After the neatest bike rack you've ever seen? aeroe has the answer

People have been using bikes to carry things for almost as long as bikes have been around. Bikepacking also isn't new, it's pretty much just an evolution of what used to be called touring. What has changed significantly, though, is the variety of bikes used for things like bikepacking, the way that racks look and mount and the general vibe of the whole experience. Where racks used to be big, clunky things that allowed you to carry bags but generally made the bike worse, they're now light, sleek and fit in with the aesthetic of a machine that's precision engineered and, generally, quite expensive. 

Basically what we're saying is that bike racks dont always mean compromise these days. It's not a case of you can either enjoy the ride experience or carry stuff with you but not both. Right at the forefront of this idea of 'nice racks for nice bikes' sits aeroe, a brand that have taken form and function and blended the two together to make something rather good indeed. 

The nice rack in question is aeroe's Spider Rear Rack - the baselayer of the aeroe system and one of the neatest looking rear racks we've ever seen. It'll attach to pretty much any bike and grips onto the seatstays with a very simple installation process that takes a minute or so. It's so easy that mounting and removing the Spider Rack doesn't actually feel like a chore. How easy, you ask? Please refer to this excellent instructional video brought to you by the folks at aeroe themselves:

The rack comes as standard with one cradle to carry a drybag or tent, but can accept up to two more with a maximum weight limit of 16kg. The real beauty of the system comes when it's on mountain bikes or E-mountain bikes because as the rack doesn't touch the seatpost, your dropper post is still fully functional - something that seatpost bags and other racks can't accommodate. 

Extra luggage is added by attaching additional cradles, which can be mounted horizontally or vertically and rotated up to 90 degrees to make sure that there's clearance for dropper posts or heels. Those work with aeroe's own dry bags, but if you're taking something valuable or breakable and want a bit more protection the hard shell Quick Mount Pods are the perfect solution. Those have an 11-litre capacity and clip in and out of the rack very easily (hence 'quick mount') with a hard, waterproof outer, so perfect for carrying camera equipment, but also great for soft goods too. 

If you fancy levelling up your bike with the sleekest rack around, you can find aeroe's Spider Rack, Cradle, Handlebar Cradle and Dry Bags right here on Freewheel.