Origin8 Classique Cargo HD Front Rack: Gear Review

SPECS for the Origin8 Classique Cargo HD Front Rack:

Weight: 950gms

Dimensions: 38cm x 35.5cm x 35.5cm

Price paid: $55 USD + postage on Amazon

PROS:

  • 25 kg capacity!
  • Well-made and sturdy ‘one piece’ construction
  • Plenty of attachment points for cargo
  • Looks cool with a kick ass matte black paint job
  • Adjustable height
  • Can fit pretty much anything you would ever need on tour on the platform

CONS:

  • Very wide and awkward for touring / locking in public bike racks
  •  Mounts in the thru axle, which can mean buying a longer quick release skewer on some bikes
  • Fairly heavy
  • Cannot carry panniers
  • Does not come with longer quick release skewer or even instructions on how to mount the rack
origin8 classique cargo front rack bike
The beast!

OVERVIEW:

I purchased the Origin8 Classique Cargo HD Front Rack while still at home in Perth, Western Australia to aid me in my never ending beer runs from work (at a liquor store) where I was constantly lugging 30 plus cans and bottles of sweet delicious life giving beer home for essential taste testing. I was so impressed by the way I could pile huge amounts of weight onto this bad boy without it even flinching that I decided to pack this big bulky awkwardly shaped bugger into my backpack to come for an adventure with me across Canada and beyond. And just like that the Origin8 Classique Cargo HD Front Rack became apart of our gear for our trip across Canada.

DESIGN AND FUNCTIONALITY:

The Origin8 Classique Cargo HD Front Rack is a very well thought out and designed piece of equipment that also adds a classy stylish professional cargo bike look to any bike you use it with.

Designed to attach in three points to your bike; above the fork in the same hole you would attach fenders to and at the bottom of the rack using your bikes quick release axle skewer. I attempted to attach the rack using the skewer my bike came with but it was not long enough to lock down with the rack attached so I had to get creative and use the lower fork eyelets to attach the rack.

This was not a major issue, but the lack of mounting instructions and hardware provided was a bit frustrating and I was lucky that I happened to have some spare screws and washers that allowed me to mount it in this fashion.

The lower attachment holes are designed for the quick release skewer to fit through with the skewer end cap holding it in place, so as such the holes are quite large openings and cannot be used with the smaller M5 type bolts that fit in standard bicycle attachment points without use of an oversized washer to stop the screw from simply slipping through the opening and not holding the rack in place.

To get around this I simply had to use a large washer to prevent the screw from slipping through the racks attachments holes, again not a major issue and I still feel it was perfectly secure in this manner, but not quite as neat looking…to be honest I’m not a fan of racks that use the skewer as an attachment point anyway as I think it can put added stress on a fairly important part of your bike!

Apart from my axle mounting issues, the rack was fairly straightforward to attach to my bike. The legs of the rack are extendable and can be used on bikes with 26-29 inch wheels and lock in place with use of bolts and holes screwed at various intervals along the extendable portions of the legs. The extending portion of the legs can take a bit of convincing to pull out, but were easy enough to twist and pull down with my bare hands without the use of pliers.

The top attachment point is also adjustable so you can fine-tune the angle and distance the top platform sits in relation to the bike.

I love the layout of the Origin8 Classique Cargo HD Front Rack! It has four thick, round bars on the massive top platform plus the outer frame making it incredibly easy to attach anything you want to this rack without much hassle at all. The multiple struts connecting the top platform to the legs give you endless possibilities of places to loop your straps or bungee cords around and keep your load safe and stable as you cruise around town.

When loaded up heavily it does drastically change the feel and steering of the bike…but that is always going to be an issue when riding with a loaded bike. This is especially the case when the weight is high up like on a cargo rack, but you do get used to it and just have to take the load and weight into account when cornering and steering. Ultimately having the load up high and the way it effected the cornering caused me to reconsider riding around the world with this rack, but as a grocery runner and general around town hauler this rack is a total boss.

origin8-classique-cargo-front-rack-side
Side angle of the rack

DURABILITY:

The all in one construction means it is super strong and feels rigid and sturdy when attached as opposed to some racks that fold down and require assembling. The thick and strong round aluminium struts make you feel totally confident about the durability of this rack and it’s ability to carry pretty much anything you feel like strapping to it…as long as it’s under the HUGE max weight limit of 25kg.

I’m actually pretty sure I’ve exceeded that weight limit hauling beer around town before and had no problems, but probably wouldn’t recommend it.

The tubes on this rack are super thick and all the welds are very professionally done and neat with multiple struts reinforcing and holding the top platform in place.

I can attest to the strength of this as unfortunately, I have crashed my bike with it on several times. I’m a bit of clumsy fool and took a few tumbles at home on bike paths after sampling a few too many of my works goods, plus a fairly major fall in the rocky mountains near the start of the trip. The rack did hit the pavement in the crashes and came out fully intact, some very minor scratches to the paint but otherwise unscathed. Considering the impact that the rack took I was very surprised how well the rack survived and particularly how well the paint job stood up.

Bomb proof rack!

warmshowers saviour
Work getting done on the bike! You can see the rack in the front.

SUMMARY:

I love the Origin8 Classique Cargo HD Front Rack. I do not want to get rid of this rack, but I kind of feel that I have to.

If I was running errands around town, picking up groceries and doing beer runs, I would never need any other rack than this, but for long distance touring it’s just not working out for me.

When fully loaded with rear panniers and a backpack on the top of the rear rack the addition of any substantial weight high up on the top platform of this rack makes the ride wobbly and unstable, so on the next leg of our trip I will be opting for either low rider front racks or fork mounted bikepacking style cargo cages such as Blackburn Outpost Cargo Bottle Cage or Salsa Anything cages. As for the beer – I’m going to be carrying growlers in future (no joke)!

The wobbly unstable ride is not the fault of the Origin8 Classique Cargo HD Front Rack, the fault lies with the amount of crap I’ve been carrying on tour. It’s not meant to be a rack for touring; it’s a cargo rack…for carrying cargo around town.

If you are considering getting the Origin8 Classique Cargo HD Front Rack to tour with I would have a good long think about exactly how much stuff you intend to carry high up on the front of your ride, because chances are you don’t need a rack this big and capable carrying such weight. Also consider the width and chunkiness of this rack for touring; if you need to squeeze it into a bus or car to hitch a ride, it can get awkward. I’ve also found it difficult locking Kelly’s bikes and mine together sometimes as the rack gets in the way and pushes the bikes apart.

However, if you’re looking for a rack to haul all sorts of crap around town and help your best friend move a fridge, then this baby is for you! Well made, looks sexy and super easy to strap stuff too.

I give the Origin8 Classique Cargo HD Front Rack 4 out of 5 stars. (Amazon/ Our Gear List)

Read my gear review about cycling with the LifeStraw Go water bottle filter or with the Goal Zero Rock Out 2 Speakers.

8 Replies to “Origin8 Classique Cargo HD Front Rack: Gear Review”

    1. Hey Margie, i attached it using a large washer to stop the screw just sliding through the hole where you are supposed to put the axle and screwed it through the front facing eyelet on my fork, if you only have an eyelet on the rear part of the fork it probably won’t work as the fork itself would get in the way. i can’t actually post pictures in the comments here so i will reply to your email directly and attach a couple of pics.

  1. Answered my question in the Pro/Cons. This is a proper review. I actually have a quick release and was wondering whether or or not I’d need to get an extended skewer. Looks like I will. Couldn’t see any instances anywhere where someone had to do this. Also this will be for doing exactly what you’d mentioned. Beer runs & errands. Thanks again for the great review. If you’re still looking to sell yours, let me know. I’ll take it.

  2. I installed mine on a rear facing eyelet. I just had to use a metal spacer between the rack arm and the fork to set it a bit away from the fork.

    I then installed my fender bracket next to the rack connection with a long bolt, which effectively functioned as a washer. Works like a charm.

  3. I know this is a bit old, but how did installing the low rider rack over this work out? Easy job?
    I’m looking to do something similar.

    1. Hey Brett, it worked out really well was very sturdy, but it was a bit of a fiddly awkward job getting them both on to be honest. lining the mounting holes up on the lowrider with the fork eyelets proved to be a bit tricky with the cargo rack in the way, it did work with some experimenting though. i think from memory i had to use some spacers on the mid blade eyelets to get the lowrider away from the cargo rack a bit because the arms of the cargo rack got in the way. with a bit of trial and error and some washers and spacers it can be done though. my forks are straight without a rake (curvy bit) at the bottom so i’m not sure if it would be better or worse having curved forks. like i say in the review too i also didn’t use the quick release for mounting the cargo rack, so perhaps if it was mounted there instead it might be a bit more out of the way for attaching the low rider too. it can be done though, good luck sir!!

      -mike

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