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installing bike basket

Old 04-27-21, 07:52 AM
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Wallonthefloor
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installing bike basket

I spent roughly 25$ on a wald bike basket for the front of my bike but it doesnt fit any of them... the clamps for the handlebars are too small and it doesnt fit over them and leaves scratches, the posts that hold it that go down to the fork dropouts do not allow the front two wheel bolts to go on. I do not have fender/rack eyelets on my fork, nor did the rack come with bolts to screw into the eyelet if I did. I just have a bunch of track bikes, do I really need one of those nitto clamp on racks for my bike?
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Old 04-29-21, 11:43 AM
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brianinc-ville
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Without pictures, it's hard to say what would work for you. How about some pictures?

My 2¢: front baskets generally stink. They mess up your steering and make it hard to park. If you want to carry stuff, I'd recommend a rear rack (something like this, which you should be able to mount on any bike, using p-clamps), plus Wald folding rear baskets.
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Old 10-14-21, 03:07 PM
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Wald front racks are (95%) made to fit over 3/8" solid axles so it MUST fit over anything else. The handlebar clamps don't have to completely enclose the handlebars so handlebar size is usually a non-issue. Why not look at some images of properly installed racks for some insight into setting yours up. Admittedly, a track bike is not the type of bike Wald had in mind for that rack. But with some ingenuity almost anything can be made to work on a bicycle.

In the rare case that your rack is intended for eyelets and the bolt holes really are too small then you MUST use what are called 'P' clamps which will clamp around the fork legs and then bolt to the rack legs. I actually prefer that setup because the rack stays in place when the front wheel is removed. I haven't seen a track bike with actual Pista handlebars in some time but that is about the only handlebar that would have trouble with a Wald front rack. TL;DR: pictures would help, but I fear they would only help us. Ultimately your best bet may be to take this bike to a bike co-op OR the bike shop that sold you the rack. Bike co-op's are equipped to think outside the box for a reasonable charge (or no charge!) while any other bike shop other than the one that sold this will just shake their head and send you packing.
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Old 10-20-21, 05:35 PM
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Given the range of variations in bikes it is next to impossible to make certain accessories, which include baskets, racks and chainguards, to fit every possible bike. I have had enough many bikes over long enough time to accumulate variety of small parts and learn enough tricks to make things fit when they would originally fail to do so. To pay mechanics' salaries, a bike shop would need to charge you more than the basket to make it fit over the time it takes to do so. The bike co-op suggestion is presumably good. You might also go to a local hardware store, have them take a look and suggest the clamps and hose pieces that you could use.
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Old 03-03-22, 12:05 AM
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Originally Posted by Wallonthefloor
I spent roughly 25$ on a wald bike basket for the front of my bike but it doesnt fit any of them... the clamps for the handlebars are too small and it doesnt fit over them and leaves scratches, the posts that hold it that go down to the fork dropouts do not allow the front two wheel bolts to go on. I do not have fender/rack eyelets on my fork
Thule's $$$ pannier rack mounts front and back entirely with straps only, no eyelet bosses. One of my bikes uses an axiom rack in the back fastened to bosses, the thule went on the front because of lack of bosses.

One really needs to forget about the $25, thinking you can do all this on the cheap.

Hauling on bikes is one of those things that makes cycling even more awesome, allowing you to do things not possible otherwise (like camping), making it worth it to pay whatever it costs to get it.

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