Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > General Cycling Discussion
Reload this Page >

Weekend functional art project, copper basket/rack

Notices
General Cycling Discussion Have a cycling related question or comment that doesn't fit in one of the other specialty forums? Drop on in and post in here! When possible, please select the forum above that most fits your post!

Weekend functional art project, copper basket/rack

Old 03-09-20, 09:45 AM
  #1  
PDXCarless
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Portland (PDX), OR
Posts: 41

Bikes: Priority Continuum Onyx, Brompton, Specialized Crossroads

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Liked 23 Times in 12 Posts
Weekend functional art project, copper basket/rack

I couldn't find a good front rack that didn't get in the way of my dynamo-powered headlight (connecting to the upper fork and handlebars instead of to the fender bracket), so I made one from leftover copper pipe and fittings. It's strong, fairly lightweight and would probably have cost $40-$50 if I didn't already have most of the copper.




PDXCarless is offline  
Old 03-09-20, 11:04 AM
  #2  
thumpism 
Bikes are okay, I guess.
 
thumpism's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Richmond, Virginia
Posts: 9,128

Bikes: Waterford Paramount Touring, Giant CFM-2, Raleigh Sports 3-speeds in M23 & L23, Schwinn Cimarron oddball build, Marin Palisades Trail dropbar conversion, Nishiki Cresta GT

Mentioned: 69 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2647 Post(s)
Liked 2,445 Times in 1,557 Posts
Neat. I borrowed a hedge trimmer from a pal several years ago and he apologized for the broken loop handle that was supposed to go over the top of the unit so I whipped one up from 1/2" copper. Made it much easier to use and impressed the hell out of him when I returned it.
thumpism is offline  
Likes For thumpism:
Old 03-09-20, 12:53 PM
  #3  
obrentharris 
Senior Member
 
obrentharris's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Point Reyes Station, California
Posts: 4,715

Bikes: Indeed!

Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1504 Post(s)
Liked 3,444 Times in 1,127 Posts
Very nice!
Next you'll have to take up wicker work so you can make a basket to fit in that frame.
Brent
obrentharris is offline  
Likes For obrentharris:
Old 03-09-20, 12:56 PM
  #4  
PDXCarless
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Portland (PDX), OR
Posts: 41

Bikes: Priority Continuum Onyx, Brompton, Specialized Crossroads

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Liked 23 Times in 12 Posts
Originally Posted by obrentharris
Very nice!
Next you'll have to take up wicker work so you can make a basket to fit in that frame.
Brent
I've decided to just run some perpendicular lines of bailing wire to create a basket.
PDXCarless is offline  
Likes For PDXCarless:
Old 03-09-20, 04:03 PM
  #5  
noglider 
aka Tom Reingold
 
noglider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,691

Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem

Mentioned: 510 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7287 Post(s)
Liked 2,365 Times in 1,382 Posts
Very nice! What made you decide to use copper? And do you know what it weighs?
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog

“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author

Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
noglider is offline  
Old 03-09-20, 04:30 PM
  #6  
PDXCarless
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Portland (PDX), OR
Posts: 41

Bikes: Priority Continuum Onyx, Brompton, Specialized Crossroads

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Liked 23 Times in 12 Posts
Originally Posted by noglider
Very nice! What made you decide to use copper? And do you know what it weighs?
I was looking for a good front rack and none of them fit my needs and had everything I wanted so I started thinking of making my own. The main thing is that most of them sit low on the front wheel and would block my wired headlight. I had already used copper before to create a picture rail for hanging musical instruments and art, so I had some left over. As well, I was gifted a box of fittings and various short lengths of pipe from my local Buy Nothing Facebook group. I like the look of copper and even more when it patinas.

Basically, I keep everything in my garage and try not to throw anything away. When I need so buy something, I first walk around in there and think of ways to build it. We, our society, buy and waste too much s**t.

I figure it weighs roughly the same as the typical front racks and baskets I see on amazon that are made out of solid aluminum. Copper isn't that heavy and these are hollow pipes, after all. I'd guess 4-5 lbs, altogether.

I still have a little work to do. The fork screws need to be changed out for stainless ones so there's no galvanic corrosion between the copper and the steel. Also, I need to put tape between the copper and the aluminum fork for the same reasons. The bailing wire that I mentioned will also have to be stainless.
PDXCarless is offline  
Likes For PDXCarless:
Old 03-09-20, 05:17 PM
  #7  
thumpism 
Bikes are okay, I guess.
 
thumpism's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Richmond, Virginia
Posts: 9,128

Bikes: Waterford Paramount Touring, Giant CFM-2, Raleigh Sports 3-speeds in M23 & L23, Schwinn Cimarron oddball build, Marin Palisades Trail dropbar conversion, Nishiki Cresta GT

Mentioned: 69 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2647 Post(s)
Liked 2,445 Times in 1,557 Posts
Originally Posted by PDXCarless
The bailing wire that I mentioned will also have to be stainless.
Use gimp, the stuff we made lanyards out of at summer camp.
thumpism is offline  
Old 03-09-20, 05:59 PM
  #8  
hillyman
WALSTIB
 
hillyman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,798
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 280 Post(s)
Liked 384 Times in 183 Posts
Hot and cold running water would be nice on a bike ride. Interesting very interesting
__________________
www.bikeleague.org

hillyman is offline  
Likes For hillyman:
Old 03-10-20, 05:11 AM
  #9  
Sy Reene
Advocatus Diaboli
 
Sy Reene's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Wherever I am
Posts: 8,613

Bikes: Merlin Cyrene, Nashbar steel CX

Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4717 Post(s)
Liked 1,526 Times in 997 Posts
You should hunt this guy down to work on getting your bike to match:
https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...rbea-orca.html
Sy Reene is offline  
Old 03-10-20, 11:25 AM
  #10  
noobinsf 
Senior Member
 
noobinsf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Oakland, CA
Posts: 3,291

Bikes: '82 Univega Competizione, '72 Motobecane Grand Record, '83 Mercian KOM Touring, '85 Univega Alpina Uno, '76 Eisentraut Limited

Mentioned: 57 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1088 Post(s)
Liked 1,204 Times in 700 Posts
Nice work -- it would have matched my old copper-plated Bergmeister!

noobinsf is offline  
Old 03-10-20, 11:40 AM
  #11  
Jicafold
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,084
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 360 Post(s)
Liked 128 Times in 88 Posts
That's really nifty. Necessity is the mother of invention. But the title of the thread says "basket" and there is no bottom to it and items would fall through. Are you going to put a mesh bottom on it or something similar?

Last edited by Jicafold; 03-10-20 at 11:46 AM.
Jicafold is offline  
Old 03-10-20, 11:45 AM
  #12  
Flip Flop Rider
Senior Member
 
Flip Flop Rider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: South Carolina Upstate
Posts: 2,104

Bikes: 2010 Fuji Absolute 3.0 1994 Trek 850

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 761 Post(s)
Liked 555 Times in 322 Posts
with your skills you could probably fabricate a moonshine still
Flip Flop Rider is offline  
Likes For Flip Flop Rider:
Old 03-10-20, 03:51 PM
  #13  
PDXCarless
Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Portland (PDX), OR
Posts: 41

Bikes: Priority Continuum Onyx, Brompton, Specialized Crossroads

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Liked 23 Times in 12 Posts
Originally Posted by jicafold
that's really nifty. Necessity is the mother of invention. But the title of the thread says "basket" and there is no bottom to it and items would fall through. Are you going to put a mesh bottom on it or something similar?
I think you missed a post above.

Originally Posted by pdxcarless
i've decided to just run some perpendicular lines of bailing wire to create a basket.
PDXCarless is offline  
Old 03-11-20, 07:46 AM
  #14  
Milton Keynes
Senior Member
 
Milton Keynes's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 3,947

Bikes: Trek 1100 road bike, Roadmaster gravel/commuter/beater mountain bike

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2281 Post(s)
Liked 1,710 Times in 936 Posts
It looks heavy, but I'm sure it's not nearly as heavy as it looks.
Milton Keynes is offline  
Old 03-25-20, 07:19 AM
  #15  
rumrunn6
Senior Member
 
rumrunn6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,528

Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0

Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5220 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times in 2,331 Posts
Originally Posted by PDXCarless
I couldn't find a good front rack that didn't get in the way of my dynamo-powered headlight (connecting to the upper fork and handlebars instead of to the fender bracket), so I made one from leftover copper pipe and fittings. It's strong, fairly lightweight and would probably have cost $40-$50 if I didn't already have most of the copper.
confirms what I’ve long asserted, that plumbing is an art
rumrunn6 is offline  
Likes For rumrunn6:
Old 03-25-20, 07:51 AM
  #16  
JanMM
rebmeM roineS
 
JanMM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Metro Indy, IN
Posts: 16,217

Bikes: Bacchetta Giro A20, RANS V-Rex, RANS Screamer

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 653 Post(s)
Liked 345 Times in 225 Posts
All that nicely-sweated copper pipe and no valves?
__________________
Bacchetta Giro A20, RANS V-Rex, RANS Screamer
JanMM is offline  
Old 03-25-20, 11:47 AM
  #17  
Jicafold
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,084
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 360 Post(s)
Liked 128 Times in 88 Posts
That reminds me. I need a new water heater.
Jicafold is offline  
Old 03-25-20, 02:57 PM
  #18  
rollagain
Lopsided biped
 
rollagain's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 736

Bikes: 2017 Day 6 Cyclone (the Buick); 2015 Simcoe Deluxe (the Xebec); Street Strider 3i (the not-a-bike); GreenSpeed Anura (the Black Swan)

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 316 Post(s)
Liked 160 Times in 97 Posts
Now someone's going to steal your bike for the copper scrap.
rollagain is offline  
Likes For rollagain:
Old 01-01-21, 11:13 AM
  #19  
2_i 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 3,694

Bikes: Trek 730 (quad), 720 & 830, Bike Friday NWT, Brompton M36R & M6R, Dahon HAT060 & HT060, ...

Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 834 Post(s)
Liked 332 Times in 247 Posts
When I progressed down that route years ago I ran into a poor balance between weight and rigidity. The plumbing pipes are optimized for different purpose. Thinking harder, stainless steel can be soldered nearly as easily as copper, but sleeves for joints may be harder to get. Thinking further, while the soldered sleeve joints provide flexibility for a home brewer they will be adding weight over welds as a matter of principle.
2_i is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.