October Gear Review: Evo Handlebar Basket

Each month, our friends at Hawley share a review on the latest gear that is passing through their warehouse on its way to your local bike shop. As always, thanks to Ken Klatte, Production Artist with Hawley, for this sneak-preview and words of wisdom. For more from Hawley on the latest and greatest in bike gear, check out their blog or YouTube channel.

The cycling world is full of people with addictions. For me, my addiction is candy. Whether in a gel-coated fruit form or something from the nougat family, slathered in a milk chocolate, I do not discriminate. I have even been known to experiment with other more nebulous forms like paper cylinders full of powdered sugar or animal shaped chewy globs that reek of chemicals and taste even worse. But my favorite candy of all time is without question, the Reese’s peanut butter cup as it combines chocolate and peanut butter into the perfect amalgam for my confection-centric tastes.

With this in mind, it only seemed natural that I would be drawn to the Evo handlebar basket. Much like Reese’s peanut butter cup, the Evo combines the critical function of steering with the secondary function of storage into a glorious cycling synthesis.

I was skeptical at first. I assumed once weight was placed in the basket, the angle would eventually tilt downward after the first few road bumps. I was also concerned about steering speed. “Sluggishness” was my guess for its handling verdict.

Evo Handlebar Basket

After a long and adventuresome summer of testing, I can safely say that neither one of those predictions came true. The basket has remained sturdy and immovable after several loads including but not limited to: a 12 pack of Red Stripe, a bag of charcoal, six oranges and a half gallon of milk, two U locks and a large camera bag.

The center of the handlebar (25.4mm) is latticed allowing a better engagement with the stem faceplate, which prevents slippage. Steering in all conditions was smooth and very responsive. Sharp turns with a full load took a little more effort but that was to be expected. Ride steadiness or general balance never felt compromised, even on wet surfaces.

Although traditional handlebar baskets and rear racks carry things equally well, the Evo handlebar basket possesses an aesthetic and simplicity that appeals to a more sophisticated side of urban riding. Retail cost: $65.99.