Utility Cycling - adding a spring clamp to rear rack

hey all,
hows the august going!?
i've been wanting to do this for a while, thought i'd ask here: i have a tubus cargo rear rack and i want to add one of those old school spring holders (like in this rack (http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2286417)) to clamp down on items. anyone know if i can just purchase a spring clamp somewhere that is compatible?
thanks!
bikey

I've never seen one that you could purchase. If you could find the right kind of spring, I suppose it wouldn't be too difficult to fabricate one.

I had a rack like that when I was in high school and thought it was the most pointless design. It didn't clamp down hard enough to actually hold anything (maybe a shirt would have stayed there?). But it came on the rack when I bought it, and that was a cheap rack.

See the racks here, for example:
http://www.niagaracycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=2146
http://www.niagaracycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=11691
http://www.niagaracycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=11433

Dude, a giant mouse trap, just bolt it down. lol, I just use bungee cords on mine to hold stuff, but mines a skakeboard, since I ride a Xtra but other bikes of mine use bungee

A much better solution is to use this net.......
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=&sku=16118&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Show%20All%20Products741

i have bungees, including the net one, and panniers. what i want the clamp for is more practical; i live in new york city and often spend the whole day on a bike. so, i want to just jump on my bike and go to the park with, say, a bottle of wine for a bbq. then, i want to be free the rest of the day to jump around without worrying about the bungee, which i assure you will get stolen the second i leave the bike. and i dont want to stuff it in my pocket. so, i know you may think its trivial, but i like the idea of having something attached to the bike that also carries stuff...

i have bungees, including the net one, and panniers. what i want the clamp for is more practical; i live in new york city and often spend the whole day on a bike. so, i want to just jump on my bike and go to the park with, say, a bottle of wine for a bbq. then, i want to be free the rest of the day to jump around without worrying about the bungee, which i assure you will get stolen the second i leave the bike. and i dont want to stuff it in my pocket. so, i know you may think its trivial, but i like the idea of having something attached to the bike that also carries stuff...


Not to poke fun........but.......it sounds like you need a steel safe to meet your needs!:eek::eek:

Ya can't go through life worring all the time,mate. It ain't healthy!:innocent:

but... i dont, nightshade. thats the point, i dont want to worry about anything, and i leave my bike out all day, not parking it indoors, nothing. i go everywhere, etc. but i know about the bungees, hell, they steal my water bottle if i leave it on the bike. it doesnt stop my from enjoying my bike life, but i know that if i could have that spring it would make carrying things temporarily much easier.

Someone on another forum mentioned they use old tubes to tie stuff to their rack. I know it's not what you're asking about but not many will steal them and if they do, "so what?" sort of thing.

I keep a used tube permanently looped around one corner of my rack. I keep a carabiner attached to the loop sticking out. It works fine for everything from holding a sweatshirt to loaded with sleeping bag, tent and thermarest. And even if somebody would want to steal it, it's pretty solidly attached to the bike.

I have a spring clamp on the rack on my Breezer, and there's also one on the Pletscher rack on my old Peugeot. Very handy, I use the clamp all the time for odds and ends -- a jacket I've taken off, or my bike lock, or whatever.

I don't know if you can retrofit a clamp to a rack that doesn't have one. But you can buy a Pletscher rack new for about $20. They are stronger than they look, I used to use mine with grocery panniers to do all my shopping.

The Tubus website has a spring clamp for their racks perhaps you could adapat it. http://www.tubus.com/index/lang/en/rubrik/Spares%20and%20Accessories/ But I bet it will be less expensive to buy a new rack with what you need.

Ooh, i do have a tubus cargo! maybe i should have gone right to the source; but it didn't come up in my googline... thanks bhchdh (and all who understood my awful dilemma ;-)

bostoncommuter: thats exactly what i want! maybe i want to throw my jacket off on a long ride, but not carry a pannier or bag or anything, so i dont have to worry when i get there about what i'm carrying.

bostoncommuter: thats exactly what i want! maybe i want to throw my jacket off on a long ride, but not carry a pannier or bag or anything, so i dont have to worry when i get there about what i'm carrying.

You can get the original Pletscher rack at Rivendell Bicycle Works for $20: http://www.rivbike.com/products/list/bags_and_racks#product=20-137

It clamps to the seat stays. Tip: wrap the stays with a little rim tape or handlebar tape before clamping on the rack to protect the paint on your frame.

Pletscher also makes some fancier racks now, most still have clamps. If you Google around you may find one you prefer.

well, that tears it. Tubus Logo is the rack for me. I also like those spring clamps but want a rack that can take some serious weight. I can't see wanting to carry more than 88lb.

and then.... the attached is what happens when you try to put on this spring clamp while you've had a bourbon. you live and learn!

i have bungees, including the net one, and panniers. what i want the clamp for is more practical; i live in new york city and often spend the whole day on a bike. so, i want to just jump on my bike and go to the park with, say, a bottle of wine for a bbq. then, i want to be free the rest of the day to jump around without worrying about the bungee, which i assure you will get stolen the second i leave the bike. and i dont want to stuff it in my pocket. so, i know you may think its trivial, but i like the idea of having something attached to the bike that also carries stuff...

Sound to me like you're saying "I want a backpack"