corrado33

That thing looks awesome! However, the problem you mentioned is the exact one I thought of as well. Small wheels = low ground clearance. However you can buy ~100mm (all terrain) luggage wheels that would probably do well, provided you can find a suitcase that they'll fit on.

ship69

If I can cycle with an occasional human passenger sitting on my bike rack, then I sure as hell can cycle with a single bag on it.

Yes 4 wheels would be ideal, however I cant even find anything with 2 wheels.

Yes, beefy roller-blade style wheels could work - although being small they would handle pot-holes very badly.
Buy so far I cant find anything on the market... :^(

fietsbob

Q: you abandoning the bicycle at the Airport?

saddlesores

so just strap your weekend bag onto the bike.
jinkies, a simple fold out platform attached to your rack
should do the job. would ride like crap with all that
weight, how much you never said, on one side.

more spendy would be something like the xtracycle
sidecar.

SideCar - Xtracycle

ship69

The Travoy looks interesting... It does add and unwelcome 4Kg of weight which would be a pain when cycling back up the large hill on the way home.

My main objection is that it doesn't really look designed for hand wheeling. And all that ability to fold up isnt really necessary if I am going to use it in extended/full sized mode both behind my bike AND when wheeling my luggage by hand through the street of the big city.

ship69

No.
The airport thing is really a distraction. I mention "airline cabin sized" mainly to give a sense of the size/volume of luggage I require. If what I buy is expensive and if it can be used in an aeroplane that would be a bonus.

CliffordK

I was wondering about that.

Around here, it is never recommended to park a bike at a bus station, or train station overnight. You'll likely come back to a half a bike, or no bike at all.

If you do have secure parking for the bike, then you could probably also have baskets, or a trailer on it.

Of course, if you're taking the bike on a bus or tram, you don't want a lot of extra stuff hanging off of it.

ship69

Yes a simple fold-out platform attached to my rack (very robustly) could work, particularly if not too heavy. Even better would be if it contained some albeit small walls to help stop the bag from slipping off the back. Are such things commercially available?

No, trolleys/trailers etc are a pain because they tend to add too much weight AND they will need to be locked up onto my bike at the railway station. Plus they tend to make getting through traffic harder.

ship69

No, I would be leaving the bike at the railway station, all day long and sometimes over night. No, it is not secure. But there are literally several hundred bikes doing the same thing so the hope is that it is reasonably secure.

saddlesores

i see these all over here in china, folding platforms on bicycles and motorcycles.
google search didn't provide any examples.

why don't you check what's available in motorcycle shops. there's probably some
luggage system intended for an expedition dirtbike or even an e-bike delivery
system that could be adapted. or check the motorcycle blogs to see about
fabricating something similar.

plenty of options for luggage/hardcases

https://assets3.revzilla.com/product_...jpg?1296768175

Making your own luggage rack - Any tips? - Page 6 - Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB

https://nc700-forum.com/forum/attachm...d-dsc_0101-jpg

saddlesores

foldout platform would have holes/slots for the luggage wheels to fit in.
no sliding. luggage secured with ratchet or similar non-bungee tie-downs.

although..........

https://s1.dmcdn.net/BEuKx/1280x720-PfD.jpg

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2fjjr4

Rob_E

The amount you want to carry is not unusual. The fact that you want to make sure that it doesn't look like it came off of a bike is kind of unusual, especially since you seem to be looking for solutions that are bike-specific. It's also problematic because the easiest and most common way to carry bulky, non-bike-specific items is via trailer. Seemingly not an option for you. I understand the concern about securing the trailer. I'm not sure about the concerns about trailer weight. Seems like the heaviest item will still be your bag.

I don't know that you find an easy-on, easy-off, made-for-bikes, doesn't-look-like-you-carried-it-on-a-bike solution. But if you will, you probably wont' find it from touring cyclists. Carrying lots of stuff, sure. Looking professional while doing it, maybe not. I would try your question in the commuting and maybe the utility forums. If there exists an item that fits your needs, it's probably geared towards commuters.

But I think the most likely solution is to choose the bag you want and then figure out how to carry it on your bike. Maybe a large, rear basket. Maybe a way to extend the platform on a normal rack. It will almost definitely require some way to tie it down. The set-up that comes to mind for me, and I have not tried this, is a front, frame-mounted, cargo rack, perhaps like this, Azor/Steco Pickup frame mounting front rack . They seems to have a platform shape that is more conducive to the size load you're talking about, and, being frame-mounted, it should be more stable than a normal front rack, although still top-heavy, I expect. Other suggestions for carrying bulky items on a bike can probably be found in the utility biking section, but expect to hear the word "trailer" a lot.

axel8

For what it's worth, let me throw my $.02 in. If you could bolt a board 12 inches wide and perhaps 18 inches long on to the rear rack you could strap a day pack on top. I've used a High Sierra daypack with attachable backpack for international business travel of up to a week. It's dimensions are 22"x13"x9" (56cm x 33cm x 23cm). I'm not sure there is a perfect solution. I think you'll have to compromise somewhere in the process.
High Sierra Adventure Access Carry-On Wheeled Backpack with Removable Daypack

Arkadee

What about using panniers as well as a soft-sided carry-on bag? While on the bike your gear goes in the panniers with the empty bag strapped to the top of the rack. For meetings and off-bike activities, stuff the panniers in the bag.

This minimizes your centre of gravity on the bike and allows you to meet your "smart" objective in the boardroom.

FWIW I never use bungees. They are not only a hazard when putting them on but they allow slight movement of your load, leading to speed wobbles and shifting. I think cam straps are a far better option.

GeorgeBaby

In that case, seriously consider a Brompton with a Game Bag. I use a Brompton to go 5 miles to the trains station (and then take the bike aboard).

The Game Bag is a nice looking piece of luggage. Then you use your bike as the trolley (as fietsbob has pointed out).

ship69

Yes, if you have a small front wheel then heavy luggage at the front is possible.

In many ways a Brompton + Gamebag is the most sensible suggestion yet. I could even take the thing on rush hour trains. IF that is I had £770 for the bike + £245 for the bag. And IF I could afford to travel on Rush Hour trains (I cant).

I have shared my dilemma on a couple of other bike forums
e.g. this one: How Can I Put Smart Luggage With Wheels Onto Bicycle Rack? | Page 2 | CycleChat Cycling Forum
(However for some reason it has been closed without a solution being found)

Let me summarise where I have got to.
I think the only viable answer to get a 2 or 3 night's worth of luggage onto a bike will be to attach some sort of rigid plate (possibly a wooden plank) to my rear bike rack and then to somehow strap my existing overnight / "cabin/carry on suitcase" using some sort of straps.
My wooden plank could possibly have some studs and/or raised edge and/or possibly a soft rubber sheet on upper surface ...** to stop sliding. For convenience, I would probably leave the plank permanently attached to the bike.

If I have time / energy I couple possibly buy something off the shelf that would attach/detach with a clamp/clicking mechanism (although if expensive-looking this risks being stolen off the bike.) But that would involve doing modification (drilling holes and attaching clamps etc) to my bag itself.

All EXTREMELY unsatisfactory.

Can anyone recommend any good wide base plates for my rack?
(Fwiw, my existing cabin suitcase laid flat on my bike would be is 47 by 34cm. Or more aerodynamic (but less stable) would be to put it on it's side, whereupon it would be 47cm long by only 25cm wide.

They no longer make my suitcase but to give you an idea, it looks a bit like this:

Tripp Superlite III 2W Cabin Suitcase Racing Green - Tripp Ltd




Anyone got any better ideas?

fietsbob

Brompton'sTouring bag costs a lot less than the Saville Row Posh Game Bag ..

plywood ,, Baltic all birch Ply is Very Nice.

cooker

It's a bit awkward to bungee a suitcase to a rear rack, but it can be done. One option would be to get luggage straps (that resemble belts) from a luggage store and strap the suitcase to the rack with one "longitudinal" strap and one "lattitudinal" strap.

cooker

I don't quite understand your travel plans. Are you flying somewhere, bringing a bike and a small suitcase on the plane, then using the bike as transportation at the far end?

Or are you biking from home to the train station, abandoning your bike, and taking the suitcase onto the train to the airport?

saddlesores

probably because you come off as a troll, poopoo'ing every solution for silly reasons.
kinda pointless thread, really, as nothing will ever be satisfactory.

jeez, just get a wooden box the exact dimensions of the british cabin carry-on
dimensions. oh, no.......someone will vandalize the box. shheesh!

cooker

Okay, I got thrown off by your overly lengthy first post. You want an airline carry-on bag (as we call it in North America) and you want tips on carrying it on your bike.

Personally I like hard shell cases. Two wheels is plenty, because usually you are pulling it, and if they have four wheels, they are sometime inferior wheels. I like the extended handle to be double-railed rather than single railed, as it means you can carry a second smaller bag on top, without it spinning around and hanging off the front.

For carrying it on the bike you are probably right that you need some kind of tray or cradle fixed on top of the rack to stabilize the heavy suitcase. In place of bungee cords, you could get luggage straps and attach them permanently to the rack, or take them with you. There's a risk your rack apparatus will be vandalized or stolen while your bike is parked. If you are carrying heavy stuff up high on the rack your bike will be a bit tippy. It might also be hard to swing your leg over the suitcase unless you have a step-through frame. I wouldn't worry too much about aerodynamics - you'll be slowed down by the weight anyway and most of the suitcase will be shielded by your body, even if it is mounted sideways.

Happy Feet

It's not that hard. People have been carrying big supposedly unstable loads on bikes for a long time. Google cargo bikes/images
Make it really ugly so no one wants to steal it.

DropBarFan

Perhaps OP could get one of those milk crates, cut off the sides, affix it securely (hose clamps, u-bolts?) & use it as a base for the suitcase? Or perhaps buy a piece of billet aluminium sheet for the base? BTW I used to use a plastic milk crate for courier work, handy & cheap way to store extra stuff that didn't fit in panniers easily. I also use a milk crate for spectating at pro bike races to see over the crowd--took one down to Richmond where the short hills were swamped with spectators--a lady complimented on the "good idea".

Happy Feet

And most people won't try to steal your milk crate (or if they do it won't hurt so much). If your lucky, they might even put a can or two of food in it along with a warm blanket or some mittens.

From what I read, the Op wants his luggage to look smart but his bike to be safe at the station. No need for it to look smart. I say buy a purpose specific case and don't try modifying it, just put it in a dumb container on the bike.

ship69

...And live with a massive box permanently stuck on my bike? slowing me down with it's huge wind-resistance and stopping me get through narrow gaps in stationary traffic. Shheesh!