Okay. This is my absolute, last basket update:

Friday, as I rode to work, my bike just got harder and harder to pedal. I couldn't tell if it was me or if there really was a problem. When I could feel something inadvertently dragging, even when coasting down hills, I knew something was wrong. I couldn't find anywhere that the baskets were causing the problem.

When I got home, I started looking the bike over and found that the rear axle, (remember the one from the junker), was bent. Saturday, I ran to my LBS, got a new axle and some bearings. I removed the baskets for easier access and got the rear wheel back in good working order. When I took the bike out for a test spin, sans the baskets, I realized immediately how heavy and cumbersom they actually were.

When I returned home, my wife said, "So, just leave them off."

"But I really like them and I hate to admit that I couldn't make them work and I did spend $20 on them..."

Having decided to just forgo the baskets, I now had to decide what to do about carrying my stuff to and from work. I had torn up my old rear rack to put supports on the baskets.

So, I took the pieces of the rear rack, a few aluminum angles and built myself a front rack. I added the "poor man panniers" after the fact.

I ran to the store Monday and loaded a 10 pound sack of cat litter on it and rode home with no problems.
The commute, this morning was a bit easier and the rack even survived my first crash, (not too serious, but the bike did go down).

Full size image
Full size image
Full size image
Notice I raised the headlight, so it can shine over any load I'm carrying.

Thanks again to everyone for trying to help me make the baskets work. If my commute was under ten miles, each way, I would have probably stuck with them.