Back in the mists of time, away-from-the-road touring pioneers, such as the Rough Stuff Fellowship, kitted out their bikes with sturdy steel pannier racks and bags made from heavy-duty waxed cotton. The explosion in popularity of bikepacking around a decade ago led to a shift away from pannier racks to a more “soft luggage” approach. Now it seems we’ve come full circle, though, as bikepacking gurus Restrap announce the launch of the Switch Rack and it’s already won a coveted design award.
If you were a product designer and something that you’ve spent two years working on managed to win a coveted design award before it’s officially launched to the public, that would probably make you very happy. So we suspect the design team at Restrap were pretty chuffed when they found out their new Switch Rack had been awarded a prize at the Design & Innovation Awards 2026. The judging panel said “The Restrap Switch Rack is a light and sturdy carrier that bolts on in just a few steps and, thanks to the supplied thru-axle, fits almost any bike. The universal interface makes the system impressively versatile. The minimalist design not only looks premium but also proves its worth off road, where the rack stays quiet, stiff and reliably in place. If you want a lightweight, unfussy and versatile luggage system, the Switch Rack stands out as a smart, modern companion for both short escapes and big adventures.”
Restrap have been heavily testing prototypes of the Switch Rack, with everything from some pretty gnarly looking Scottish mountain biking with Alice Lemkes of the Adventure Syndicate, an FKT attempt by Angus Young on the Eastern Divide Trail and a trip down the Tour Divide route courtesy of Josh Reid, being thrown at the new system.
The Switch Rack is described by Restrap as a “Thru-axle mounted aluminium alloy rack.” It’s got a pretty impressive feature list:
- 64mm spaced bolting on the rack legs for cages, Restrap Switch Panniers or any other compatible accessories
- Top bar will be compatible with Restrap Switch ecosystem new products
- High Grade 7075-T6 aluminium 12mm diameter axles in 1mm, 1.5mm and 1.75mm thread pitch options
- Compatible with 142mm and 148mm Boost spacing
- Spare axles available separately
- Compatibility with UDH and Transmission hangers/mechs (spare parts available separately)
- 25mm velcro strap to fit all seat post sizes and shapes
- Quick flip system provides maximum wheel clearance across all bike sizes
- ISO tested up to 30kg load
- Lightweight construction of just 395g
- Made in the UK
- All racks will ship with the customer’s selected axle included in the price.
The manufacturer’s recommended retail price is £124.9 €149.9 /US$189.99 and you can find full details about it on Restrap’s website.