Elops Seat Post Pannier Rack 500

The Elops Seat Post Pannier Rack still bears the B'Twin name, which shows that it's a product of the mighty Decathlon sports empire. Attach it to your bike's seatpost and you can use it to carry panniers or a trunk bag up to a 10kg max – and it works a treat. Simple to fit, easy to use, versatile, very practical and inexpensive – what's not to like?

It's certainly a contender for our best pannier racks buyer's guide – check it out for other options.

I like to carry as little as possible on my back when I'm cycling unless it's for a very short journey. And if it's a trip of any length I certainly don't want to be carrying a shackle lock, tools and more on my person.

Which is where products like the Elops Pannier Rack come in. It lets you turn your road bike, mountain bike, hybrid or e-bike into a moderate load carrier. With a maximum load of 10kg it's not one for carrying the kitchen sink but it's great for the daily commute or day-long rides where you want to carry more than the minimum.

Installation is a breeze. The rack comes with four bolts and a split sleeve (Decathlon describes it as a washer) that goes around the seatpost to stop it getting scratched and marked. It's designed for seatposts from 25-32mm in diameter.

About my only criticism is that it took a fair bit of effort to tighten the four hex bolts, suggesting the threads weren't the smoothest possible. But I took the bolts out, degreased and regreased them and all was fine in the world, and the threads were undamaged if still slightly 'stiff'.

Theoretically you should tighten these to a quite hefty 9.7Nm, but I found at 8Nm there was no movement whatsoever, even at the rack's 10kg capacity. (I wouldn't put this rack anywhere near an aero or carbon seatpost; if your bike has a carbon post and you want to use the rack, I'd recommend buying a budget alloy post for the job.)

It's versatile too. If you use a beam bag rather than panniers you can shed the side rails (using a 5mm hex key and 10mm spanner) and lose 233g. Note, you can't use the Elops with Topeak's various beam and trunk bags, which are only compatible with its own dedicated beam racks.

I tried it out with a few different panniers including the Vaude Aqua Back Lights I'm testing and the Altura Heritage panniers, the bigger brother to the 16L panniers that Tass tested a couple of years ago, and another old set of Alturas. All fitted easily and securely, and I don't doubt that pretty much any pannier will fit. And thanks to the length of the rack, my heels never made contact even with the large Altura and Vaude bags when I was riding.

It also worked with an Altura Heritage Cycling Rackpack, though I had to do an extra loop with the Velcro straps on one side.

I personally prefer panniers to a rack pack, as I find the latter can get in the way when I try to get on the bike, but that could just be the lack of flexibility in my legs these days...

> 15 easy ways to carry stuff on your bike

Also, if you're carrying anything approaching 10kg, you'd benefit from the lower centre of gravity that panniers offer, which is better for the bike's handling.

If you're using a rack bag rather than panniers this might block a seatpost-mounted rear light. To get around this the Elops has a mounting plate for a rear light or reflector.

Some beam racks come with a quick-release fitting, but I prefer this rack's four-bolt fitting for a couple of reasons: I find it difficult to get a quick-release rack so secure without more effort, and I've found that my thighs would occasionally brush the quick-release lever no matter where it was placed. This didn't happen with the Elops rack.

Admittedly, you can't swap the rack between bikes so easily, which may be an issue, but at this price you could perhaps buy a couple anyway.

Once the pannier or bag is on the rack it really is a case of fit and forget. Provided you've tightened the bolts correctly there's absolutely no swinging or swaying whatsoever, the whole setup is rigid, and I never had any situations where my heels were making contact with the panniers on my pedal stroke.

> Cycling luggage for beginners: find out the best ways to carry stuff on your bike

This is a simple piece of kit but no less effective because of that. In these days of multiple bikepacking luggage options, this straightforward seatpost rack is still a winner.

Value

At £24.99 it's pretty much cheap as chips (at least in Bath's gastro pubs!) and represents Decathlon's usual excellent value.

The Halfords equivalent comes in a penny more and resembles it in many ways – both have removable side rails and 10kg weight limits, though Halfords has gone for a quick-release setup to connect it to the seatpost.

The Blackburn Central Seatpost Rear Rack has the same 10kg capacity and a similar four-bolt fitting to the Elops rack, and it's extendable, but the lack of rails reduces its versatility, and it's also more than twice the price at £59.99.

We tested the stylish-looking Arkel Randonneur Seat Post Rack a few years ago. It's still available but costs a heavyweight £88 for a carrying capacity of just 6kg.

Among Topeak's vast range is its MTX Beam Rack, a quick-release system that's nearly twice as expensive (£56.99) – and that's without the side frame pannier supports that add another £25.45. And while it would work with some strap-on trunk bags, it's primarily designed to work with Topeak's own range of luggage. (We have one in for test – look out for a full review soon.)

Conclusion

Aside from some bolts requiring slightly more effort to tighten than expected, it's an all-round thumbs-up for the Elops Seat Post Pannier Rack. It's cheap, easy to fit, tough – it's barely marked after extensive use – and works with a wide variety of trunk bags and all the panniers I tried it with. It carries kit safely and very securely so that you can do away with a backpack, and if you want to convert a non-touring bike for commuting and away-day luggage-carrying duties, it's an excellent choice.

Verdict

It's excellent – cheap, tough, easy to install and great at carrying loads securely whether in a beam bag or panniers