06 Tuesday Dec 2011
Posted in Cycling
Platrack, a set on Flickr.
I removed the Wald basket when I did the Populaire, and have left it off for the past few weeks to get a feel for usability “naked”. While I have to lash the cargo down a bit more, the small cargo net I use works well. I picked up a box of donuts on the way in to work today, and carried a laptop home on the front rack with no problems, and minimal movement. This set shows the rack a bit more in its raw form.
03 Thursday Nov 2011
Posted in Cycling
Tags
basket, beer, donuts, Fremont Brewing, growler, Maple Leaf, rivendell, Seattle, Wald
Basket of Beer
I commute 4 days a week from North Seattle (Maple Leaf) into Downtown. I generally leave my work clothes in my office so I don’t need to carry much on the bike, and after a few years of this routine, I’ve been able to whittle down my normal load. That said, I often try to bring in donuts for the crew. I also occasionally enjoy a nice fresh growler of pub stew (Fremont Brewing Co. is the current favorite). Since I like to keep this stuff off my back, I have really found baskets to be a godsend. If you can get past the dorkiness, they are really versatile.
Donuts galore
I do prefer the basket on the front of the bike. I had a dual basket setup on my mountain bike commuter for a while, but I found that mounts/dismounts were sometimes causing painful dings when I swung my leg around and caught the corner of the basket. I also didn’t like the load hindered by the seat/light/toolbag. This stuff got in the vertical plane, and just made the basket less effective.
Baskets are Beautiful
25 Friday Mar 2011
Posted in Cycling
As a Rivendell owner, and Bicycle Quarterly reader, I have become aware of the trail conundrum in bike handling with a front load. I have an A. Homer Hilsen that I have set up with both a front basket,
and an Acorn Boxy Rando bag.
Back from a winter ride
I have carried up to 10 lbs in front on a number of occasions, and while it takes a few pedals to get used to the weight, it comes out just fine. Jan Heine of Bicycle quarterly has made a strong case for lower trail numbers on a bike that will be carrying a front load. This was a common geometry of nice French randonneuring bicycles in the 40’s and 50’s.
Rawland has been designing an update of their Sogn all-rounder with low trail numbers. I am very tempted to try one out and see if I can tell the difference. I may wait for a while as a few of the Seattle Riv riders are likely getting one. I’ll hopefully be able to take one for a spin…
