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Sometimes a standard bike rack just doesn’t cut it. Cyclists in NYC are quite creative when it comes to creating customized solutions for cargo issues. The common plumbing clamp and zip ties are two of the oft used devices to secure apparatuses to standard racks.
This rider used plumbing clamps to secure this basket:
Zip ties were used by this rider to secure his crate:
A Chinese food delivery guy pulled up in front of me one time and I saw that he wanted a larger platform for delivering his precious cargo. He took what looks to have been a discarded metal shelf and secured it to his rack with wire and zip ties:
If you want something a little more stable than zip ties and wire, you can go for a metal bracket that is secured with screws:
This is a more conventional solution that I am interested in looking into. I like the thought of being able to fold them in and out and I’m thinking my backpack might fit into them. That way I could ride with my backpack in the basket to avoid SBS (sweaty back syndrome) and when I lock up or need to haul my bike up to my fourth floor walk up I could just toss the pack on my back.
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8 comments for this entry ↓
1 Ben // Apr 29, 2008 at 4:48 am
Zip ties don’t work, but plumbing clamps do.
2 MarkR // Apr 29, 2008 at 5:15 am
sweet I just found the folding rack online.
https://shop.sunrisecyclery.com/item/14829
3 SpecialPete // Apr 29, 2008 at 5:31 am
Have used zip ties to carry out temporary repairs before and they work ok. I guess it is a bit different than attaching something new to your rack.
4 Anthony DeLorenzo // Apr 29, 2008 at 7:47 am
I’ve always found old freezer baskets work well on rear racks, they have that long, narrow shape and are readily available at the local dump.
I attach them with zip ties, as long as you use 8 or so the basket doesn’t budge and can haul a fair bit of weight.
You can see one in action on one of my old bikes here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/delorenzo/186168296/
5 danielo // Apr 29, 2008 at 8:19 am
I’ve always had good luck with zip ties. Can anyone attest to how much (or little) the folding wire baskets rattle about when folded down?
6 Matt // Apr 29, 2008 at 8:25 am
I use zip ties for quite a few things and find that eventually, all of them will break. For example, I use them to secure hacked water bottles that I use for fenders. The normal wear and tear and weathering will eventually cause the tie to break.
Same thing with my computer. I use zip ties and eventually, they will break.
However, if you use enough of them, they are not all likely to fail at the same time =)
Thus they are a great option, after all they are light, but you should not rely on just one obviously.
7 Ryan // May 2, 2008 at 4:40 am
I used hacked bungee cords to secure my hard panniers. I made them from 2 marine battery boxes, some all-threaded rod, nuts/washers, and bungee cords. They are a little on the heavy side but since they are plastic they offer extra surface to attach reflectors, stickers, and other stuff.
Pics and full description were featured here on Jan 18th.
http://bikehacks.com/homemade-hardside-panniers/
8 BubbaDookiePants // May 27, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I’ve had experience with the folding baskets. They’re not great for heavy loads such as milk or schoolbooks, but for lighter items they’re pretty good. They do rattle, and the clasp to keep them folded is sometimes difficult to operate (especially on the Wald model). I much prefer solid, non-folding rack baskets for grocery runs.
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