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I recently purchased a large handlebar basket, a Wald 139-WW for my cruiser, a Trek Pure. I'm having trouble installing the basket.

Context: The basket attaches using hooks on the basket to the handlebars (no problem there), as well as using legs that from the bottom of the basket to the axle of the front wheel. The legs can attach to either fork eyelets or one can thread the quick-release through the legs, no problem there.)

Unfortunately, the basket legs are too short, by about an inch and a half.

The shop I purchased the basket from isn't of much help, and my LBS doesn't stock longer legs. Wald doesn't make longer legs, although they're willing to send me a second set of legs I can modify and attach to the existing legs -- if I can wait until they can send them out in two weeks.

I'm a little leery of attaching the basket legs to, say, P-clamps on the fork. Stability and strength are important here. Has anyone here attached a similar basket to a cruiser? Can anyone think of a way out of this, or should I give up and return the basket?

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2 Answers 2

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I've seen both P-clamps (a.k.a. brace clamps) and the similar, ratcheting versions used. This is actually the preferred method for some front racks on bicycles without rack braze-ons on the fork. As long as they're the right diameter, and there's a little rubber (even an old tube) between the fork and the clamp, it should work fine.

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  • @Dustin: Can you tell me more about the ratcheting clamps? I'm not familiar with these.
    – Goodbye Stack Exchange
    Aug 30, 2010 at 16:21
  • @neilfein Sure, I just looked for the proper nomenclature -- they are typically called Adjustible Hose Clamps and look like this: imgur.com/lGBo3.gif
    – Dustin Ingram
    Aug 30, 2010 at 17:50
  • @Dustin: Oh, hose clamps. I used to use those to attach a flashlight to my handlebars. They look like they could potentially crush the aluminum fork on this bike. Or am I being paranoid?
    – Goodbye Stack Exchange
    Aug 31, 2010 at 0:25
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    @neilfein It's what came with my front Surly Nice Rack, which has a weight rating of 70lbs. However, I've never used it myself. It would take a lot to crush the fork blade, though. (You can see the Surly installation manual which includes it here: surlybikes.com/uploads/downloads/SUR_Nice%20Rck_instruc.pdf)
    – Dustin Ingram
    Aug 31, 2010 at 1:12
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    In the UK hose clamps are more typically known as Jubilee Clips.
    – Amos
    Aug 31, 2010 at 8:12
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this actually works.. run down to Home Depot and buy a couple of metal corner brackets flatten them out, primer, and paint them to match basket, attach to basket legs and axle. Done.

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  • I've been thinking I could do something like this, attaching corner brackets to the basket itself, so I could attach the existing legs to the corner brackets.
    – Goodbye Stack Exchange
    Aug 30, 2010 at 15:33
  • The problem with using something to extend the existing legs is that they only have one hole in the basket end, and no room for more (even if I did have a metal drill bit).
    – Goodbye Stack Exchange
    Aug 30, 2010 at 20:00
  • You may have mounted your basket legs upside-down. There should be a single hole at the top - that mounts to the basket. At the bottom, there should be 2 holes, one set for mounting to the axles and another set for mounting to the fork-eyelet. Use those to to "extend" from. It could be that you flipped the legs, and have 2 holes at the top, and a single at the bottom.
    – M. Converse
    Aug 30, 2010 at 20:56
  • @M. Converse: Thanks, but that's not the problem. The problem is that the "extra" hole on the bottom (the one for the braze-on) is a foot and a half away from the hole on the top. This is a loooong piece of metal!
    – Goodbye Stack Exchange
    Aug 31, 2010 at 0:21
  • Looking more and more like the clamps are going to be your only answer then. At least you have strong steel forks - you should be ok.
    – M. Converse
    Sep 1, 2010 at 18:42

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