Hey folks. I'm mounting a front rack + basket on my partner's bike for commuting/bikepacking. She specifically prefers this to a rear rack with paniers. I'm estimating 20lbs maximum capacity.
The bike is a 2023 Trek Checkpoint ALR5. It has a carbon fork with 3x M5 mounts per leg and a rear M5 fender mount (photos attached). There is no front crown mount. 700×40 wheels. No fenders. 12x100mm thru axle.
So, Question 1… what is the generally accepted weight limit for sustained use on a carbon fork? I called Trek directly for the manufacturer specs and was told to follow the overall weight limit for the bike (275lbs) or the rack specs. They do not have specified limits for fork cargo. So helpful… Online, I've seen anywhere from 1.5-7kg/leg for carbon forks, so max capacity ranging from ~6.6-30lbs. I don't believe in babying bikes, but I also have zero personal experience with carbon. If necessary, I will install a OMM/Tailfin thru axle adapter.
Question 2… What rack options have a platform for a basket and not require a crown bolt? My research suggests that Old Man Mountain (Elkhorn, Divide, Pizza, etc) may be the best/only option. I also saw a Thule Tour Rack that uses friction clamps instead of bolts (seems like a no-go on carbon) and a prototype of a yet-to-be-released Mica rack. OMM looks fine for the job, just curious if there are other options out there I should be looking at. Doesn't need to be fancy, just want to get it done right.
Thanks for reading. Appreciative of any suggestions and insight.
Edit: clarifying bike specs
by Opie2745
6 Comments
I am not a professional, my carbon fork on my bike should not have much weight, which is why I decided against a front porter. Carbon is impractical for that, as I’ve heard.
Greetings
[Crown Race Mounts – Curve Cycling](https://www.curvecycling.com/products/crown-race-mounts)
I probably wouldn’t risk it from a brand that specializes in race bikes. Maybe on a salsa or an otso carbon fork i would try. Those eyelets are made for waterbottles. But give em a call and they’ll tell you for sure.
20lbs is above the load limit of most bosses on cargo forks.
You’ll have to look for a front axle mounted rack. Google is your friends, it’sdicscussed here very often.
Trek specifically calls out no more than 6lbs per fork leg. I would stick to a rear rack and use cargo cages and dry bags on the fork for lighter items.
I only carried clothes and my ground cloth/tent on my checkpoints fork.
there is the axle-pack-thingy from old man mountain, which essentially mounts fork eyelet struts to your thru-axle. bit hard to describe, look at [it](https://oldmanmountain.com/product/axle-pack-3/). Sounds like the perfect use case for this and would you allow to squeeze a significantly higher load out of it, rated at 22lbs. Would also be compatible with additional old man mountain front racks you are already looking at.