Bicycle basket

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

A bicycle with a milkcrate as a basket.

A bike basket with a car radio mounted vertically to it.

A bicycle basket allows a bicycle rider to carry cargo or objects without using their hands. Baskets on children's bicycles and some utility bicycles are often mounted to the front handle bars and are 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 handle bar baskets is that they place the cargo in front of the rider and high up on the bicycle frame. Large objects in the basket can throw off the handling of the bicycle and also obstruct the rider's vision.

Other types of baskets may mount to a luggage carrier near the rear wheel of the bicycle. These baskets are usually narrow and deep as compared to the average handle bar basket. These rear baskets function like a hard sided pannier and allow the cargo to be carried lower on the bicycle. This configuration keeps the center of gravity low on the bicycle, improving the handling and control, and also does not obstruct the forward vision of the rider.

References

• Boy Scouts of America, Cycling Merit Badge Pamphlet ISBN 0839532776

External links

• Review of the Wald Giant Delivery Basket