Recommend me a front rack! I used to commute a whole lot more before I committed myself toward a doctoral program. Only problem was I always had a pack and skimped out on my serving of accessorizing my bike.

I just rebuilt my paddywagon as steel is real and riding aluminum all day around the less than acceptable roads here is torture. Nevertheless I had to wear my backpack on a run to the library today just to return one small hardbound journal book that was recalled from me. This is when I noticed I could've used a front rack for this.

The fork is long reach if that would affect the selection I can choose from and probably in a decent size to hold maybe 2 6 pack bottles or 1 petite wife. Something on the shallow side.

It would also help if it would be economical/ on the cheaper side; as I'll be locking this outside lecture halls on campus and does run the risk of being stolen. But nonetheless include nicer models.

Thanks!

There aren't many cheap front racks out there, and the ones that do exist can't hold up a wife. The king of them all is this. If you want budget, Nashbar makes this.Any wife would crumple that one though.

Aggh I'm so itching for the porteur but the price is a bit steep to risk out in the wild here on campus; both being stolen and banged up in the rack even though I have an accessory cable. Believe me I would get the wooden inserts for it that somebody is selling on ebay for that nice touch. Holding the wife was just for kicks.

Wald baskets are cheaper and will blend in on campus.
This one has nice wooden slats: https://www.amazon.com/Wald-Front-Woo.../dp/B002XXSTG4
This is cheaper and equally useful, without the wood: https://www.bikesomewhere.com/bikesom...4605/24807?g=1

Yea wald is the way to go apparently from the prices; the more compact 137 seems like my best bet.

The Wald basket is an excellent choice... will disagree with VO's marketing spiel about their porteur rack being better than many custom racks but their price is pretty reasonable for a stainless rack.

We build some very nice racks up here but not everyone needs a rack that can carry their wife and their dog and Wald baskets have been carrying a lot of stuff for decades and still made on this side of the pond..

You're just saying that because you have access to some really great custom racks. I can safely say that the VO rack is nicer than anything I've ever made custom. Does that count?

If I were in the market, I would go for the Surly nice rack. It isn't quite as pricey as the Velo-Orange rack. It also will let one use panniers in a lowrider configuration.

The rack that I am currently using is homebuilt/hacked from three different racks, kind of combined.

I used the Nashbar rack, a Delta Shock treatment rack, and some generic universal rear rack that came on one of my yard sale finds.
I installed the Nasbar rack as per the instructions.
Then I fabricated four U-bolts from threaded rod, coated the u part with Plasti-dip.
I used the U-bolts to mount the Delta rack to my fork, instead of the included hardware.

I then took the universal rear rack and removed the legs, flipped it upside down, and used five small hose clamps to secure it to the other two racks. The reason for that was to strengthen the rack as well as lengthen the rack. By using the top part of the rear rack in the front, it allowed me to tie the two other racks together so that they kind of reinforce each other.

In the picture you are seing version one, where I used zip ties instead of hose clamps to hold the loonger part to the Nashbar rack. It worked fairly well until I hit a inch and a half high sheet of ice,on a fast down hill. the impact bounced the small Blackburn light right clean off the bike. It also allowed the battery that was in the rack trunk bag to over load the Nashbar rack.

I use this little cheap thing. It'll hold a 12 pack safely. It mounts to your front brake bosses.

https://www.niagaracycle.com/product_...ucts_id=430978

One of these might just handle a petite sized wife

https://www.cetmacargo.com/CETMAracksindex.htm

https://www.passstow.com/index.html

VO makes some very nice stuff... their rack is a nice piece of work.

Here is a homemade Porteur rack I made a few years back. I got the idea from an Instructables.com idea that used shelf standards for rails. While shopping for the shelf standards I saw the Aluminum angle-iron that I used instead. Fastening it together with pop rivets. Conduit and p-clamps round out the rest of the project. It was a good idea but it couldn't take to much weight without wobbling.

So that evolved into me mounting the Aluminum shelf to a Jand Extreme Front rack I had. That made it much stronger and sturdier. I could carry two 12 packs with this.

But when I upgraded to some new Tektro 720(?) cantilever brakes they interfered with the front rack. Seeing as how I wasn't really using the side rails on the rack, only the top shelf. I did away with the whole thing and bought the smaller front rack that mounts on my cantilevers. I intend on building a new top shelf to accomodate the smaller rack. I don't carry a whole lot, so as long as it handles a 12 pack that will satisfy me.

Jandd Extreme front rack is great -- have one on my surly. That thing would probably hold a case of beer.

I have a Jandd rack, it's very sturdy, but the only draw back is that it makes fixing a front flat very difficult when using wide tires and long cantilever brakes. When I had narrower tires, the long cantilevers would release far enough out, before they hit the rack, letting the wheel/tire slip past the brake pads (still had to completely remove the skewer pin).
Now that I have much wider tires, I have to partially remove the rack to let the cantilevers spread out further, letting the wider tires slip past the brake pads.

cetma, made by a guy in Eugene Oregon... 1 man shop.
https://www.cetmacargo.com/

you can get them in various widths. one big enough to transfer your back pack onto would be a benefit.

the basic support by bike attachment is like Wald Baskets.

I've got a Soma Mini Alloy Front Rack - https://store.somafab.com/somialfrra.html - on my single speed commuter. It can hold small panniers but steering gets twitchy if I load them up. That said it's great for just stacking some small stuff on top and using some netting to hold it down.

Those cetma racks are nice looking racks. Worth the price in my book. But I did hear somewhere, don't know if its true, that sometimes backorders can be as much as three months.

Love CETMA racks, but: "New orders for this rack are not being accepted at this time.
Orders will resume 7-20-11."

I'm using a VO Constructeur rack with a DIY oak deck. Love it.

Thanks. Yep, it's true. Beginning yesterday (6-20-11), I put a pause on all new orders. I had to. I've had a back-order going for a long time and I can't take it anymore. It's embarrassing and stressful and not right. For the first time in years, it looks like I'll be caught up with all orders in a couple weeks. At that point, I'll have zero back-log. I've been dreaming of this day for a long time.

Same 1 guy is also building the cargo bikes..

Hmmmmm. I'm sorry to hear that... I had the idea that with weight up front, the steering might actually calm down. I have a small wheel folding bike that I was thinking of making into a pedelec. Currently it is twitchy beyond belief. Constant attention is needed to ride it well at normal road speeds. I thought that if I used front panniers to house the battery packs, the extra weight up front would add stability. My theoretical test pilot is rarely wrong about these things. Would it be possible (without offending you, of course) to inquire further on your findings of 'twitchiness'?

H

Of course not, with the panniers weighted up, the front wheel would turn faster than I expected in whatever direction I was turning and the turn wasn't very smooth. I also didn't feel I could lean into turns. These wouldn't be problems with the panniers on the back.

This is on an old road bike, the turning issue might not be as a bad in a more upright situation.