Milk Crate on bike? How unstable will it be?
 

So, I'm thinking of attaching a milk crate onto my bike for many reasons (low-cost, like the color, durable, won't rust, etc.).
However, after reading some of these forums, it seems like the inclusion of a crate increases the center of gravity. For those of you who've tried riding with one, how stable is it in comparison to riding w/o it? Do the cons outweigh the pros?

FYI i'm a commuter who plans to store only his backpack and maybe a few feather-weight accessories.
riding a diamondback edgewood hybrid bike.

Thanks.

It's the way that you attach it to the rack and the stability of the rack ..

HD Zip ties and a Quality rear rack and Mine Was Fine.

Sorry, I worded the original post badly (I was in a rush!). Anyways, I meant, how stable is the BIKE? not the crate itself. With the increase in the center of gravity, how unstable can the bike be when going up/down hills or making turns? Is there an increased chance of wiping out, etc etc.

thanks

don't put bowling balls, clay bricks or shotput shots in the crate and you should be OK. i've ridden with women on the rear rack (in skirts so their legs were on one side of the bike) and it not so bad.

Yea thats pretty much the Amsterdamer's Date GF transport ,
sidesaddle on the rear rack.


Hook it up if you hate the ride get panniers.

It's not so much when riding, except SLOW turns.
IF you park the bike with a kick stand, you may have issues.

I think milk crates come OEM on bikes sold to the Amish and they dont seema to have any problems.

I use one everyday .If i get to around 25 pounds it is not easy to ride the bike but it is rideable

Don't overload the crate, other than that it should be fine.

I once used mine (when I used to have one on my bike), to carry some 225LBs drunk man home for 23 miles. It was a little awkward, but we made it home safely.

So long as you don't go too slow while turning, too fast on slippery surfaces while turning, lean the bike too far to either side, or expect to bunny hop- you'll do fine.

I had one mounted for a time. Pros were cheap, could get creative mounting lights w/zip ties or liberal reflective tape, and I could just toss something in and go. The Cons were that it blocked seatpost lights/reflectors, couldn't access my seat wedge, and my backpack when more than halfway full would not stuff into that 12"x12" cube. Plus throwing my leg up and over wasn't always successful.

I went a slighty different route after that (and I got my inspiration from another here)- a beverage crate. It allowed me to put my backpack on it and I could easily shove layers between the pack and the bungee cord I used to strap it down with.

I find that the higher center of gravity makes the bike ride better, more manuverable in turns, possibly more stable at speed. Also seems like theres an aero advantage having it right behind me as opposed to pannier bags that would stick out to the sides. Positioning of the cargo relative to your rear axle matters a lot for stability...too far behind it and everything goes bad.

I find they crowd the back of the seat and impinge on my butt.

How the heck do you get a 225# drunk into a milk box?

I spent about an hour one day trying different ways to secure my crate with the least number of connections that was secure and stable, as well as non-catastrophic if one of them failed. I'll take a picture for you when I get home to my camera.

Milk crates work great but are a little wider than I like. I have mounted baskets that were made for handlebar mounting to the rear rack on several bikes. I haven’t had any handling issues doing this. The point of keeping your crate or basket lower and away from your butt is a good one. I like to lower the rack so it’s barely above the rear tire, then find something that stays lower than the saddle.

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Um, you are planning on procuring that crate legally, right? Around here, they belong to the milk distributor.

Years ago the only way to get these was to steal them, but these days all kinds of stores sell decent milk crates.

Back in the seventies a local dairy went under and I bought 200 milk crates for use in the factory for $50.00 for the lot, it took years of hard use for them to eventually die out and I think we're down to the last 5 or 6.

I have a rectangular real milk crate zip tied on a Jannd rear rack, on a Voyageur touring bike. I am new to it but have done some 20-30 mile rides around town on it.
I put my Chrome Citizen messenger bag in it (because when i have my 13" laptop and power supply in the bag it is uncomfortable wearing on long rides.)

I have no trouble riding the bike and dont notice much difference with/without the crate attached except it is nice to get that bag off my back. Also the weight of the bag and the rack and the crate, with my laptop and power supply added, does slow me down. I am carrying around probably 6 more pounds due to rack and crate as compared to just putting the bag on my bag. But it is more comfortable.

When i switch to a bike with no rack or crate or added stuff to carry it feels to be really easy now.


THe only instability i have noticed is when the crate is loaded up and I STAND to pedal, i feel some instability so i dont like to stand up and bike when carrying a load.


THen only other problem is mounting dismounting the bike due to the crate being higher than the seat. It took me a couple of days to get comfortable finding an easy way to get my leg over the crate. What i like to do is put one leg on a pedal and then when standing on the pedal, lift my other leg over the back of the bike. Otherwise it is hard for to swing my leg high enough off the ground to clear the crate. Since this is an issue for me, on other bikes i may prefer a solution that doesnt have any crate or basket higher than the seat.

My milk crate just touches my saddle. Actually the back edge of the saddle passes through the handle of the milk crate. When I need extra pedal power I scoot up against the milk crate and use it like a bench press to push harder on the pedals. My milk crate functions as both a basket and a power assist. The plastic where my butt pushes against it has bowed slightly.

Why not swing the leg over the top tube? My top tube is pretty high too, exactly the height of my inseam, but I find it's not a problem, even when wearing work boots. Probably because my hips are flexible. In fact, from riding milk-crated bikes for 20 years, I've conditioned myself to only mount and dismount over the top tube. When I test rode a normal bike the other day I automatically mounted/dismounted over the top tube. It must have looked funny to the bike owner. But it's automatic, I don't even think about it.

Not much new to add. The high center of gravity makes kickstands a chalkenge depending on weight in crate. It holds a fair amount, and I use a cargo net over the top to keep things in.

Swinging a leg over is not as easy, but doable. I adjust it so my bum does not touch it but your rack, seat and geom may differ.

As for stability, I used those nite eyze style flexi-ties, and have no concerns. I swap bikes on occassion, so it beats cutting a bunch of zipties, but you can add them as desired too.

Basket/crate strapped to rear rack created some front end shimmy on one of my bikes but it was not unrideable. Good enough for short rides less than an hour, wouldn’t want to make it a regular thing though. I prefer the backpack in a huge front basket.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bd0a15aba.jpeg
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I used to deliver appliances for Sears on milk crate on the back of my Chromoly bike, washer/dryers, Refrigerators, water heaters, etc.Serious!