Anybody use hard sided rack trunks?
 

This for some reason intrigues me. A lockable box that can only be removed via the inside of the box. Of course, these things would not stop a concentrated effort (a dremel would make short work of it), but does afford (relative) security for bike accessories that one normally have to lug around off the bike. Some examples:

-Planet Bike Escape Pod
-Cargo Cache. Found this by post here on BF:)
-Swagman Whee Pod
-Sunlite's offering

Major concerns that I have are that they might block any seat post light/reflector, and hamper access to a wedge pack.

Back in the early eighties, I had a hardsided frame box. It mounted on the downtube. I used it for a toolbox. I would love to find another one, I don't even remember what it was called. I saw one on a bike, I will try to find a pic.

I found the pic with the frame box I was talking about. It is #142 here.

I had a planet bike trunk box on a beater bike I use around the junk yard. I used it for tools and whatnot. A dropped car ended its life unfortunately. Main reason I don't use one on the road is that they are rather ugly imo. It does block the reflector on the seat post, but some reflective tape takes care of that. I don't believe a wedge pack would work with one of these either, but I prefer handle bar bags anyway. That being said, these would be very handy for locking up helmet, lunch, gloves, etc. Nothing is truly thief proof, but these would keep random people from trifling through your things.

There is a link for "Photos courtesy of", which goes to a blog. Maybe you could ask there if you're interested: http://critninja.blogspot.com/

I have a Cargo Cache that I haven't used for a while. It certainly has its advantages and disadvantages. I do think that it would block a light on your seat post unless you have a ton of post showing. I have blinkies on my rack, so that didn't bother me. I never did try using a wedge pack and the Cargo Cache, so I'm not sure about that. I have a feeling that would depend on your setup, though.

The Cargo Cache is great for when you can't take your stuff inside. That's the main reason I bought mine- I couldn't take anything more than keys and a wallet into my job at the time. I also enjoyed being able to buy something from one store and then lock it up instead of having to deal with going into another store and checking it at a counter or something. The extra weight was never a problem for me. It doesn't seem much heavier than a soft trunk bag.

The main downside for me was that it wasn't as good for carrying groceries. I always felt like I could fit more on my rack with some creative grocery stacking and a couple bungee cords. It wasn't convenient to take off and put back on, either, but I'm not sure you would want it to be, really.

Looks to me that the Planet Bike, Swagman and Sunlite products are all the same thing, with perhaps different stickers or a reflector.

I use the Cargo Cashe on my utility bike and had it installed on my road bike for a while.

It works great for me since I'm tall and use a size 60cm frame. This allows me to fit the box under the seat, with a portion of the box is ahead of the rear axle. The box is less likely to fit well on a smaller bike behind a person of average height IMO. In this case, the box would need to be placed behind the seat and most of the box would extend behind the rear axle. This would limit the stability of the bike if loaded with more than 20 lbs.

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...lectors001.jpg

What do you need to carry? On what bike are you planning on installing this item on?

Michael

Well, this is my bike and this is the current rack- the platform measure 12" inside the tubular frame. Heel strike with both my saddlebag panniers and the Nashbar Townie baskets. A new bike is not in the cards, and I'm not too entirely sure that a different rack would alleviate the heel strike.

I have this pannier, on this rack, on this bike, and I have the same problem with heel strike. I bought these half clips recently. I haven't installed the half clips yet, and I don't know if it will alleviate the heel strike, make it worse, or what. Hopefully I'll get to install them and test it soon.

I've also considered a hard-sided trunk, but I'm not crazy about being unable to tie things to my rack.

1. My townie basket is similar to yours- they are both grocery panniers.
2. You might consider a different rack. Something that has more than just two legs/struts. I'm thinking about either the Axiom Journey or the Odyssee
3. That bike...may just tempt me to give alloy a try.:D:love:

Thanks so much no1mad. I love that bike. It just felt perfect when I test rode it last fall, and it still does every time I get on it. If I could fix the heel strike, I have no other issues with it. I even think it looks cool too.

I'll check out those racks. I got my rack super cheap on some Amazon deal (I think it was actually $4.99 at the time), so I'm not out a lot on it. I've been considering a longer rack, but they don't always list the dimensions. I tried moving the bag back on the rack, but it's as far back as it will go.

I'm really wondering if these half clips will help. That isn't the reason I bought them, but they do stick out a bit in the front, so maybe my feet will move forward enough to stop the heel strike. Of course, it might make the toe strike worse :( The SKS fenders do a very good job, but the way they are built, with the 'flap' sticking out, does cause toe strike sometimes at slow speeds. I may have to modify the front fender at some point.

Still thinking about a trunk though.

Thats what it looks like to me as well and a BIG variation in price. I was looking at the swagman for my foul weather commuter/ single track since I wouldn't have to mess with a rain fly.

Considering how Amazon increases prices at whim it might be a good idea to grab one of these while they're hot. There was a thread herein about an OnGuard U-lock that went from $20 to $35 overnight on Amazon.