Evening Latte

MIK stands for Mounting Is Key. It’s a system that allows bags to be quickly attached to and removed from bikes.

When I bought my first Trek bike a few years ago, I wanted a rear rack because I planned on getting a bag to carry stuff. The shop where I bought it installed a version of this, and the tech explained that compatible bags would natively click into the rack out of the box. After looking around a bit, I got their Utility Trunk Bag on sale.

That took care of my everyday bike, but I also had an ebike with a non-MIk rack, so I bought a carrier plate. It can attach to a wide variety of racks from many brands. After installing, I was able to swap the bag between bikes as well as quickly remove/attach it at the grocery store or gym.

I eventually wanted more space, so I got a larger Electra bag (no longer sold). It didn’t come with a MIK adapter plate, so I got one and easily attached it with the holes in the bottom of the bag. Some MIK-compatible bags come with an adapter plate already attached (like the Utility Bag), while some only have pre-cut holes (like the Electra). You can technically drill/cut holes in the bottom of any bag to match the adapter plate, but you’ll want to make sure you have a way to prevent them from fraying/expanding during use.

I’ve stuck with that setup since. The same carrier plate has attached to racks from Rad Power, Ride1Up, and Cannondale with some adjustment.

Once the adapter plate snaps into the carrier plate, it’s secure. The frames are thick plastic, and the spring-loaded tab that keeps the two together is housed in the frame itself. Before I attached the adapter plate to the Electra bag, I snapped it in and and held the back of a 60lb+ bike fully off the ground with no issues. I’ve never had a bag come off while riding, and I think the fabric of the bag would fail before the plates.

The adapter plate comes with a “key,” but it’s just a fancy way to carry a thin piece of metal to press a slot to release the bag. I personally think it’s faster to reach under the carrier plate and simply press the main part of the tab. This has worked on all my bikes, including models with fenders.

People who swap the same gear between multiple bikes will probably get the most value from this system, but it also happens to be the best mix of 1) secure attachment and 2) easy to attach/remove for one bag and one bike that I’ve found.