Fairmont

I was on the Topeak website today, looking at racks and backs, and came across these babies.

Granted, they'll make someone look like the mean lady who steals Dorothy's dog in the Wizzard of Oz, but still. They can hold a lot and might make sense.

Any suggestions, comments, jokes, etc?




This rear one looks pretty darn cool, in my opinion.

nahh

I like the rear one, actually. looks really big and roomy. i'm not sure about a front basket, it would take away places for lights and cyclocomputers, etc.

RAPIDCITYRACER

A basket is a great idea as long as your load is less than 15lbs. I have a topeak trunk and it is great for that weight range. Above that and it gets tippy because of the high center of gravity. It certainly will hold more. Look into a tarp, backpack raincover (get at your local camping store...you live in Georgia so it would probably be REI....too bad, I work for Eastern Mountain Sports ), or you could purchase a drybag from the same store as well. Good luck...Erik

amckimmey

CETMA Racks



I want one of these, Its not your old lady rack or basket.


Wald Has some nice baskets to if you really want one.


That's like old school paper boy there. I would like that one. I have seen that one choped down to be more like a CETMA, leaving the last 1or2 rungs with the flat bed.

seeker333

I've got 2 of the rear folding baskets, circa 1982. They haven't changed in 25+ years.

https://www.waldllc.com/CATALOG.pdf

mo_feezy

i've got a pair of those on one of my bikes too. they each fit a paper grocery sack and keep the center of gravity a bit lower too.

casei

https://www.axiomgear.com/product/racks/baskets/

I've been eyeballing Axioms baskets for a couple weeks, 'specially the urban rear grocery one.

goalieMN

I have a Wald folding basket on my rack as well. It is great for when I need to bring something unexpected home from work and it won't fit in my rack-trunk bag or I need to hit the store on the way home. It holds a decent amount of stuff, and it folds down to nothing and doesn't get in the way of my parking in the bike-cage at work.

Sianelle 

I'm very fond of proper wicker baskets. They are light and strong and look really great on my mainly elderly English bicycles.

sdlm

I had a basket but, once it rained and it ruined my stuff (it was my sub from subway, even it the plastic wrap it got wet), so I decided to go a cheaper route:

I took an old case that came from dicks sporting goods full of paintballs (paintballs at dicks suck, buy at a real store) drilled holes through the bottom of it, and my Axiom rack. Then I bolted it on with some nuts, lock-washers and some O-rings to keep any water out and I have been very happy with it. If you don't play paintball, old tool boxes would work too, and many can be locked which is a must if you commute to work.

All in all it cost me less than $2 since I was already going to use the paintballs and 2" 10-32 bolts are like $0.39 and nuts are about $0.15. And I didn't even use a drill, I used a dremel (most people seem to have one). Maybe one could put a case like mine on, and then use folding baskets for a lightweight bike that can carry alot. Especially since mine is the perfect size for a carton of eggs, and a loaf of bread on top of it.

Here are some pics:




Axiom says to only put 25lb on my rack but, I have had nearly 40lb in here without issue before.

uke

Wicker baskets for the win. If I were to attach any kind of carrying case to my bike, this would be it.

dobber

danadear

Can you use a rear rack basket with panniers? I wouldn't mind having a little extra grocery room and I already have the grocery panniers.

Torrilin

Depends on the rear basket. Some basket designs are removable, so they are very flexible. Others are fixed in place, and can be a bit limiting. (same goes for front baskets)

I have the Topeak front basket in the OP's post. Very handy, but it's only rated for 10lbs... and the mounting it is sold with is not up to snuff. A light bit of cabled wire is used to attach the mounting bracket to your stem, and if you carry 10lbs in the basket, it will snap sooner or later. My LBS replaced it with a much heavier brake cable, and that has held up well. The basket itself is perfect for my needs and handles the light but bulky stuff very well.

My bike has very stable steering, so the basket isn't a problem. On a twitchy bike, baskets are not a good idea.

Rob_E

My panniers (grocery bag style) come up a little higher than the top of the rack, and that means no basket or trunk bag that's wider than my rack can be used in conjunction with the panniers. If you have panniers that sit lower than the top of your rack, you may be okay. I like the basket idea, and I wasn't aware of that Topeak rear basket. I may have to look into that. Right now I'm alternating between two bikes, one with a Topeak rack and one with a non-standard built in rack. I've attached a basket to the non-standard rack because there's no chance of using panniers on there, but then when I switch which bike I'm taking, there's the need to unpack or repack my Topeak Trunk bag. I'm thinking I either need a 2nd set of all my standard bike gear, or else I just need a basket on my Topeak rack so I can pack one bag and easily transfer it between bikes. That Topeak basket may fit the bill. But then, so would a milk crate. But there is the weight issue. I filled my rear basket with groceries, tools, and other items I had picked up on the days travels, and on the way home I hit a curve too fast, locked up the back wheel, and, of course, all the weight on top of the back wheel kept on going. I ended up lying on the side of the MUP next to a pile of my groceries partially tangled in a thorn bush (didn't get me too badly, though). I feel pretty certain that I could have kept the bike under control with out all the extra weight, or even if it was better distributed. I guess the lesson is that just because I have a nice, roomy, rear basket, it doesn't mean I should fill it up.

corripio

Also, baskets make a bike look really dorky which may serve as a good theft deterrent (dorky in a good bike-dork way). Seriously, if some thug is looking to gank a bike, he might think twice about stealing a bike that looks like something his/her grandma would ride.

I'm not a fan of the higher center of gravity resulting from a basket that would go on top of a rack. I've considered the "pannier" style racks for grocery bags, but instead got a grocery bag pannier (since it is very easy to remove).

Sonoma76

The Axiom rear basket looks suspiciously like the Kettler rear basket I bought off Amazon for $30.

This great basket clasps to you rack with four spring-loaded grips. It's very stable (you could lift the rear of your bike with it) and fits on just about any rack. It's also easily removable so you can carry it into the store with you. As a final plus, it's really easy to fit a cargo net over.

My wife and I both have baskets on our bikes. They're much easier to use and cheaper than panniers and can hold groceries just as well. I have a Trek basket that I hate since it's become dislodged from the rack, so I can't recommend that.

jeff^d

My Steamroller has a Wald basket that I found for free. I carry everything in my messenger bag, which resides in the basket. If something comes up and I need more space, the bag goes on my back and I free up the basket.

rando

I have a front basket that detaches from the bike so I can take it in and shop if I want to. but I usually leave it on the bike. it holds lots of stuff and I like it. it sorta makes the bike look less cool, but so what.

taliesin

Magnolia_Fan

I like the racks you find on the Kogswell P/R or you can go for one of those dutch wheelbarrow bikes.

duppie

OT/
How about a Filibus from the Fietsfabriek?

Has a front basket that carries 175 lb. And the basket is installed on the frame, not the frontwheel, so handdling is a lot more stable. I doubt you ever need to install panniers on the rear rack, which are rated for another 175 lb

/OT
Duppie

squirtdad

+1 for me...folding wald back baskets (and a spider web bungie)

Fairmont

Basically, since I am a teacher, I have binders, papers, notebooks, and such. I need a basket/bag that can accomodate those sizes (approximately 12 inches by 10 inches).



Today I purchased a rear seatpost rack from Topeak (at the LBS of course), and will experiment to see what can be easily attached to it in terms of bags, boxes, baskets, etc.



Looking dorky isn't a problem for me. I'm 40, have a receding hairline, misaligned teeth, a bit of a potbelly, graying hair, and a civil servant job.



Who am I trying to impress?

tekknoschtev

We just bought the large Wald Double Rear basket and the front basket for my dad's birthday. If I have time I'm going to install them before we give them to him - better chance of them actually getting used No offense dad.

Just sitting in the boxes they look pretty cool. If they work out well I may consider something similar on my go-getter bike. I'll post photos once they're installed.