Wald folding basket

[johnridley]

Neat, 2 Wheel Tango carries Wald baskets. Wald has been working hard to keep their manufacturing in the US against mounting pressure to go offshore. They're apparently into automotive part supply now too, also in the US.

I picked up one of the folding baskets; others have highly recommended them as being very useful. It's certainly very sturdy, folds up flat and holds a reusable grocery bag perfectly.

I hadn't planned on any bicycle purchases this year, since I have plenty of chains, brake pads and tires to last me at least a year, but several times recently I've had to put off errands because my bag was already full of clothes from the chilly morning ride in. And my bike shorts are about done in after 4 years, I'm going to have to give up and buy some more soon anyway.

Also note the stylish peanut butter jar tool chest. Perfect size for a multitool, chain tool, 3 tire levers, a spare chain link, and a spare tube. The idea came from the journal of a woman on a cross-country tour.

Comments

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Does the basket rattle?

I've seen French bike tourists put their rain jackets in water bottles whose tops have been cut off, and put that in the bottle cage. They ride with their water bottles in a handlebar bag.

K.

[johnridley.livejournal.com]

It doesn't rattle at all.

The handlebar bag trick assumes that I HAVE a handlebar bag.

To date, I've been running with nothing but panniers. But they don't like carrying very heavy objects, like an 8 pack of soda.

I have a rack trunk, but I can't really use it since it obscures the view to all my standard taillight mounting positions. I may have to build a rear mount for the light to overcome that and be able to use the top of the rack.

I've been thinking about a front rack rather than a front basket. I'd build something like this, which would only take a couple of hours and maybe $15 worth of parts to put together.

[johnridley.livejournal.com]

Update; there's a slight possibility of a little bit of rattle. Not when folded, but this morning I rode to work with an 8 pack of soda in the basket, and on the roughest parts of the gravel road I heard it clank a bit. Not what I'd call a rattle, but it wasn't entirely silent. But I don't think it would be possible for it to be entirely silent.

I do need to get a cargo net for it.