Aeroe is a Kiwi brand, re-inventing the way we carry gear on our beloved bicycles. These racks take a new approach to solving a problem we’ve been battling since the beginning of time. That being, as a hoarding society, how can we bring our most crucial junk with us?
The Aeroe racks first piqued our attention because they seemed to work well with mountain bikes, not just specific bike packing rigs. Unlike traditional bike touring racks, they’re solid, light, quiet, easy to install and allow for a dropper post to retract completely.
Installation
The first point of order is installation, and boy, oh boy, have they got this right. Every Aeroe Spider product uses a 5mm Allen key, and that is it— one tool to do it all. The rear rack is easy to install and has a lot of adjustability. Once you’ve dialled in the initial setup, from then on, it only requires four bolts to install/uninstall the rack itself. The handlebar cradle only needs two. This is huge, as even just the thought of the set-up and pack-down can be a strong enough deterrent. But rest assured, ye humble weekend warriors, the time-saving aspect and ease of setup/ strip down make these products usable. And that’s the goal, right!
Try this hypothetical on for size. Let’s say you’ve just arrived at your campsite. You happen to be camping somewhere where there are awesome MTB trails. Rather than ride the trails with the racks on, whip the rack off (four bolts) and go ride without restrictions. All in the same time, it takes your mate to lube their chain and check tyre pressure.
Configuration
The rear rack itself can be installed forwards or backwards, allowing for more clearance if needed. Furthermore, if that’s still not providing enough room, you can configure the cradle in either a north-south direction as well as an east-west orientation. We had no issues finding a combination that allowed for our dropper post to go all the way down — a massive tick of approval.
You can also attach the cradle to the side of the rack like a pannier. This is a great option if you want to carry two bags on the rear, one on each side allows for even weight distribution. Heck, you can even rack away ‘til your heart’s content with three cradles, two on the sides and one on the top — also an increasingly enticing option with the current state of the housing market.
The simplicity of the handlebar cradle means that there is only one configuration. But with that, you can still adjust the tilt of the cradle to get the weight in the right spot. This minimises the effect the additional load has on the steering.
Ergonomics and Weight
The tightening points on this bike have been well thought out. They’re all easy to access, and in the rare case that something came loose (hasn’t yet for us), it’s not hard to work out which bolt needs attention, well because, there aren’t many.
The weight for the rear rack with one cradle is 996g and has a max load capacity of 16kg. The handlebar rack with cradle weighs 455g and is rated to carry 5kg.
Ride Characteristics
Weight distribution is arguably the most important factor when loading your bike up with gear. In order to still enjoy your ride, particularly if you’re mountain biking, you need to tune this to find the sweet spot. The numerous configurations will allow you to dial something in that works.
We have been impressed with how sturdy these racks are. Whilst you aren’t normally riding super gnarly trails with bags attached, if you do encounter some rougher terrain, these racks will stand tall and ensure you aren’t dropping care packages for fellow trail folk. They’re quiet, too, which is always a bonus when adding parts to your bike.
Any product that gets our team stoked to go out, and ride is a big win in our books. We’re looking forward to some more adventures soon!
