Originally Posted by
schiiism
Yeah that’s me on the bike. It’s a 56cm and I’m 5’9”, if that gives an indication of size. That’s a good heads up about the seat post length (my Univega had much more space because the frame was too small). There is enough room for at least one attachment as long as it can hold a blinky light on the end.
I have had the rear rack for so long that I would like to try the triangle bag first on my new bike. For now, I’m going with this in the large size:
Amazon.com: Ibera Bicycle Triangle Frame Bag: Sports & Outdoors
It has good reviews and is more in my budget. My Univega has a very similar rear rack to the one you listed on eBay, and as much as I love it for convenience, my back wheel kicks up a lot of dirt onto it. I’m a little concerned about crosswind drag with this frame bag (the Santa Ana winds can get pretty bad during fall and winter in this area), and if it’s too bad I think I’ll invest in a Carradice or Zimbale bag. I commute often enough for it to be worth the steeper price so I won’t have to keep replacing worn out bungee cords, and the bags don’t add as much surface area.
I’ve never ordered from the UK so thanks for letting me know about the VAT issue! I know I sound like a super stickler on price, but part of the reason I bike around is to save money. I appreciate the comment about the value of the bike though. I stalked higher end Fujis on Craigslist for three months before I found that deal on my size in a WSD, and just about had a heart attack when it popped up lol
Two things about racks & stuff coming off the rear wheel... Firstly, if you unhook the rack from the frame or its not yet attached, you can, with several different options, put on a piece of something underneath. My solution is fenders, but you on yours could attach a thin ABS or polycarbonate rectangle using zip ties or some such, which would not only keep stuff up above clean, but also act like a rudimentary fender You could even use a piece of corrugated plastic such as the kind postal baskets are made out of.
The other thing, is you can make your own cargo encasements that fit better on the rack than off the shelf products. You say you worry about wind coming from the side. Well you could make something that has a shallow vertical footprint with curves to deflect the wind, i could even picture something like a rounded pizza box shape with a curved (or domed) top & twin zippers that let you open it from any side, you could also lock the zipper pulls together and to the container itself. This may also work with your idea of keeping things lower budget.
- Andy