bluegoatwoods
Well-Known Member
I've had this rig going for a while. Over the last two days I've torn it down and worked out the last of the bugs, I hope. So I though I'd share it.
I've hauled some really heavy loads with this. That's especially important if you want your bike to be truly practical transportation. I've also managed to get a dozen eggs home safely with this. But that's more a matter of packing than anything.
The core of the rig is a basic rear rack combined with "saddlebags" made from two small coolers that I got from Wal-Mart's sporting goods department. I'm sure everyone has seen them; a plastic box wrapped in a bit of insulation and a vinyl/cloth covering with a zip top and a few pockets. They cost about $12 each, I think. So these would add about $25 to the total cost. But the total isn't much and there are bound to be a lot of options on this anyway.
I meant to include photos of just how these were fastened on, but I seemed to forget to take any. But it's pretty simple; I just bolted them to a couple of strips of aluminum. You should be able to spot it in one or another of the photos. The whole thing just slides over the rack and fastens down with U-bolts.
The tops of the saddlebags come up to just over the level of the rack. This works great as a cargo platform. It's wide and stable. You can fasten down a backpack or a duffel bag or things like that without worrying that anything will shift around and get stuck in your wheel.
I also have a pretty good front cargo rack. When I perfect it's design, I'll post that. I included one photo in it's current state anyway just for fun.
I think the photos will explain the construction well enough. But if I've left out anything, then just let me know.
I've hauled some really heavy loads with this. That's especially important if you want your bike to be truly practical transportation. I've also managed to get a dozen eggs home safely with this. But that's more a matter of packing than anything.
The core of the rig is a basic rear rack combined with "saddlebags" made from two small coolers that I got from Wal-Mart's sporting goods department. I'm sure everyone has seen them; a plastic box wrapped in a bit of insulation and a vinyl/cloth covering with a zip top and a few pockets. They cost about $12 each, I think. So these would add about $25 to the total cost. But the total isn't much and there are bound to be a lot of options on this anyway.
I meant to include photos of just how these were fastened on, but I seemed to forget to take any. But it's pretty simple; I just bolted them to a couple of strips of aluminum. You should be able to spot it in one or another of the photos. The whole thing just slides over the rack and fastens down with U-bolts.
The tops of the saddlebags come up to just over the level of the rack. This works great as a cargo platform. It's wide and stable. You can fasten down a backpack or a duffel bag or things like that without worrying that anything will shift around and get stuck in your wheel.
I also have a pretty good front cargo rack. When I perfect it's design, I'll post that. I included one photo in it's current state anyway just for fun.
I think the photos will explain the construction well enough. But if I've left out anything, then just let me know.