http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: My wonderful box en Mon, 06 Apr 2026 03:42:29 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382&page=2#post-180686 Thu, 12 Feb 2015 21:06:16 +0000 weezee 180686@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>That's a lovely looking box. After tinkering about with front/back basket options, I went for a rear-rack mounted one on my Gazelle. Wouldn't be without one now. Got a couple of Rok motorbike straps which I leave on permanently to keep stuff strapped in. The buckles on those straps mean no dangling-bungee-chord-hook-in-spokes errors. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382&page=2#post-180678 Thu, 12 Feb 2015 17:46:41 +0000 SRD 180678@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"One of the wee elasticated covers you get for kerbside recycling boxes would be good for a basket/box, as long as it had a lip."</p> <p>likewise the thin pannier covers that come with EBC panniers. Lighter and more packable than the recycling ones. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382&page=2#post-180667 Thu, 12 Feb 2015 15:47:10 +0000 cc 180667@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Thumbs up for front carriers. I recently upgraded my own bike's front container from a blue plastic fruit crate to a large basket. The basket was the bottom half of a post-Christmas food hamper we found in a bargain shop for silly money. It hasn't fallen apart yet and looks wonderfully baskety. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382&page=2#post-180626 Thu, 12 Feb 2015 11:55:25 +0000 wingpig 180626@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>One of the wee elasticated covers you get for kerbside recycling boxes would be good for a basket/box, as long as it had a lip.</p> <p>A few years ago I picked up a few spare Vaude pannier-hooks, with the intention of one day owning a second pannier which I could then adapt in the same way as my first (with a bit of wood inside, attached to the hook, to keep the aft end clear of the spokes and with a pair of Vaude QMR hooks on the top rail to replace the original non-locking hooks), but in the meantime I've since looked at them speculatively with regard to potentially using them to help a basket attach to a rack in a quickly-releasable way. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382&page=2#post-180616 Thu, 12 Feb 2015 10:55:37 +0000 Darkerside 180616@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I reckon the ideal solution is a liberated shopping basket. Despite keeping my eyes peeled, I failed to find an abandoned one.</p> <p>My box is from gothamcargo, and I wouldn't/didn't pay anything <em>like</em> the asking price. It's nice and solid (and came with axle mounts if you didn't already have a front rack), but still... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180611 Thu, 12 Feb 2015 10:30:12 +0000 wingpig 180611@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@Insto How's the wine box on your Original Trendy doing?</p> <p>If I was going to fasten something to the sparebike's porteur I'd probably go for something a bit less only-stapled-at-the-sides than a wine box to assuage my paranoia. It's also impossible to get the sparebike into its shed if there's anything too deep on the rack, so one of those fold-up multicoloured plastic boxes might be better for me. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180603 Thu, 12 Feb 2015 09:53:35 +0000 chdot 180603@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Very few cats would be willing passengers. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180602 Thu, 12 Feb 2015 09:49:38 +0000 amir 180602@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>You now need a cat ... for the box </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180582 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 23:57:15 +0000 Darkerside 180582@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Yup. Although it now has a very slightly different rear rack on it as well... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180581 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 23:51:07 +0000 SRD 180581@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>that's your *upright' bike?! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180580 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 23:50:08 +0000 Instography 180580@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@darkerside<br /> Your box is a thing of beauty. Bet you don't hear that very often. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180579 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 23:48:30 +0000 Instography 180579@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>So maybe a bit like the Helios. It's a question of getting used to the narrow handlebars. I had the same problem switching from the tractor back to a normal road bike. The road bike felt very narrow and twitchy. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180576 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 23:41:08 +0000 Darkerside 180576@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Piccy of the box here, for those who requested it.</p> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/Darkerside/status/561315646294986752" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/Darkerside/status/561315646294986752</a></p> <p>I'm now back to a black brooks saddle, so it's slightly easier on the eyes.</p> <p>Slightly. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180574 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 23:18:41 +0000 sallyhinch 180574@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>That's quite a nifty bag / bike combo Arellcat - practically an instant bakfiets. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180573 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 23:16:44 +0000 sallyhinch 180573@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It handles much better with a load on front than without. If I'm giving people a go, I'll generally put the basket on and chuck a few things in it just to stabilise the steering a bit, which can be a bit lively to the uninitiated. What it would be like with a really heavy load, I don't know. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180572 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 23:12:36 +0000 Instography 180572@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Never ridden a Brompton loaded or unloaded so can't imagine what it would be like with 70lt of loaded luggage on the front. My tractor, with two panniers of shopping on the front is pretty hard to handle (though I admit most of that was beer, not breakfast cereal). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180571 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 23:12:29 +0000 Arellcat 180571@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Lizzie, no, the Bicicapace bag is attached to the frame and isn't remotely on-and-offable in a Bromptonesque manner.</p> <p>The main limiting factor with the Brompton system is cyclic torsion, which could break the luggage block more readily than a static vertical load. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180570 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 23:07:27 +0000 Lizzie 180570@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>but does that fit ontothe Brompton front block.<br /> I think it would actually be very easy to design an extended form of the current Brompton Messages bag so it could fit a Brompton when required. No hard stuff necassary. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180569 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 23:02:56 +0000 Arellcat 180569@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>To give some perspective, the <a href="http://www.bicicapace.com/bikes">Bicicapace Classic</a> has a reinforced front bag that is large enough to carry a folded Brompton. It's actually really quite large.</p> <p>The Brompton front block is rated for a comfortable 10kg I think. I once carried more like 20kg on it, with an extra webbing strap routed through the frame triangle, and not at any high speed. The strength of the block is limited by about 6mm of thread of two M5 bolts. The luggage block mount itself, which is brazed onto the headtube, is actually capable of supporting an adult* cantilevered out three feet.</p> <p>* I believe the test subject was Andrew Ritchie. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180565 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 22:42:39 +0000 sallyhinch 180565@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>You'd also need a way of resisting the temptation to try and carry a Brompton on your Brompton, or else a way of strengthening the front block so you can carry a Brompton on your Brompton. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180563 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 22:35:31 +0000 Instography 180563@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>And yes, boxes are great on front racks for just chucking stuff in. </p> <p>I made a smaller bar bag, based on a camera lens carrier, that's handy for having little cameras and stuff in. A shameless rip-off of <a href="http://randijofab.com/collections/bags/products/bartender-bag">this</a> but larger based on <a href="http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/lens-changer-50-v2.aspx">this</a>. Made of really tough <a href="http://www.profabrics.co.uk/products/lifestyle/x-pac-vx21-performance-pack-material-/0001805.html">X-Pac VX21</a> fabric on the outside, waterproof cotton fabric on the inside with a waterproof nylon drawstring cover and mesh pockets on the outside. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180562 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 22:22:50 +0000 Instography 180562@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Does the <a href="http://brompton.com/spares/part/6241/front-carrier-frame-only-standard">frame</a> attach to the bag, making it rigid and then attach to the <a href="http://brompton.com/spares/part/6239/front-carrier-block-latch">front carrier block and latch</a> to fix it to the bike?</p> <p>If so, it would be relatively easy to make a bag big enough to take the bike. The only issue would presumably be limiting the capacity while it's on the bike so that there wasn't too much weight projecting forward, putting too much strain on that little latch. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180551 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 20:32:06 +0000 Lizzie 180551@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>yes Sally. A dual purpose Brompton bag thing would be really fab....especially if it had handle loops that were long enough to go over the shoulder when needed.<br /> There has definitely been a missed take here!!!!!!<br /> I have often thought this was a missed opportunity.<br /> So ... can anyone design a fold up messages bag that fits on a brompton front luggage carrier block but which is also big enough to take a folded brompton? And which has handle straps that are long enough to go over the shoulder.<br /> I can;t think this is too hard a design problem. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180547 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 20:18:51 +0000 sallyhinch 180547@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The Brompton message basket folds up but, disappointingly, you cannot get a Brompton into it (I am often asked this by strangers). They missed a meta-Bromptoning trick there. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180543 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 19:52:04 +0000 Lizzie 180543@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I just carry a bungee cord with me and lace that across the top of my basket if needed. I am reminded though that in London thieves were grabbing purses/handbags etc out of baskets while cyclists were cycling along. Scary. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180520 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 17:18:30 +0000 wee folding bike 180520@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I've got the Brompton message basket. I turn the bike into a trolley in the supermarket and load it up.</p> <p>I did leave a slab of Dairy Milk on the self scan a few weeks ago because I missed it when loading up the basket again. And I'd even paid for it.</p> <p>The Brompton message basket folds up of course. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180517 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 16:12:31 +0000 Darkerside 180517@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Box also better for the attachment of additional Devices (light, camera, horn, etc).</p> <p>Although some kind of securing cover may be in order. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180513 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 15:40:38 +0000 dougal 180513@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Basket better for wine, cheese, baguette. Box better for home brew. You gotta get the style right... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180511 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 15:18:59 +0000 SRD 180511@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>My best basket has a drawstring cover - can be pulled back if items larger, or snugged up to provide rain cover/prevent bounces. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14382#post-180510 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 15:13:57 +0000 chdot 180510@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>WARNING</p> <p>I've seen the aftermath of 'thing bounced out of front container'. </p> <p>I don't know if item fell into wheel or person lost control trying to grab it. </p> <p>Item was too large to fit neatly in container, but obviously not secured. </p> <p>This may apply to male/female/basket/box. </p>