Hey all,

I recently ordered a set of Wald 535 baskets online, under the (apparently incorrect) assumption that they were fairly universal. After the baskets arrived and I tried installation (following the fairly bleak instructions on their Wald's website), it occurred to me that my bike not not be especially compatible. Through some parts shopping and a bit of help in another section of this site, I've managed to half-way jury-rig a the baskets onto my bike. I've used some Jandd Rack Disc Adapters to make my monostay "wide enough" for the upper mounts, and some bolts and washers to fit the mounts on the rear. The current setup, as you see in the photos, uses the upper holes to mount to the eyelets and the skewer will run through the lower holes.

Pics:
https://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...s/P1000278.jpg
https://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...s/P1000275.jpg
https://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...s/P1000273.jpg

It hasn't cost me a hole lot to get here, as the baskets and parts were all relatively cheap, but I have some concerns with way I've managed to get them to fit:
1) The Jandd Rack Disc Adapters aren't really being used in their intended way -- I realize most of the way should be supported on the lower mounts, but as you can see in the pic, the basket is far from level, making me thing some of the weight could be shifted upward.
2) Obviously the brake cable will need some work, as it currently hits the inside of the upper mounting arms -- it doesn't cause rubbing, but makes me a bit nervous.
3) The skewer I currently have isn't long enough to run through the dropouts, hub, and the extra width of the rack -- obviously need a longer skewer.
4) Since the basket is not level, and it is all jury-rigged on, is this even safe? Am I losing some carrying capacity? The whole goal was to be able to carry about a week's worth of groceries on this thing -- installed correctly, I think it would work, but I have concerns now.

So the little remaining issues can be resolved, I think: adjusting the brake cable, maybe a different noodle, and getting a longer skewer (https://www.oldmanmountain.com/Mercha...tegory_Code=MH). My question is, does this seem like at all a good idea or should I just give in and order a standard rack and panniers?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Well...A standard rack and grocerie bag type panniers will work better on this bike. Plus you can remove the panniers when you don't need them. Even this set up will require some mods to make it fit your bike. The wald baskets are heavy and noisey, not as easy to fill as the cloth bags. I usually need to modify the wald set-up by drilling new mounting holes and bending stays to fit better. I don't mount to the axle, this makes fixing a flat much harder than it needs to be. Use the eyelets on the drop-outs, they are plenty strong for this application. Good luck.

Thanks for the response, ItchyZipper. I realize the benefits of a standard rack/pannier combo vs a Wald basket. My hope was that the Wald basket would be a little more economical and would be able to carry more, especially large items (can lay them across the top). I guess my real question, out of that huge first post, was whether or not there is anything distinctly wrong with the way I have them set up now? Is the fact that they are not level a huge issue (is the weight going to shift to the upper mounts as opposed to the dropout eyelets)? As you can see in the third picture, the basket is currently mounted to the dropout eyelets via bolts. It just so happens the other hole lines up with the axle perfectly and, since I don't really have the tools to cut the steel supports, I figured a slightly longer skewer would be a solution -- will this work; is there a distinct problem with doing this (I'm willing to accept the fact that it makes fixing flats slightly more difficult)?

Thanks again!

https://www.niagaracycle.com/product_...ucts_id=401491
would one of these work for the upper mounting?

roberth33tiger, thanks for the link -- that certainly looks like a much sturdier solution than anything I've seen... However, mounting that high with the short reach arms on the 535's makes me concerned about heel-strike. Perhaps if I mixed that with my "solution" below...

I've been kicking around ideas all day on anything I can do to get the basket to work with the parts I have. I happened to have one of these on hand as well, so I gave it a shot: https://www.modernbike.com/itemgroup....178148&TID=367. After mounting using this technique, I ran into the ever-present problem of heel-strike (should have expected it on a basket this large, I suppose). I ended up moving the basket mounts to the bottom holes on the mounting arms (attached to the rack eyelots near the dropouts), so quick release interference is no longer a problem and the basket sits further back. Unfortunately, since the basket sits further back, the distance to the upper mounting point was significantly greater -- I used some brackets to span the distance. It feels reasonable sturdy, but who knows... My concern is since the angle from the basket to the dropout mounts is so acute, significantly more weight will now be handled by the upper mounts, which is probably not ideal since it is jury-rigged. The metal portion of that monostay adapter that wraps around the monostay is quite malleable as well, which makes me wonder how strong it really is.

I'm feeling more that this is probably not a good solution -- I should probably just keep the basket around for another bike, perhaps, and find a decent rack and panniers for groceries to stick on this bike.

Pics of the updated attempt:
https://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...s/P1000283.jpg
https://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...s/P1000282.jpg
https://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...s/P1000279.jpg

Since the Jandd Disc adapters are design to be on the lower eyelet of a rack, they should be plenty strong to handle the type of load they experience at the seat stay. Personally I would have cut off the lower legs of the Wald so they would mount to the eyelet and not get in the way of the skewer, but functionally there's probably not a ton of difference, as it looks like by removing the skewer you can still drop the wheel out normally. You'd probably need a tandem length skewer to clear as it is.

The brake doesn't look like a huge deal, if it's not causing any rubbing. You may be able to get it to route under the Wald arms by trying a longer piece of housing, or maybe route in the other side of the seatpost with a more bendy noodle and housing.

I don't think you've lost any ultimate capacity by having it mounted off level. I would however try to load the heaviest items towards the front and lighter items reward, as I've had problems with an overly rear biased load causing the front to get rather light and squirrely.

As you can see from my latest post, I've forgone the Jandd Adapters in an attempt to find a "sturdier" and "lengthier" solution that will put the entire rig further back on the wheel. To my dismay when I hopped on with the first setup, attached directly to the Jandd adapters, I had some horrific heel-strike. The new setup puts the rig just out of heel reach, but looks a bit weak -- looks is bold here because I loaded it full of books and it didn't seem to budge. I need to take it out for a loaded ride to see how it holds up -- I also had not considered the effect on the front end of pushing the load so far back. I'm not sure I'll ever have a choice, since the chainstays just seem incredibly short.

The lengthened upper bracket pieces are going to be mostly under tension, which should be fine, I would think. I'd personally probably cut and bend some flat steel or aluminum from the stock monostay brazeons to the Wald, instead of the little adapter thing. Replace any crummy aluminum bolts with stainless steel and go.

You might find those brackets you used to lengthen the setup will pivot under heavy braking... I'd try to make that part more rigid somehow.

It does pivot ever so slightly if I push quite hard. In a hope to resolve this, I ordered some actual rack extender arms which should bridge the gap between the basket arms and the monostay. My hope is that since it is one complete piece going straight into the stay, the pivot shouldn't be as much of a concern. I'm open to any other ideas, though.