No more 'which bike' threads from me, but..
 

I could use some guidance on helping me make the most of what I've got. One of the main reasons why I was wanting to get a new bike was due to the current cargo management system that is in place. My bike has some rather shortish chainstays at 16.3". Then my noob self went and got this rack from the LBS, believing the marketing on the packaging. Well, the platform inside the tubular frame measures 12".

I had heel strike issues so much, I stopped using my panniers (traded for a mess bag with another BF user). Finally figured out how to avoid heel strike using my old Nashbar Townies, but they aren't ideally suited for my multimodal commute. The mess bag is working out great for now during the cooler weather, but once it warms up, I suspect it will become a liability.

I've toyed with the idea of using a Wald folding basket, but am hesitant to do so. I do the bike/bus thing, so I'm not sure adding 3 lbs or so to one side of the rack is a good thing while it bounces around on the front of bus rack.

A milk crate didn't work out. It made for mounting the bike difficult, my backpacks tend to be moderate size (2000 c.i.) and won't fit when stuffed. And the crate obscured the seat post reflector and made getting to my tools in the seat wedge a pain.

During the cooler/foul weather, I tend to carry a bunch of layers- none of which are cycling specific, so aren't very packable. My normal load this time of year consists of:

bus schedule, steno sized notebook, eyeglass clean/repair kit, lunch/snacks, mp3 player, spare batteries for the flashlight hose clamped to the bar... really if it weren't for the layering of clothes I could make do with a trunk bag.

Whatever I end up with has to be removed and remounted to the rack daily. Waterproofness isn't a real deal breaker, as I could either just use plastic baggies inside or just use my waterproof backpack or mess bag (both Banjo Brothers products) for those days when it's gonna be wet for an extended period of time. Budget is more of a priority, so the Arkel and Ortlieb users can go preach elsewhere.

Have you tried a Tubus Lower Rack Mounting Kit to move your rack back some? I have also seen similar items, but I don't remember the name of them.

While a rear reflector is a start I think a combination of active and passive lighting would be better. I have a Planet Bike Rack Blinky attached with the Planet Bike Tail Light Bracket that came with it.

I have also mounted a rear light on the left seatstay using the supplied seatpost mounting kit and some pieces of old rubber inner tube.

I think if you extend the rear rack some you should be able to use any panniers you want.

The Jandd Expedition rack solved heel-strike issues for me on a short chainstay bike I had. It's three inches longer than most racks and smidge wider too.

http://www.jandd.com/ProdImages/Rack...ditionRack.jpg

I personally have been looking at http://www.carryfreedom.com/bamboo.html. Its easier to fit what I want on it and the materials to repair anything I break would be cheap and light. You could then pick up any waterproof boat bag and use that for gear that you don't want to get wet.

The obvious drawback is that you are using a bus for at least a portion of your commute.

Surly racks are what I have on my commuter, and I've never had a contact issue, so I don't have any organic solution to that problem directly.

I vote for working up a trailer, and eliminating the bus entirely from your route:)

You can also move the hanging/locking mechanism on the bags or panniers to move them a couple of inches forward which will move the panniers a couple of inches back. It's usually not very hard to do, and doesn't affect the balance of the pannier much, they're just bolted to the back of the pannier. You will need to drill new holes in the hard back and perhaps cut a seam or two to gain access to the bolts but it can be done.

Ain't gonna happen, as the most direct route via car is 52 miles r/t :(.

True, but as I said, the only panniers I have now are Nashbar Townies that are least 15 yrs old now. Experimented with those back when my wife had a job that was only 5 miles from mine... they are gonna stay on grocery getting detail from now on.

Upon further reflection, I think that I'll just go back to the last solution that worked for me. I removed it because two of the zipties broke and I didn't have any spares on hand. Guess I'll just have to buy them in bulk and keep a few with me at all times. Down side is I won't be able to use the Townies for grocery runs with it mounted...

Know of what type of paint would be best to make this thing fit in more with the black and gold/yellow theme?

I'd go with a bright Fuschia :)

I'm sorry, I have to chuckle. You have what looks to be a 2 liter soda flat or similar on the rear, you're being a slave to fashion and worrying about color coordinating it? :P

Yeah, well I've changed my mind about painting it. I shall instead adorn it with as much reflective tape as it takes to become gaudy. Think rainbow colors would suffice? :p

Instead of zips ties maybe look for some smaller u-bolts to secure that to your rack. You could even get some wing nuts to make it easy to install and remove.

Are you sure you didn't take that pic in front of my garage? LOL Same color peeling paint and random plant growing. Heck even the Little Caesars ad seems pretty typical of something that would be in front of my garage. =)

I have a big basket I am thinking of strapping it down to a rack of a bike with some leftover straps and buckles from and old backpack. I think it will work really great and that might be something for you to consider also.

Hmm, basket...but up front? Food for thought...

I hadn't thought about up front, but I guess maybe I should.

I have a bike rack that has three pole stays per side, I put some clamps half way up the rear stay, and hooking my panniers above the clamp, pulling the pannier bag towards the back. I very,very seldom have heel strike, and if I do, it's due a poorly situated load that can be easily corrected.

Actually, when you mentioned that you had a basket that you were thinking of mounting to the rear rack, it threw the light switch in my brain. Maybe a front basket would fit my needs better, and leave the rear rack available to still use the Townies or strap my bulky, non-cycling specific coats to.

So I popped over to Amazon and came across this one: http://www.amazon.com/Wald-Front-Rel...4022646&sr=8-2. Don't know if it would work with my current handlebar's cockpit (grip shifts) or not, nor do I know how much distance between the bar and front fender.

I have Sunlight version thats similar and I did have issues with it working because my handlebars were too low and so the basket ended up sitting on my front wheel. Its hard to tell exactly how that basket mounting bracket works, but I wasn't an overall fan of the one I have but I could have probably improved it. My wife had one too, but she didn't like the weight on the front of the bike and wanted a rear basket instead. Anyway 2 of them have just been sitting around for months because they didn't fit our needs. They might be just what you need though. If you do get one of these baskets that releases with the wire handle lifting up find something to keep the handle from flipping up and the basket flying off which happened a few times on my wife's bike. My easy solution was a large binder clip to keep in in place while you are riding. Its not a problem if its loaded down.

Look at Niagara Cycle thats where I got mine. They have a bunch of ones to choose from.

http://www.niagaracycle.com/index.php?cPath=90_176

I think this is the one I have even though its listed as a different manufacturer.

http://www.niagaracycle.com/product_...ucts_id=507496

I know how your wife feels, I have a Jandd front rack which I will only use, with the addition of Sunlite Daytripper panniers, for light loads.

Perhaps I am missing something obvious, but what about a backpack strapped to the top of your rear rack with bungie cords or a cargo net? That's how I commute and it works great for me. No heel strike issues and you can pretty much use whatever size backpack you need so extra clothes wont be a problem.

Also, I saw a rack linked to here one time (I wish I bookmarked it but did not). It was from a german company & it looked somewhat similar to a rear rack, but it mounted veritcally instead of horizontally, so it held the backpacks up & down. It looked like a pretty nice solution for certain applications. The only other thing I can remember was that it was a german company. Perhaps someone here can recall more info about this.

Rixen and Kaul , Klick Fix .. makes a number of ways to mount stuff all over the bike..
http://www.klickfix.de/index.php?lang=en

Tout Terrain is a small German manufacturer of Bikes, they have a seat post thing for long seatposts
and a backpack made to fit it [rather than use the one you have]
http://www.tout-terrain.de/2/

1. I started out just strapping my backpack to the rack. Though it does work effectively from point to point, I had "issues".

-When I first started using my bike this past summer for part of the commute, the bus route that I rely on to get to work was on detour. I used the bike in the morning to ride the 1/4 mile or so from the nearest detour stop. The post-work ride saw distances of 2-4 miles, depending on the timing of the various routes closest. Sometimes that meant getting to the stop with time to spare; other times it meant sprinting to catch a bus. I didn't feel right holding up a bus load of people just so that I could fuss undoing my strapping job.
-As I stated earlier, my rack's platform is only 12" long. I have a (Lg) Banjo Brothers backpack. When that puppy gets packed to the max, there is no way to safely strap it to the rack. Plus, when I did strap it down, I did so with the pack straps facing up, which put the bag's reflective material face down on the rack- and also blocked the seat post reflector.

2. Regarding the Rixen and Kaul stuff- I looked that stuff over, but there are times that I easily exceed the weight limit on their mounting system. Detours has some Klick Fix stuff that will only take 5 lbs. max- and I've got winter coats that weigh close to 10.