Where I am, there are a lot of uncontrolled dogs, and a lot of people have been bitten by dogs. One way to keep dogs back, is to swing a stick at them. I decided it would be a good idea to have something I could use on my bike. So I clamped a PVC pipe to the chain stay, and rack. I put a longer thinner PVC pipe inside it. I could lift it out while cycling, and swing it at any dogs that came too close. Some time later, I went under a low tree, bent the pipe, which kinked, and it finished up shorter. I replaced it with a piece of bamboo.
I had previously carried two backpacks on my rack. They tend to lean over, and can fall off. With a pole on my bike, it was easy to secure two backpacks so they stay in place.
My aluminum rack broke. So I clamped a piece of bamboo to the side of it, and screwed the support to the bamboo, making it stronger than new. Later the other side of the rack broke. I used more bamboo to repair it and make it larger. My rack now has more bamboo than aluminum. The aluminum is broken in so many places it would fall apart if I removed the bamboo. The front of the rack is clamped around the seat post, allowing the rack to swing from side to side. Having pipe clamped to the side, reduced that. But PVC flexes, so I added another one on the other side, to reduce the swinging.
I now have a pole on each side. I can carry two backpack or more between the two poles, and one strap secures them. I can also carry two cartons of drinks or more between the tow poles, and one strap secures them. They make it really easy to secure high loads on the rack.
In the future I plan to replace the rack with a large strong rack. I plan to still have a pole each side, so it is easy to secure high loads on my rack.
If I ever ride long distances on busy roads, I can use a longer pole, and have a flag on top.
The best way to set up a bike depends on how you use it. Anyone wanting to load a rack high, consider a pole each side. This is light weight, and makes it easy to secure high loads on your rack. You could use broom handles, or aluminum tube, or anything else you want to use.
I prefer this to having something sticking out the sides, which can be an inconvenience in narrow spaces, either in traffic, or narrow trails.