appaloosa to support a Wald basket.

It's small and has a very high weight limit (25kg), which I will never approach but gives me peace of mind for the kinds of loads I actually do carry! No it's not 'cheap', but as others have said, front racks aren't, and the utility a good rack unlocks is worth it!

[Andres Guerra]

The Pelago rasket stainless steel is nice and

Have different options to connect to the fork ends. You don’t have to zip tight the basket. It looks neat in my opinion 

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 13, 2025, at 5:42 PM, Otto Frey <harry...@gmail.com> wrote:

Has anyone tried a Pelago commuter rack? I like the look of the platform for a basket most of the time, but with the added support for front panniers when going out on a journey. Interested in your experiences with them, since they definitely come in at a lower price point and quality than Nitto or Pass & Stowe.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/93bcaf7b-1ec0-4d8a-9f5b-7aa6a7bc4a6dn%40googlegroups.com.