Stainless Steel Porteur Rack by Velo Orange

I have this mounted on my Electra Townie 7d. This took some doing! I had to alter the lower connection tabs a bit with a portable electric sander tool so that they would fit on my hub. I had no choice, as the extra metal around the end of the tab was interfering with the hub to such an extent that my wheel would not seat properly. I only had to shave away about 1.5mm of metal in total, but the metal is quite hard so it took me nearly half a day. The nuts used on this rack are hex type, so have a set of Allen Wrenches handy. There are 2 different sizes used, and I have NO IDEA why this is, but I thought it somewhat silly.Other than the installation being a BEAR due to the rack not being quite compatible with my bike, and my helper managing to strip out one of the hex bolts, necessitating a frantic trip to the hardware store, I have no complaints.The rack itself is sturdy, shiny, well made, and all the welds look well done. It's the perfect size, seems like it can carry a lot of weight although I am a casual rider so I haven't really taxed it. I have carried mostly foods (groceries and restaurant leftovers) with it, as well as bundling my purse and coat to it with bungees. The size of the rack is such that it fits PERFECTLY (nice and snug) two paper grocery sacks side by side. (If you are carrying this much weight, you are going to want a front wheel stabilizer! I have not found a good one yet...)I like that the rack is shiny and cool looking, yet silently utilitarian and unobtrusive at the same time. I have not mounted any lights to the rack itself, but it does have braze-ons which appear to be for that purpose, and I hope to utilize those in the future.I anticipate this will be the last/only front rack I will buy, as I will move it to my "next" bike, down the road. I just wish I hadn't screwed around with baskets for so long, thinking that's what I wanted. I wanted this rack, I just didn't know it yet! Yes, the price is a bit steep, but I bet I spent almost that amount just on baskets and other solutions that didn't end up working out, not to mention the time saved...yes this took me half a day to install but it's once and done...compared to the endless basket on/off, adjustment, replacement, re-securing, etc, that I was going through before. Also this seems to visually balance the bike a bit better than a basket (I have a rear rack as well) and not obscure the handlebars (the look or the function of them).If you're thinking of baskets, or have tried baskets and not found "the one"...get this instead!!!

Original order and replacement order did not include the upper railing which was supposed to be included. Will be returning. Beware that at least 2 of the “3 Remaining” will not include this part.

Quality product. Will need to modify attachment bracket for cantilever brakes. Would have been nice to have premolded bracket as tools required to bend steel are needed .

It's a good rack but it it absolutely is not stiff enough to carry even modest loads without modification. As seen in the attached pic, I had a shop that had some stainless tubing lying around tie the rack back to the fork crowns (see pic). It's MUCH more stable now. The stock setup is something of a joke -- that's more or less the way a Wald basket that you'd buy at Target attaches to your bike.Mine is one of the early ones. However, the more modern VO racks have pre-drilled holes in the bottom tangs, presumably to make it easier to install. That is a big mistake. First of all, you want a rack to fit PERFECTLY on your bike, with the fender line exactly right. That is, after all, the very essence of the constructeur ethos. Second, it takes meat out the metal there and that is a big mistake.Velo Orange has, to my mind, sort of lost its way. Early on they developed some very innovative products, but always with a deeply respectful nod to the Golden Age of randonneur and porteur bicycles. I have bought racks, saddles, rims, seatposts, stems, etc. etc. from them over the years.Unfortunately something seems to have happened along the way. Some of their products are just not all that well made. They are just cheap Asian imitations of the real thing. Most of their own components are simply CNC-milled rather than forged, which makes a HUGE difference for the worse in terms of strength. And their once-simple aesthetic is getting compromised. E.g., spurious graphics on top tubes? ... laser etching of their tacky "Grand Cru" logo on stuff? It has crept down to a much more mass-market approach which is the exact opposite of what one might have expected from these guys. The saddles are not remotely comparable to a Brooks or Ideale in terms of quality. Same with their alloy fenders -- a far cry from real Honjos although they look okay from a few feet away. Many of VO's designs -- and indeed nowadays their website -- are just meh.I'm not sure how successful VO is. I noticed that D&B says that their revenues are <$1 million. That would surprise me if it was right but something seems decidedly off the pace of its early heroics. Anyhow that's for another discussion.

Simply a gorgeous rack on any bike, especially on a classic burgundy 1983 miyata with fork eyelets. Easy assembly once I had a cup of coffee for patience with alertness to (not scratch) my bike. I've had many racks and this one is the most beautiful. Really makes the bike handsome if you will and fits/carries my leather satchel to a T! Not my first front rack, so remember Anytime you add one it changes the ride slightly but not in a bad way unless you're interested in wippy turns. You'll lose some of that when loaded so choose the right bike for it. I have 5 bikes and this one is my Sunday casual ride.

Like many items from Velo Orange this rack is extremely nice looking, I first saw one installed on a gorgeous older bike in the classic bike show at the Seattle Bike Expo. I've installed it on my most attractive bike and it fits the style perfectly. Sturdy and versatile with the removable guard rail, it holds large and small items, absurdly good for takeout as well as pet food runs, great for multi packs of TP, with a proper strap you can put a pizza on it, fits a picnic basket perfectly as well. Easy to install to a variety of bike configurations.

Use this on my city bike to hold a basket for my dog. This holds up to 50lbs and is really sturdy. So many front bike racks and/or baskets will hold a maximum of 20lbs or less.