The Aeroe Spider Rack features a modular design that allows the user a surprising degree of flexibility for carrying loads. Let’s start with the basics in our Aeroe Spider Rack review.
This rack mounts to the seatstays of a bike via four straps—two per side—in a design that should result in minimal rocking of the rack. This means that even if someone’s e-bike did not include mounts for a rear rack, they can use this rack. All of the installation and adjustment uses a single, 5mm, Allen wrench, making setup remarkably easy.
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Each rack comes with one cradle with tiedown straps. Up to two additional cradles can be purchased to mount on the rack. With one cradle, the top position makes the most sense; with two, one per side makes sense and with three all three locations would be used. Each cradle can be positioned to point in a number of different orientations in order to accommodate the frame design and the rider’s pedal stroke so that it leaves room for the rider’s heels to pass.
One of the challenges of a traditional bike rack is that while they do feature three mounting locations just as the Aeroe Spider Rack does, they don’t usually offer much adjustability in positioning of the bags and on top of that there’s the fact that the rider must purchase specialized bike bags like a set of panniers or a rack trunk. With the Aeroe Spider Rack if you already own a drybag or stuff sack (or two), you need not purchase anything else.
That said, we went with two of their 8L dry bags as ours are quite large and more suitable to being tossed in a canoe or kayak.
The cradle mounts—the part that attaches to the rack itself, not the part the bag is strapped to—can be turned 360 degrees in 15-degree increments, which gives the user a flexibility that is exceptional. The cradle mount can also be rotated to account for the angle of the seatstays, a feature most traditional racks can struggle to accommodate.
The advantage to Aeroe’s dry bags is that they come with a reinforced panel with two cutouts so that the cradle straps can be passed through, helping to ensure that the dry bags can slip out of the cradle if the straps aren’t sufficiently tight. That is, so long as the straps are buckled, there’s no losing a bag.
The rack plus one cradle is relatively lightweight: 979g (2.1 lbs.); a second cradle with straps adds 338g (11.9 oz.). The 8L drybags each weigh 233g (8 oz.).
The one weakness we’ve identified with the Aeroe Spider Rack is that its weight rating is 16kg (35 lbs.) That’s not huge, but it’s plenty for someone contemplating an inn-to-inn tour. One concern we hold is that the mounts and straps may damage the finish of the e-bike. We suggest wrapping the seatstays where the mounts will sit with tape to avoid scuffing the finish.
Bike touring has traditionally demanded a significant investment; the rider must purchase panniers, maybe a rack trunk and handlebar bag as their price of admission. What we love about the Aeroe Spider Rack is that a rider could purchase the rack alone and give touring a try before making a bigger purchase.
Using an e-bike to do loaded touring is genius. We’re fans of anything that lowers the barrier to entry.
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