Showing posts with label basket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label basket. Show all posts

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Another Basket Case

Bella Ciao Neorealista, Basket, Fountain, Vienna
A few days ago I borrowed a 7-speed Bella Ciao from Citybiker, and since I had my laptop bag with me I had to find a way to transport it. We looked for a basket that did not require complex installation and found one into which my bag could be stuffed, albeit with some effort.

Nantucket Bike Basket via German Importer
I was amused to notice that this basket is from the American manufacturer, Nantucket Bike Baskets, but rebranded by the German distributor Liix. Ah, globalisation.

Vienna, Secession
As a transport solution this setup worked well enough for the short trip, to the extent that my bag did not fall out and the handling of the bike was only mildly affected. But the experience made me remember the problems I have with handlebar-mounted baskets: (1) they tend to slide sideways along the handlebars, even when the basket is empty, and (2) when going over a bump, they bounce against the headtube.

Basket Slippage
For me this presents a dilemma, whereby one must choose between installing complicated (and heavy, and ugly) hardware to prevent the movement, or leaving it as is and cycling with a basket that is constantly sliding and bouncing. The later is annoying, but the former is a hassle. For this reason I like having a basket mounted on a front rack best, but a front rack does not make sense for every bike. I also realise that some just prefer the simplicity of a handlebar-mounted basket that can easily be attached and removed. In Vienna I do not often see cyclists with baskets attached to the handlebars via straps, and I think that is because of the cobblestones: Riding through some parts of the city, the bouncing would be unbearable. But I do see this method of attachment in Boston sometimes (though mostly on bikes that look like they are used for very short trips) and in photos from other countries.

Bag Stuffed into Basket
It occurred to me that if there were another set of holes in the back of the basket, toward the bottom, then a third strap could be fitted around the headtube and perhaps this would solve the problem. The design would be like a saddlebag in that regard, which has two straps on top to go around the saddle railings and another on the bottom to go around the seatpost. Has anyone ever tried this with a handlebar-mounted basket? I like the elegance and lack of commitment in attaching a basket via straps instead of clunky quick-release systems, decalleurs and the like. But for me, it needs to be practical - no sliding or bouncing.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Basket 2.0

What luck I have. Beset by medical and dental problems simultaneously, the past few days have left me drained. We went for a super slow ride on Saturday, but even that was difficult to manage in my drugged up, diminished lung capacity state. But when we passed Cambridge Bicycle I knew there was one thing that could make me feel better. A basket. Of course. What better cure for life's woes?

I have been eying this particular basket for months, and finally she is mine! It is made by the Peterboro Basket Company in New Hampshire, out of locally harvested White Ash. I think the model is this one. This basket is small, boxy, with a rectangular footprint, and it does not taper from top to bottom - which was exactly the style I wanted for this bicycle.

I refer to this as Basket 2.0, because I did not get along that well with the large wicker basket on my formerly-owned Pashley, and eventually removed it. This time around I looked for attributes that I hope will work for me.

For one thing, the Peterboro basket is fairly small, with a low profile and sides that don't stick out too far. It is also feather-light, made of such thin slivers of Ash that it almost feels like Balsa wood. Finally, we attached it directly to a front rack and not to handlebars, which minimises its impact on steering. Though the basket came with leather straps and metal buckles, we removed these and fastened it to the rack with zip ties. The straps and buckles were heavier than the basket itself, so doing this really made it weightless, as well as eliminated any potential jiggling. Cambridge Bicycle were nice enough to give us a handful of zip ties and some wire cutters, and we installed the basket right outside the shop in a matter of minutes.

When the basket is empty, I cannot feel it on the bike at all. It does not cause the wheel to flop to the side when the bike is parked.

It also leaves the frontmost tip of the tire unobscured, so that I can still see it while cycling. When a huge basket obscures the entire front wheel, I have a harder time feeling connected to the steering, but this is not an issue here.

When the basket is full, the weight feels well distributed and does not interfere with either steering or balance. With dimensions of 10.25" x 7" x 7" it is not meant to carry large objects; I have a rear rack and panniers for that. But the squat, boxy shape allows it to accommodate more stuff than you might think. As pictured above, the basket contains a huge portion of smoked salmon, a bucket of cream cheese, an economy pack of cheese sticks, a blueberry encrusted "goat cheese log," and a flower bouquet. There is room for more.

Since I am now using the mixte predominantly as a transportation bike, I wanted to maximise its utility as such. This basket provides a useful space for a jacket, camera, small handbag, or even a quick grocery store purchase, without impacting handling or (to my eye at least) marring the looks of the bike. The Co-Habitant wasn't too crazy about the look at first, but it grew on him. What do you think? What front-mounted basket systems have you used on your bikes, and have they ultimately worked for you? The difference between this set-up and the large, handlebar-mounted basket I used to have on the Pashley Princess is like night and day.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Cycling with Cat: from Absurdity to Reality

By now many of you are familiar with our cat Peppy. She occasionally comments on this blog and even has her own twitter account. And no, I do not help her with that (though I have my suspicions who does). Although online she can come across as argumentative, in reality Peppy is an exceptionally friendly and sociable cat. And she is fond of flowers and bicycles, sniffing them with interest every chance she gets. This makes me daydream of cycling through the meadows, with her in a basket enjoying the fresh air.

Ever since we got her though, Peppy has been agoraphobic. No sooner would we take her outdoors than she would howl to be let back into the house. She also did not react well to wearing a harness. All of that is common with cats: They are not typically considered walkable, let alone bicycle-portageable.

We had pretty much resigned ourself to thinking of Peppy cycling as an absurdity, realisable only in our imaginations. Then this Spring she surprised us by developing an active curiosity in the outdoors. Noticing that she was spending a lot of time sitting on the windowsill and straining to sniff the fresh air, we tried the harness again... and somehow this time it was okay. So we took her outside. At first she panicked as usual, but eventually she was fine as long as we stayed very close to the house and the front door remained open. She relaxed and began sniffing around, enjoying herself.

We've done this several times now and each time she seems to like it more - to the point that she has started to scratch at the door asking to be taken out, donning the harness willingly. So I'm thinking, next step: bicycle basket. My plan is to procure one of those animal baskets with a fully enclosed wire dome and get her used to sitting in it. Then once she is comfortable in there, I will mount it on the bike and off we'll go. Not so long ago this seemed completely unattainable, but the way she is acting now I honestly think it might work. 

[image via Adeline Adeline]

The basket I was thinking of is the front-mounted Pluto model from Basil. The Pilen test-ride bicycle was given to me with a heavy duty front rack that I have not attached (because it's heavy and the bike is already 47lbs!). Now I am considering attaching it and then mounting this basket. However, the Basil basket has its own attachment mechanism and it may be a clumsy solution. There is also this one from Nantucket Baskets. It seems simpler, but I think it is too small for the likes of Peppy. As far as I know, there are no other commercially available front-mounted bicycle pet baskets with wire enclosures.

[image via ~jitahs~]

Possibly the nicest animal transport system I have seen so far is this one by "GR Jim." At first I thought the little Dachshund was amazingly well behaved to be staying put like that, but it turns out she is on a leash that's tethered to the wire roof.  With my cat I would need full enclosure, and it would also make me feel better to have the basket in front where I can see her.


Lest you think the idea of cycling with your cat in a basket is totally unrealistic, Todd from CleverCycles tells me that he's done it multiple times. Has anybody else cycled with their cat (or any other pet) successfully? Would love to know your method and container recommendation.