Hfn

It's hard to find safe company to hang out with online.

crankythunder

Just curious, where do you live by the way?

Hope you have a great day and a great weekend.

Sincerely,
Crankster

Hfn

Hi Crankster. I really appreciate it. I live in SW OH.

I wish the same for you.

ironwood

Finally some one has found a use for Amur Honeysuckle, a notorious invasive species. Hopefully others will go out and cut down every plant they see and build bike racks.

Hfn

I think that would be good, too.

Staypuft1652

A modern tubular rack weighs all of nothing, but to each his own. I cant make a zip tie last a year or two, glad they are serving you well. Best wishes.

Hfn

In addition to light weight, I wanted something longer and wider than other ones that I have seen, as well as more stable also.

Thank you. Best wishes to you too.

FBOATSB

Hi Hfn, You might consider starting a thread here:https://www.bikeforums.net/alt-bike-culture/, to better highlight your naturalistic approach to getting things done. I would also suggest sticking with cheap galvanized wire if you can afford it as it won't rust like tie wire or break like zip ties. Congrats on your efforts to rid us of those Amur honeysuckles

ironwood

When I see these racks , I am glad to see someone is keeping the American tradition of fine craftsmanship alive.

Hfn

Great thanks for offering that, yet I Iike the honeysuckle racks a lot more than any other ones that I have seen.

Hfn

Hi FBOATSB, thank you.

I'll give that thread idea some thought though hosting a thread can be kind of overwhelming.

I have found that the galvanized wire isn't as tough as the rebar tie wire. Twisting galvanized wire tended to cause it to break on me while twisting it. The technique during fastening the wire is still important however, even for rebar tie wire. The racks are bound with the tie wire in enough places that if rust were to break it in a joint, the rack would still have enough strength to work. However, rust hasn't ever broken a connection, even on the twenty five year old rack on the bicycle that is kept on the porch. I built the rack for that bicycle soon after finding the bike in the curbside refuse about twenty-five years ago.

I have broken a few zip ties, while tightening them too tight. I think one might have broken once by itself once. Yet, there placement on the rack is in places that aren't much if any of a structural component. Also, a zip tie can be wrapped around something small enough in diameter two or three times for almost double or triple normal strength. I have wrapped something as many as about five times. The trick is to wiggle the tie wire with a lot of force while tightening so as to get the windings to rotate and tighten more evenly.

Hfn

Thank you Ironwood. I tend to craft a lot of my own things. I made a custom eight foot wooden ladder for myself recently. That was a big improvement over the repurposed bunk bed ladder I had been using.

badmother

Did you look into using a trailer? There actually is a company that made one out of bamboo and shared the drawings on the net. I made one just for fun. Used it with a big plastic container from IKEA that actually stiffened the construction (since it was a made to measure costum fit ;-) but you can make a platform too. With quick release wheels it breaks down to a slim package that is easy to store. I have also seen it made with square timber 1"x 2" standing up is plenty strong.

Also take a look at the DIY longtail thread. They can give you lots of extra load capacity. If I make another one (made several but two that we used) I would make it from a 20" bike since they take up less space plus smaller wheels and shorter forks are stronger than big wheels and long forks.

Also +1 on the older mtb`s with slick tyres. They are super strong.

https://www.treehugger.com/bikes/ope...y-freedom.html

Hfn

Thank you for your thoughts. That trailer sounds pretty neat. I have a trailer that I used for a while.

I had given the longtail idea some thought. If you make another one, I hope it turns out very good.

One of the bikes I have is a mountain bike. It doesn't have the drop handlebars that I like.

Headpost

I really like the look of these racks! You've inspired me, and I'm going to get started building a child's seat for my daughter. I think I already have the materials!

KD5NRH

One thing possibly worth looking into is that bike fork steerers for quill stems only come in a couple of diameters and threadings; aside from head tube length, they're fairly interchangeable. You can probably track down a much beefier fork that will still work fine with your stem and bars.
Also, if you've got a source for used aluminum crutches, a Google search for "bicycle trailer aluminum crutch" should give you lots of ideas for getting the load off the bike altogether. If you're riding rough areas on a regular basis, I'd highly recommend a single wheel design.

Hfn

Thank you, best wishes on your project!

Hfn

I can plan to keep an eye out for a second fork, yet fortunately that is a back up bike and the fix is still doing well. The bump that was big enough to cause trouble fortunately was just one of two of concern on my route, and it works out OK to slow down at those spots.

L Arnold

Your racks do look very interesting and aesthetic.. They remind me of bamboo scaffolding like I first saw in Hong Kong.
Wood and Aluminum tubing are both structural elements. Wood is preferable (when laminated properly) for many people in their kayak and canoe paddle shafting.

The failure seems to have been in the Huffy fork. Perhaps caused by overloading, perhaps.
There are lots of ways to carry things. If we are going to supplant automobile usage systems need to be there. Trailers work but racks are more compact and sometimes more convenient.

Now for those laminated wood frames. Yes bamboo frames are cool too.

zebede

https://calfeedesign.com/calfee-bamboo-diy-kit/

Bamboo Bike Kit DIY

Metieval

I am going to assume that weight wasn't your issue for bending your fork. Weight would smash that rack to bits before bending your fork.
but I am a bit on the stupid side, so I could be wrong.

Revoltingest

Beware zip ties in sunlight.
I find that they eventually break due to ultraviolet light.