Attaching the rack platform directly to the frame completely changes the ride performance with a loaded rack. As anyone with a Brompton will tell you, a Brompton front rack can accommodate a huge weight with almost no noticable effect on the handling of the bike. In my opinion this feature on the Brompton is as important (for me) as the folding of the bike.
Also anybody who has ridden a UK Royal Mail delivery bike (either as a Postie or bikes they have disposed of over the years). These all have the front rack attached to the frame. It's so much more stable. My Mailstar can carry 20kg on the front rack alone.
It also has some disadvantages. If you attach it on the frame on a normal sized bike like the Rose you are very limited in the height, because the handlebars will hit your load on turns. I like to pick up packages after work with my bike and a normal front carrier that's attached to the fork allows me to transport big packages on the bike, even if the handling suffers.
Headtube/frame mounted front racks really are the best, makes so much more sense than the once hyped "low trail" design that you have to front load on the fork to make the bike ride normal.
So true. I've got two bikes with frame mounted front racks and they basically have more load capacity than my touring bike. I've been planning for years now to have a custom tourer built with front rack like that. Big Carradice style saddle bag and and rest of the stuff on the front rack would be perfect for most tours. And everyday life too.
Random thought (or maybe it's a wish for alt cycling) COLOURFUL FENDERS. With spring on the way, I've been thinking a lot about fenders. Love those hammered honjo ones too, but I think colourful fenders or even paint matched fenders could be awesome.
This. Closest option I found so far are those vinyl/plastic/whatever rollable ones typically used on fixed gear bikes that attach using velcro. They come in many colors, but quality of the actual fender varies per brand.
Hobos are all 1x as far as I know. The rack is modular, so it can be big or small. There are no two separate racks to choose from. Can carry 5Kg, so wobbliness is not really a big deal with such a load. The thing is on the market for like at least a year, and Rose in itself is a well known (in Europe) German direct to consumer brand that male good bikes.
I have never owned a car (And don't intend to, ever) - and this is exactly my setup for grocery shopping. I carry everything. Up to 20 kg loads. No problemo
I have a head tube mounted basket on my Rad Power Bikes RadMission, and the big draw back to a head tube mounted rack or basket is that you cannot put anything in front of the handlebars, or the handlebars won't turn, so you end up only being able to carry small things in the front.
I've ridden a ton with frame attached and fork attached front racks from building cycle trucks, porteurs, touring bikes, and cargo bikes. Frame attached does have some advantages with heavy loads because the load isn't moving around so much. It has a downside for big loads (in volume) though, because the bars turn and the load doesn't. This means that your bars hit tall loads. It works better with small front wheels than big ones for this reason -- even carrying a small grocery load would be a problem on that Rose bike.
I use to work in heavy industry they had a fleet of 26"/20" tricycles used to haul all sorts gear on site. I am curious to see if compact trikes will be a cargo bike trend in the future. Lots of pros and cons.
If you’re going to put a load out front, attached to the frame is the way to go. Way back when I used to take my kids one in front and one behind me. The front child seat was attached to the frame, and I actually preferred having both of them on the bike than just one in the rear child seat. It was a super stable setup, even when they got excited and started twisting and pointing at things. And for family outings, we shifted the seats over to our tandem so all four of us could share the same bike. Glorious times!
Having a rack mounted the frame could work well with a suspension fork, so the load becomes part of the sprung weight, and maybe less likely to catapult the basket contents into the air each time you hit a pothole!
Its about time! The difference in stability with a frame mounted front rack is pretty much night and day. Imo, much more comfortable to ride than having stuff sracked on the rear rack too.
Good content Russ. Several comments reference Rose bikes. As an owner of one of their touring bikes ( an old one) and having visited Rosebiketown in Bocholt on several occasions, they are worth checking out whilst you’re in Europe 👍
That was a fun watch. I've been looking at rear racks for my new Cutthroat but now perhaps I should be looking at front racks after seeing that head tube mounted rack. I appreciate you making me think about options.
Cracked a head tube with a frame mounted front rack. Was great while it lasted though. You do want a little bit of weight on the steering to stop speed oscillations with the handle bars, although changing the angle it would probably be fine, like a Brompton.
Like this shout out style episode to share news. If you ever find yourself lacking, you could do similar themed episodes like you recently did for pedals. I would happily see what new and wonderful things I'm not aware of are in other niche spaces.
I noticed the Black Snow has 25 mm offset on the front wheel. I have had bad experience when you get up over 20 mph. Looking forward to your test. You seem like a kid in a candy shop! Great Content!! Cool bike stuff, great comments. Many thanks!
I did that drive train hack well just about the same thing about 10 years ago. I did a 2x10 with a 38/22 in the front and an 11/34 in the rear using a shimano 105 rear derailleur. rode it like a 1x in the 38 with a bailout. in the 22 front I could only go down to the 4th smallest cog. I loved that set up. Had it on my 650b conversion , used for commuting and light touring.
Rose (pronounced Rosa in German) is a big bicycle company in Germany mainly known for their online (previously catalog) sales. Been around quite a while, and I think originally catered more to those riding racing bikes. They have a good rep for good quality at pretty good prices.
The rose hobo + rack has been there for a while. I am surprised you didn't pick up on the Rose hobo with drop bars that they just announced this week. Maybe something for the next episode. Regarding Rose, they are a German family own company that operates exactly like Canyon does(direct sales only). You see a lot of them in Germany.
I had a steel frame bike that I used as a commuter in New England salt for years. The post got very stuck. My first real attempt involved rigging the frame up to a 2 ton engine hoist and trying to pull it out. This did not work, with the relief valve in the hydraulics kicking in before I could get the post loose. Ended up having to cut it off and drill the thing out after an attempt at twisting it out with a tube block and vice broke the post. So yeah, those numbers are not surprising to me.
bodged a trek front rack onto a Cotic escapade with home made U-bolts and just a tiny bit of filing to reach full lock.... and im still alive! perfect for a mini-v with all that lovely head tube
The le petit porteur did have a small price increase, but it is still mostly the same. Previously you could spec some cheaper tires, which lowered the price, but now all come stock with schwalbe pick-up tires and a kickstand. Still really affordable. The only bummer is the 200 euro shipping fee for inside Europe. Even with that, one of the more affordable cargo bikes. Regarding the shifters, you should definitely try Ltwoo shifters, they have a whole range of mechanical cable brake sti levers, from 7 to 12 speed, and now even offer special versions for smaller hands. And they use the same cable pull as shimano (road groupsets), so you can reuse some older derraileurs. Still, really cheap, should be no problem to order from ali to Spain.
Funny to see that Rose is new to you, but then again they don't seem to be very active outside of Germany so how could you know? Here in Germany Rose is actually one of the biggest and most successful bike brands of recent years, with their claim to fame being that they offered really good bang-for-the-buck bikes in the last 10 years. They've gotten a little more pricey recently but are still somewhat competitive. Their Backroad series of gravel bikes in particular is very popular here. Maybe they'll send you one to review if you message them?
RE Cybercycles crank lengths: I've spoken with them. For lengths they don't keep in stock, you can specify a custom length; supposedly a 4-week lead time. Now with this 2x 110/74 BCD spider, I'll probably sell my left kidney to order a couple of cranksets.
I think Terry Barentsen got a sponsored Petit Porteur maybe? If you got a line to him.. Anyway, I'd love to see it and you definitely need to get that bike for a review if you're gonna go through more minicargos.
Liked that video: I like Rose very much, and have bought components and a bike off of them. The bikes are reasonably priced (in comparison of course) and my Bonero hardtail works as it should. The components are named standard components and the frame geometry works for me well. I have an eye on the drop bar version of the hobo as I fancy a steel frame which are quite rare with 650b in germany Cheers
That front rack on the Hobo is cool. With front racks people can see their cargo falling off the bike. With rear racks you don't notice the items falling off.
12:33 Maybe I'm just too sensitive but it stung when he called it the "poors' Red." I work two jobs to survive but the poors' red is still a luxury I would need to save up for. Enjoy the videos because I can geek out on bikes without having to buy them. Also helps for a moment to forget the harshness of daily life, but hearing that was so jarring.
Oooh I forgot you guys are into birding... how's about collecting a few snippets of cool sightings accumulated on your trips and every once in a while to do a brief Patreon mention of what & where every so often... I know way OT for bike nerds, ya need long lenses etc. but quite a few of your patrons may be biologists too. I used to target wildlife refuges sometimes and was never disappointed
Hey Russ, i was wondering how i love seeing the small brand bike scene being that lively in the US, would you have the time and opportunity to explore what's going on this side of the ocean? There are a few companies that come to mind like Fairlight or Temple from the UK, or Norka Bikes from Bilbao, but France, Germany and so on all have these small batch metal bike builders. It would be cool to have some reviews or intro about them if you can. Love the format btw!
Bolting a basket to the head tube exclusively seems like a good way to leverage weight into a few bolts and damage your frame. Without knowing the max weight capacity, I gotta assume it’s pretty inferior to something with struts to the fork.
5kg is what they say. Not allot but for travelling you can easily put a tent and some clothing for a quick change. Or just some groceries. You will never put 15 kg on it
€150 for a front rack. And you still need a basket or bungee cords to carry anything on it... 6:15 More overpriced stuff. ST-R500 was an 8-speed Sora model, so very likely the old 8/9/10 Shimano road compatibility. You can get today a set of legit Tiagra 4700 brifters on AE for half that price, modern Sora R3000 for even less. What exactly does this S-Ride product bring to the table?
Okay a Hypothetical. Imagine 500 euros for a groupset electronic gears, but they 13:33 only support8 to 10 speed. Medium cage size. 1x. mechanical breaks . Decent enough app. There are no other bells and whistles it just works. Would you buy it? 500 big ones
A 1x with a huge range rear cassette is appropriate for cargo bikes. This way you can install a good chain guard so you can truly wear any kind of pants and not worry about your pant leg getting caught in the chain.
I don't get it. Why mention the news about SRAM just to bash on electronic gears? Is it just to fill a video so it's longer and works better with the UA-cam algorithm? No need to make news about stuff you clearly don't like.
Loving the new format, succinct and on point. More please....
Attaching the rack platform directly to the frame completely changes the ride performance with a loaded rack. As anyone with a Brompton will tell you, a Brompton front rack can accommodate a huge weight with almost no noticable effect on the handling of the bike. In my opinion this feature on the Brompton is as important (for me) as the folding of the bike.
Also anybody who has ridden a UK Royal Mail delivery bike (either as a Postie or bikes they have disposed of over the years). These all have the front rack attached to the frame. It's so much more stable. My Mailstar can carry 20kg on the front rack alone.
It also has some disadvantages. If you attach it on the frame on a normal sized bike like the Rose you are very limited in the height, because the handlebars will hit your load on turns.
I like to pick up packages after work with my bike and a normal front carrier that's attached to the fork allows me to transport big packages on the bike, even if the handling suffers.
i do confirm !
Headtube/frame mounted front racks really are the best, makes so much more sense than the once hyped "low trail" design that you have to front load on the fork to make the bike ride normal.
Makes sense until you put something tall on the rack and discover, mid turn, that your bars hit the load.
So true. I've got two bikes with frame mounted front racks and they basically have more load capacity than my touring bike. I've been planning for years now to have a custom tourer built with front rack like that. Big Carradice style saddle bag and and rest of the stuff on the front rack would be perfect for most tours. And everyday life too.
Thanks. A few nuances of information that I did not know.
Appreciate this new format.
Random thought (or maybe it's a wish for alt cycling) COLOURFUL FENDERS. With spring on the way, I've been thinking a lot about fenders. Love those hammered honjo ones too, but I think colourful fenders or even paint matched fenders could be awesome.
This. Closest option I found so far are those vinyl/plastic/whatever rollable ones typically used on fixed gear bikes that attach using velcro. They come in many colors, but quality of the actual fender varies per brand.
Hobos are all 1x as far as I know. The rack is modular, so it can be big or small. There are no two separate racks to choose from. Can carry 5Kg, so wobbliness is not really a big deal with such a load. The thing is on the market for like at least a year, and Rose in itself is a well known (in Europe) German direct to consumer brand that male good bikes.
🙂 rear and front racks i always thought made sense, useful to go local grocery shopping, you be surprised how much you can bring back from the store
I have never owned a car (And don't intend to, ever) - and this is exactly my setup for grocery shopping. I carry everything. Up to 20 kg loads. No problemo
Great idea. I’ll be here every week as I love seeing what’s new. More mini Velo bikes please.
Great new weekly series! I haven't used Instagram in a while, so I missed some of these releases.
I have a head tube mounted basket on my Rad Power Bikes RadMission, and the big draw back to a head tube mounted rack or basket is that you cannot put anything in front of the handlebars, or the handlebars won't turn, so you end up only being able to carry small things in the front.
My thoughts exactly. I ride with a L Fabio´s chest so that would not work for me. unless perhaps on bikes like the Omnium.
I've ridden a ton with frame attached and fork attached front racks from building cycle trucks, porteurs, touring bikes, and cargo bikes.
Frame attached does have some advantages with heavy loads because the load isn't moving around so much. It has a downside for big loads (in volume) though, because the bars turn and the load doesn't. This means that your bars hit tall loads. It works better with small front wheels than big ones for this reason -- even carrying a small grocery load would be a problem on that Rose bike.
Phil Vandelay has built a bunch of his own cargo bikes from old frames as well. Really cool stuff.
I use to work in heavy industry they had a fleet of 26"/20" tricycles used to haul all sorts gear on site. I am curious to see if compact trikes will be a cargo bike trend in the future. Lots of pros and cons.
If you’re going to put a load out front, attached to the frame is the way to go. Way back when I used to take my kids one in front and one behind me. The front child seat was attached to the frame, and I actually preferred having both of them on the bike than just one in the rear child seat. It was a super stable setup, even when they got excited and started twisting and pointing at things. And for family outings, we shifted the seats over to our tandem so all four of us could share the same bike. Glorious times!
Having a rack mounted the frame could work well with a suspension fork, so the load becomes part of the sprung weight, and maybe less likely to catapult the basket contents into the air each time you hit a pothole!
Le petit Porteur OG user here… it’s great!
Teal and pink is my favourite colourway. That looks pretty perfect for me
Its about time! The difference in stability with a frame mounted front rack is pretty much night and day. Imo, much more comfortable to ride than having stuff sracked on the rear rack too.
I really liked this format. Hope it is not too much work. Would love a weekly release. Thank you!
The new format was a nice addition to video styles.
Good content Russ. Several comments reference Rose bikes. As an owner of one of their touring bikes ( an old one) and having visited Rosebiketown in Bocholt on several occasions, they are worth checking out whilst you’re in Europe 👍
That was a fun watch. I've been looking at rear racks for my new Cutthroat but now perhaps I should be looking at front racks after seeing that head tube mounted rack. I appreciate you making me think about options.
Cracked a head tube with a frame mounted front rack. Was great while it lasted though.
You do want a little bit of weight on the steering to stop speed oscillations with the handle bars, although changing the angle it would probably be fine, like a Brompton.
rose bikes kick ass. Sometimes I cross the boarder to visit Germany and their bike shops.
Like this shout out style episode to share news.
If you ever find yourself lacking, you could do similar themed episodes like you recently did for pedals. I would happily see what new and wonderful things I'm not aware of are in other niche spaces.
I noticed the Black Snow has 25 mm offset on the front wheel. I have had bad experience when you get up over 20 mph. Looking forward to your test. You seem like a kid in a candy shop! Great Content!! Cool bike stuff, great comments. Many thanks!
Really like this format, Russ. Great to benefit from your scanning developments!
I did that drive train hack well just about the same thing about 10 years ago. I did a 2x10 with a 38/22 in the front and an 11/34 in the rear using a shimano 105 rear derailleur. rode it like a 1x in the 38 with a bailout. in the 22 front I could only go down to the 4th smallest cog. I loved that set up. Had it on my 650b conversion , used for commuting and light touring.
Rose (pronounced Rosa in German) is a big bicycle company in Germany mainly known for their online (previously catalog) sales. Been around quite a while, and I think originally catered more to those riding racing bikes. They have a good rep for good quality at pretty good prices.
I have a basket mounted to the head tube of one of my bikes and it works very well. It doesn't sway, the ride is stable.
Bring forth the headtube-mounted rack overlords!
I build an omnium mini for my girlfriend and it’s a commuter beast , love it so much
The rose hobo now has a drop steering thing. Like a racing/gravel bike
Like the signal boost idea. I subscribed to a lot of the channels you recommended in the other video.
Omg I saw the seat post thing, I like that guys he is so creative.
Great content Russ - wondering when we might see another Party pace Podcast? You and Nolan have such great chemistry!
love this new format.
The rose hobo + rack has been there for a while. I am surprised you didn't pick up on the Rose hobo with drop bars that they just announced this week. Maybe something for the next episode.
Regarding Rose, they are a German family own company that operates exactly like Canyon does(direct sales only). You see a lot of them in Germany.
Good prices on these specialty bikes!
I was looking at the Le Petite. The Hobo with the larger wheels seems more practical. Although Le Petite keeps the cargo at a lower center of gravity
Especially good content today, Russ. Thanks for what you cover!
"what the heck is that?" made my day 🤣
Check out Phil Vanderlay's cargo bike build too - very talented engineer.
The seatpost vid is great, wince inducing entertainment!
I had a steel frame bike that I used as a commuter in New England salt for years. The post got very stuck. My first real attempt involved rigging the frame up to a 2 ton engine hoist and trying to pull it out. This did not work, with the relief valve in the hydraulics kicking in before I could get the post loose. Ended up having to cut it off and drill the thing out after an attempt at twisting it out with a tube block and vice broke the post. So yeah, those numbers are not surprising to me.
Does anyone sell a universal head tube mounted rack/basket? I want one for my minivelo.
bodged a trek front rack onto a Cotic escapade with home made U-bolts and just a tiny bit of filing to reach full lock.... and im still alive!
perfect for a mini-v with all that lovely head tube
You should check vello. They made a gravel bike that is foldable, frontrack like a brompton and a foldable rearrack that can carry 20kg
The le petit porteur did have a small price increase, but it is still mostly the same. Previously you could spec some cheaper tires, which lowered the price, but now all come stock with schwalbe pick-up tires and a kickstand. Still really affordable. The only bummer is the 200 euro shipping fee for inside Europe. Even with that, one of the more affordable cargo bikes.
Regarding the shifters, you should definitely try Ltwoo shifters, they have a whole range of mechanical cable brake sti levers, from 7 to 12 speed, and now even offer special versions for smaller hands. And they use the same cable pull as shimano (road groupsets), so you can reuse some older derraileurs. Still, really cheap, should be no problem to order from ali to Spain.
That Rose Hobo rack has way too little weight capacity if you ask me. And that frame in general also, especially for a steel frame.
Swooping top tube is nice. Hillary’s biggest issue is standover height and it would be nice to have more options through this feature.
What if the fixed load is higher than the handlebars, will it not be weird when you turn?
Funny to see that Rose is new to you, but then again they don't seem to be very active outside of Germany so how could you know?
Here in Germany Rose is actually one of the biggest and most successful bike brands of recent years, with their claim to fame being that they offered really good bang-for-the-buck bikes in the last 10 years. They've gotten a little more pricey recently but are still somewhat competitive. Their Backroad series of gravel bikes in particular is very popular here. Maybe they'll send you one to review if you message them?
My wife’s 10 yr old REI “Barrow” bike/ commuter has a front basket that bolts to the headtube.
Enjoying this video. Thank you.
I had a head tube rack from denmark, loved it miss it slack ha a must
RE Cybercycles crank lengths: I've spoken with them. For lengths they don't keep in stock, you can specify a custom length; supposedly a 4-week lead time. Now with this 2x 110/74 BCD spider, I'll probably sell my left kidney to order a couple of cranksets.
I like it! Thanks!
As the owner of several Rose bikes, I'm a bit disappointed by the gearing choice of HOBO, despite liking the idea of the bike otherwise.
It2s othing new to me.
Attaching the rack to the frame has it's advantages.
It makes steering much better.
I think Terry Barentsen got a sponsored Petit Porteur maybe? If you got a line to him..
Anyway, I'd love to see it and you definitely need to get that bike for a review if you're gonna go through more minicargos.
Liked that video: I like Rose very much, and have bought components and a bike off of them. The bikes are reasonably priced (in comparison of course) and my Bonero hardtail works as it should. The components are named standard components and the frame geometry works for me well. I have an eye on the drop bar version of the hobo as I fancy a steel frame which are quite rare with 650b in germany
Cheers
Russ, What is that Silver rack called. I like and need that type.
That front rack on the Hobo is cool. With front racks people can see their cargo falling off the bike. With rear racks you don't notice the items falling off.
12:33 Maybe I'm just too sensitive but it stung when he called it the "poors' Red." I work two jobs to survive but the poors' red is still a luxury I would need to save up for. Enjoy the videos because I can geek out on bikes without having to buy them. Also helps for a moment to forget the harshness of daily life, but hearing that was so jarring.
Electronic is all way too expensive luxury goods.
Oooh I forgot you guys are into birding... how's about collecting a few snippets of cool sightings accumulated on your trips and every once in a while to do a brief Patreon mention of what & where every so often... I know way OT for bike nerds, ya need long lenses etc. but quite a few of your patrons may be biologists too. I used to target wildlife refuges sometimes and was never disappointed
Have you ever looked into the Schlumpf Drive for additional range on 1x
Love this fortmat
The Hobo does not come with two rack options, but rather with 2in1 rack..
Hey Russ, i was wondering how i love seeing the small brand bike scene being that lively in the US, would you have the time and opportunity to explore what's going on this side of the ocean? There are a few companies that come to mind like Fairlight or Temple from the UK, or Norka Bikes from Bilbao, but France, Germany and so on all have these small batch metal bike builders. It would be cool to have some reviews or intro about them if you can.
Love the format btw!
Bolting a basket to the head tube exclusively seems like a good way to leverage weight into a few bolts and damage your frame. Without knowing the max weight capacity, I gotta assume it’s pretty inferior to something with struts to the fork.
5kg is what they say. Not allot but for travelling you can easily put a tent and some clothing for a quick change. Or just some groceries. You will never put 15 kg on it
Sehr schön
Why not go 20/20 on the Blacksnow cargo bike? I'm not seeing what the big rear wheel gets you.
Rollover. More clearance for a rear derailleur. Small wheels drastically affect gearing so this is more “normal”.
€150 for a front rack. And you still need a basket or bungee cords to carry anything on it...
6:15 More overpriced stuff. ST-R500 was an 8-speed Sora model, so very likely the old 8/9/10 Shimano road compatibility. You can get today a set of legit Tiagra 4700 brifters on AE for half that price, modern Sora R3000 for even less. What exactly does this S-Ride product bring to the table?
The next big trend- carrying stuff…
Okay a Hypothetical. Imagine 500 euros for a groupset electronic gears, but they 13:33 only support8 to 10 speed. Medium cage size. 1x. mechanical breaks . Decent enough app. There are no other bells and whistles it just works. Would you buy it? 500 big ones
No
Hobo is a cool bike, but that name...talk about out of touch.
A 1x with a huge range rear cassette is appropriate for cargo bikes. This way you can install a good chain guard so you can truly wear any kind of pants and not worry about your pant leg getting caught in the chain.
I don't get it. Why mention the news about SRAM just to bash on electronic gears? Is it just to fill a video so it's longer and works better with the UA-cam algorithm?
No need to make news about stuff you clearly don't like.
Am I not allowed to have opinions?
Extremely small channel here, doing relaxed cycling content from around Gothenburg in Sweden if someone is interested 😊
More unnecessary “progress.”
Hobo is a truly terrible and insensitive name ....