Weight on the back of a bike behaves differently from weight in a pannier, and a live animal shifting about behaves differently again. That is worth thinking through before the first ride rather than at the first roundabout. Done properly, with a calm pet, a short familiar route and a rack rated for the load, a bike basket lets a cat or a small dog come along on trips their legs would never manage.

The basket mounts over an existing rear rack and straps down with Velcro fixings, sitting low over the wheel rather than out on the handlebars, which keeps the weight behind you and away from the steering. The interior is padded, and a mesh cover zips over the top for ventilation and to stop anything jumping out at the wrong moment. Raised sides give a pet something to brace against and somewhere to sit and watch the world go past.

• Fits over a standard rear pannier rack
• Velcro straps to fix it to the rack
• Padded interior
• Zip-on mesh cover for airflow and containment
• Raised sides for security

Two things worth knowing. The limit that matters is your rack's rather than the basket's, so check what your bike's rear rack is rated to carry and weigh your pet against it, because a rack failing at speed is not a small problem. And always clip a harness to a fixed point inside as well as zipping the cover, build up from short familiar routes, and accept that this only suits a genuinely calm, lead-trained animal.

Who it's for: Calm cats and small dogs whose owners cycle, on quiet lanes and park routes rather than commutes through traffic.