noobinsf 

Is anyone using this rack/basket as a front carrier? Opinions?

https://www.blackburndesign.com/p/lo...rear-bike-rack

noglider 

Wow, that looks great. I might like to have that, and I love the U-lock provision.

noobinsf 

I guess I’ll have my own opinions about it soon. I found a deal locally and snapped one up.

davei1980

I would love to try that basket! It's like $70 on JensonUSA before discounts. Let me know how you like it!

davei1980

^ following. Please let us know

LorenMiranda

Following

2wheeljonz 

Amazon sells them and you may want to read some of their reviews. There seems to be lots of frustration/problems mounting it on the front. I’m looking for something else because of those reviews.

noglider 

Those reviews may or may not be on point. Mounting stuff on the front is tricky, so it will be beyond at least a few home mechanics.

noobinsf 

Blackburn has a video on how to mount a rack in the same product line, so I think it will be straightforward. I just need to find the time to do it...

PDXCarless

I considered this rack but have decided there's not enough info on it. I'm building my own out of leftover copper pipe and fittings. It won't be quite as big but will include the u-lock holder and will cost around $30.

davei1980

So.... not to get to deep in the weeds but are you plan on soldering it together or?? Do you have a source for cheap copper pipe and fittings (because they're not cheap to run out and buy)? Do you suppose it will be heavy? I don't know about the basket which is the subject of this thread but if it's aluminum alloy, I imagine copper will be heavier but a good clip. Will it look cool? I am interested to see how it turns out

PDXCarless

I'm going to build something similar to this.
https://www.amazon.com/Pure-Urban-Fr...2128584&sr=8-1

So, it's not as large as the one referenced in this thread, but it will have the ulock holder. It'll be supported from the upper fork eyelets and from brackets on the handlebar.

I've done a lot of projects with copper pipe, including a basement picture rail that has no issues with 7lbs+ guitars hanging from it. So, I'm not worried about strength. The weight will be a bit more than aluminum, but that will counterbalance my rear-heavy bike with an internal-hub, rack and usually fully loaded panniers.

Copper isn't THAT expensive. You can get 1/2" three-way tee fittings on Amazon, 25 for $14 and that's most of the material right there. I already have those and a lot of leftover lengths of 1/2" tube as well, but I would only need to buy less than $10 if I didn't. I have the elbow fittings already but they aren't as expensive as the tee fittings. I don't have a torch, so $8 more for a JB Weld (epoxy). So, this would cost about $40, if I had to buy everything. This assumes you have a cheap pipe cutter or hacksaw already. However, I already have most of the parts so this will cost me about a few bucks and I'll be able to custom fit it to my bike. I simply couldn't find a rack that connects to the upper fork eyelets, has a ulock holder and mounts above my existing dynamo powered headlight which occupies the fender bracket. I'm really into re-use/re-claiming/ re-purposing and I think it will look pretty cool.

PDXCarless

The Blackburn front basket is almost 5lbs. I looked at individual copper fitting weights and estimated my version will probably be about the same, maybe a little less.

davei1980

Sounds awesome! And regarding the weight, based on what you said it's probably a net win, and if you're running an IGH you can stand to take on some front-end weight. My dad was a steel fabricator and routinely made stuff he didn't have or wasn't available. I am eager to see how yours works out! If you're ever in Spokane bring your bike and we'll go for a ride! I'll look you up next time I am in PDX with my bike

PS - I was just curious on the weight thing. I like lightweight stuff but I ride a 35 lb steel bike so by no means I am I a weight weenie!!

jdswitters

Dont have the blackburn but have been sporting the PDW take out basket for about two years now. I love a front basket with bag. Interested in hearing how the ulock holder works out. The PDW has one on the front but by the time I secure it enough not to bang around the option isn't that handy. I keep mine in the bag.

noglider 

These rack/baskets interest me. My commuter bike is a 1974 Raleigh International. The fork tips have eyelets on the underside but not the overside. Will any of these work for that?

ascherer 

You need to check mine out. Same eyelet location. I have the fender struts and the faux Blackburn rack attached there. Wald 137 basket (Bicycle Habitat, $20-ish) attached with small hose clamps, and the Acorn bag arrived today.

noobinsf 

Here is a view from behind on the NDS — the eyelet connection has a long spacer with a sunken bolt that allows the support leg to sit out a bit from the eyelet. I have it fastened on the outside of the SKS fender connection, and can still use a short bolt. The upper linkage is attached to a p clamp.

I have yet to try it out, but installation wasn’t too bad. The instructions are indeed a little cryptic, so I ended up referring to the youtube video a couple of times. I’ll have a chance to try it out loaded this week and will post an update with better pics then.

noglider 

ascherer what rack is that?

Thanks to you and noobinsf. I realize I already have a nice steel VO rack. It's hard to put on and take off but I should wrestle with it again and attach a Wald basket to it. gugie warns that a front rack that attaches to the fork tips stiffens a lightweight fork too much. I hope he's wrong, and I can't really say I've noticed.

ascherer 

I don't recall, I've had it a long time. Generic alloy, no branding on it, it's been on many of my bikes over the years. Gugie may well be right, he knows more about metal than I ever will. His comment gave me all the motivation I needed to get a Nitto for my other bike! For my commuter, this should be fine. Bicycle Habitat had a good price for the Wald, I ordered it online and picked it up at the Chelsea store.

noobinsf 

After a couple of weeks, I can say that I like this basket no worse and no better than the Wald 1392 I had on this bike previously. I can add/remove it without removing the brake, which is a plus, but the same is true for the Wald. It rattles quite a bit when unloaded, so I plan to fashion a couple of bushings out of spare tubes. I have yet to use the u-lock hanger because I leave my lock inside the bike cage at work, but I’m sure I’d want to secure it with a bungee to keep it from rattling.

Part of what I wanted to experiment with is the lack of a connection with the handlebars (like the Wald has), because I thought it might help with the noodly feeling of this bike, but it does not appear to have an effect.

Would I have paid retail $70 for it? Probably not, but I’m not disappointed with the price I did pay, which is not too much more than the Wald.





View from front:

noobinsf 

Side view detail:

PDXCarless

I finished it up, this weekend. See pics here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...sket-rack.html

martinsillo

first post ever....crazy!
noobinsf, do you know if the little knobs on front, below the basket, are threaded? (I would post a pic but I can't) curious as I'm thinking on buying this rack....if so, do you mind sharing the distance between them?

Thanks!
Happy 2021 everyone!

noobinsf 

Those knobs are threaded, but they are occupied — the triangle vertical supports have a horizontal support that fits into that tube just under the rack, and the grub screws in those knobs tighten down to hold the horizontal support. This controls the width of the triangle supports. Let me know if that makes sense. I’ll post a pic later — it’s not currently mounted, but I have to find it in the garage.