SKS Infinity Universal MIK Luggage Rack

The SKS Infinity Universal MIK Luggage Rack is quick and easy to install – and I found it happy to deal with anything I've thrown at it.

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This rack is aimed at those of us who want to carry bags but whose bikes don't feature rack eyelets – and I think SKS has smashed it.

I love adventure riding and every so often I throw a set of frame bags onto my mountain bike and go out for a couple of days. But recently I ran into a dilemma – I wanted to do a two-day journey on my road bike, but it doesn't have enough room for my large bar bag. Enter the SKS Infinity Universal MIK...

I must admit to being a little confused when I took the rack out of the box. The instructions say this rack should fit almost all road and mountain bikes, but the mounts looked way too wide to fit my road bike. What the instructions don't say is that, for some bikes, you'll need to bend and squeeze the rack a little to fit.

After that, attaching it to the frame is both quick and easy. You just feed the four nylon straps around the seatstays and back through the mounting clamp. You then tighten these with a T25 key which is not just included, but neatly housed in a slot in the rack. SKS says to tighten these to 3Nm, but obviously for that you'll need a torque wrench instead.

The box also includes protective stickers that you cut to length and wrap around your frame to prevent paint damage.

It is worth noting that SKS says specifically not to use this rack on a carbon frame. And while I did so, there is a real risk it could crush the carbon if it's overtightened, and any damage won't be covered by your bike's warranty.

But I put this rack through some real paces, including a 450km, two-day bikepacking expedition through Wales – and it performed flawlessly. There was no rattling, squeaking or creaking, and it held my two panniers securely.

The rack comes with a removable MIK adaptor plate, which allows you to mount MIK-compatible bags from various manufacturers – not just SKS, but Bontrager and Basil as well.

SKS says this rack can safely carry 12kg. Loaded close to the max it can sway ever so slightly when you're riding out of the saddle, but it's not enough to cause problems (provided you've used the included protective stickers, anyway).

Coming in at 975g, it's not particularly heavy, and when riding without bags I forgot it was even there.

Value

At £120, this is more expensive than the similar-ish Thule Tour Rack that Iwein tested back in 2013, which also uses ratcheted straps, and is still part of the Thule range a decade later. These days it costs £95.

On the other hand, the SKS Infinity is a good deal cheaper than the Tailfin Alloy Rack that was reviewed on off.road.cc, which starts at £170. Unlike the SKS and Thule systems, though, the Tailfin mounts to the rear axle and seatpost, so has no issues with carbon frames.

There are other methods if your bike lacks the necessary eyelets, such as the Elops Seatpost Pannier Rack from Decathlon that impressed Simon when he recently tested it. Rather than strapping to the seatstays this clamps to the seatpost alone, and though it has a maximum capacity of just 10kg, it's a doddle to set up and very secure in use.

Overall

If you have an aluminium or steel bike without rack mounts, the SKS Infinity rack is an excellent option. If your frame is carbon, though, you should look elsewhere – it did allow me to carry enough luggage on my carbon race bike for an overnight adventure, but it's not something SKS recommends. 

Verdict

Excellent universal rack that fits almost every frame and carries bags securely and quietly, but not rated for carbon frames