Bicycle basket

Bicycle with baskets (the one on the back can serve as a child seat too).

A bicycle with a milkcrate as a basket.

A bicycle basket carries cargo on a bicycle. Baskets on children's bicycles and some utility bicycles are often mounted on the handlebars and made of wire mesh, wicker, or woven plastic. Often there are also braces that extend from the basket to the front hub bolt or to tabs on the front fork of the bicycle.

A common problem with handlebar baskets is that they place the cargo in front of the rider and high up on the bicycle frame, where the weight can throw off the handling of the bicycle and the size can obstruct the rider's vision.

Other types of baskets may be mounted on a luggage carrier near the rear wheel of the bicycle. These baskets are usually narrower and deeper than the average handlebar basket. Rear baskets function as a hard-sided pannier, carrying the cargo lower on the bicycle, which keeps the center of gravity low and thereby improves handling and control. This placement also does not obstruct the forward vision of the rider.

References

• Boy Scouts of America, Cycling Merit Badge Pamphlet ISBN 0-8395-3277-6