Winfried

Hello

I'm looking for a simpler alternative to the orthodox rack + bags that hang off the rack.

On a daily basis, a waterproof backpack can hold all my stuff, and I also keep a folding bag with me to carry a few kgs of groceries back home.

I figured a lighter and more theft-secure alternative would be a front- or rear-rack that has some "upright sides" (for lack of a better word) so I can simply put my backpack or grocery bag, possibly with a bungee cord to make sure it doesn't fall. It's more secure because that solution means I won't leave a pair of bags attached to the rack like I currently do (secured to the rack with a bunch of zip-locks so it takes several minutes to steal.)

Here's a picture of a rack with some sides so the bag doesn't move, and I don't need to buy a special bicycle bag that can hang off a rack.

IOW, it's kind of like a child carrier, except it's 1) meant to carry a backpack, and 2) lighter (aluminum).

More pictures:

• https://s256.photobucket.com/user/eds...l?t=1267704878
• https://bayareabikes.com/merchant/117...arge/gamoh.jpg
• https://www.discountramps.com/cargoIm...rgo-nest-1.jpg
• https://brimages.bikeboardmedia.netdn...Artist-014.jpg
• https://www.bikerumor.com/2012/11/06/...all-footprint/
• https://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17k7...g/original.jpg
• https://www.bicyclefixation.com/blog/...cargo_bike.jpg

I wish I could draw so that it'd be easier to explain what I meant :-/

Has someone seen something like that?

Thank you.

terrapin44

It might not give you the look that you want, but you may want to check out the baskets made be Wald: https://waldsports.com/index.cfm/baskets.html

I plan on ordering the Wald 585 rear basket and put it on my rack. The front baskets don't require a separate rack.

FWIW: When I was in Germany last year, almost everyone had a basket of some sort on their bike and often a backpack was sitting in the basket as they rode around.

Winfried

Thanks for the tip. I was thinking of something sturdier since it could be used to carry about 10kg of groceries. It could sit on either the wheel axle (front rack) or the seatstay (rear rack).

It could be that no one has thought of building that kind of rack yet.

KD5NRH

The Wald 585 is made to go on top of the rack, and should carry anything your rack can handle. Honestly, though, it just seems like a $45 alternative to u-bolting a stolen milk crate onto the rack. My Tranz-X rack says it's good for 25kg, but I (~90kg) can sit on it with no wobble.

Search on here for "homemade panniers" and you should find plenty of ideas to get the CG lower than a rack-top solution.

seeker333

Wald baskets are as sturdy as they come. They've been making them since at least WWII and have been the worldwide leader in metal wire bicycle baskets since the '70s.

I had a pair of collapsible baskets at University on the Schwinn (they still make them, #582), I used them daily for commuting/groceries. Any Wald basket will definitely handle 10kg.

Winfried

Thanks for the infos. I hadn't thought of googling for "homemade rear rack", and I happened on exactly what I had in mind:

https://www.amphibike.org/images/640_trekCommuter2.jpg
https://www.amphibike.org/images/640_monocogView.jpg

"The rack is made from 4043 1/2" OD aluminum tubing (supposedly not weldable, but holding up fine, thank you) and a pair of extruded aluminum modem cases to make up the deck. Batteries and other electronics are stored inside the deck of the rack to keep them out of the weather and out of the way. I built the current version of this rack around the year 2000. I have had to modify its mounting brackets once or twice to fit new bike frames, but other than that is has held up great, even through crashes that left me sitting on top of it while sliding through the dirt. Unfortunatly it doesn't mount level on the current Redline frame, since I didn't bother to rework the mounting brackets this time around. "
https://www.amphibike.org/index.cgi?p..._bikes/monocog

Unfortunately, I don't have the skills to build my own rack out of aluminum. Maybe some company builds this kind of rack?