flat seat post rack ?

[theRealFury]

the problem with a flat bar stem is that it does not supply as much weight bearing ability as a 3 dimensional stem or pole. I dont think that i have ever seen one with a flat stem either (and i have looked at lots as i have just baught a replacement for my old one that gave way ) I did however see one on Ebay i think that had a back drawer compartment right under the rack mounting platform. The box held tools and such but im sure it looked big enough to house a smallish controller. controllers gernerally like to be open to the airflow as you go down the road though so may not fair well in a bag or box without airflow, i know mine couldnt handle being inside a bag or box.

 

[theRealFury]

Well im guessing it depends on the controller then. Im in the UK as well (Yorkshire) and even with very cold weather of a few months ago i had problems with my 25amp 36v controller overheating in my saddle bag. I had only done about 5 miles and when i checked on it the controller had got so hot that it had condensed the air inside the cold saddlebag and everything was wet. The screen on my watts up meter was so steamed up by this that i couldnt read the display and i could barely hold the controller long enough to pull it out of the bag to get some air on it.

Maybe this one has cheap fets that get really hot easy or something but even now that i have mounted it on the frame on the downtube that holds the seatpost it still gets warm to the touch after a few miles of riding.

I just used the mounting holes on the controller and ziptied it to the frame, its help up without issue on some really bumpy rides so far. If your controller does not have any bolt holes or places where you can get a zip tie through then you may find that putting it in a box or bag is the only way to go. Just wanted to make you aware that some controllers cant handle being inside. Didnt want you to have a failure 10 miles from home and have to pedal it back if your friend is Jeremy Harris then id listen to him over myself as he really is a knowledgeable fellow and he is the guy that helped me when i first arrived on ES so he knows his stuff for sure.

 

[Hillhater]

If you just need a rack with a "flat surface" square section, bar to bolt to,... there are plenty like this one on Ebay, or in your LBS i suspect.
Item number: 200292445262

 

[TylerDurden]

If the problem is the support member under the rack, you could add standoffs of some sort to the bottom of the rack. Maybe attach a container to them.

 

[TylerDurden]

Post a picture of the rack you have, what you want to do (mount container/controller?) and I'm confident there will be an easy solution.

 

[Hillhater]

[I ve seen few i agree that look the same above, but when I ask - and the times i do get a reply - its all been no , its not flat , so how do I know for sure that ones any different , if the seller wont reply ?..

Maybe you are asking the wrong question.
try asking if it has a "square or rectangular " section bar !

PS .. I got mine from Kmart ! .. $17

 

[Hillhater]

Neither are exactly the one i bought, but the 2nd one (M-wave ?) is very similar.
Note:- most of those on Ebay have a square section bar with flat sides.

A chop saw is a luxury,( a hacksaw is all you need),.. but you cant do a lot without a drill ! :?

 

[Hillhater]

PS .. I got mine from Kmart ! .. $17

 

[Hillhater]

none of those on the Kmart site are "exactly like the one i bought in a local stor...but certainly they are similar and look to have the rectangular tube bar.
Th one most like mine is the Schwinn rack on Amazon..
http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B000DZD3F6/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_0?ie=UTF8&index=0

This pic shows the rectangular section aluminium bar 30mm x 20mm, underneath.

 

[Hillhater]

I notice you have started another thread on this now ??
OK, so why dont you get Jeremys style rack ? ..or the Schwinn ?
It seems either will do what you want.
Sure, getting these racks to stay fixed and rigid can take a little "trial and effort", but i suspect that is the same for any of them , and to quote from the amazon reviews ...

Like the other reviewers have stated, it does not stay in place with the included clips, but it's an easy fix.

 

[TylerDurden]

If the problem is the support member under the rack, you could add standoffs of some sort to the bottom of the rack. Maybe attach a container to them.

- I thought about that but its awkard as the rack itself is slanted / rounded and all bars .
looks like i will just need to resell it.
Still dont know what the difference between housing the controller on its own would be compared to the battery ( aside from knock on fire issues ) and having to modify or compartment the battery off from controller.

Finding the perfect rack seems a bust.

So... perhaps a flat, vented container on the top of the rack, and the battery pack on top of the container.

We understand there are issues with fabrication; so the goal should be to find bits that are ready to use, or close with very minor drilling, cutting or modification.

 

[Spacey]

How many threads on this subject?

Just go down to your local large bike shop and try one out, stressing far too much on a very low $ item.

 

[REdiculous]

Use this method...

But instead of attaching the extra tubes to the rack, attach them to the box to make it slightly easier. Even if you just glue or tape them to the box it should work fine once it's all put together. I would try using dense packing foam as the extra tubes since it's fairly light (and the good stuff is durable) but just about anything would work...wood would probably be my second choice since you can usually find free 2x4 cutoffs at construction sites that should work w/o modification.

That way the tube on the rack can be any shape (/round) and it won't matter since you can make your "tubes" slightly larger. :wink:

 

[REdiculous]

yes, attach the stand-off "tubes" to the enclosure/box that you want to mount under the rack. You want the box/enclosure to look kinda like a "U" so the center bar doesn't interfere is all.

 

[REdiculous]

If you want to make your own rack it could probably be done using a neck and forks from a 16" kids bike. That would give you a tube on either side instead of one down the middle. It would sit at a slight angle (front slightly higher than the rear) but if you've got a bit of upper-body strength (/big hammer) I don't see why it wouldn't bend to level. I suppose it wouldn't be exactly centered either...but w/ the right neck it wouldn't be too bad, maybe 0.5" to one side. Just an idea.

 

[theRealFury]

Hey Chekola,

Just stumbled accross this website and saw the rack they sell (RAK-002 in top right) and thought of you :wink:

http://sdelectricbike.com/Accessories.html

Looks like a flat seat post rack tube if you ask me. looks like plenty of space to mount a controller as well.

 

[Paul_G]

I use to go through a Topeak rack every 500 miles carrying a 2nd battery (18 lbs) for my Optibike. I bought one of > http://www.deltacycle.com/Megarack-Post-Haste-Bicycle-Seatpost-Rack
and it held up great. I now bought a Stealth Bomber with a 2nd battery (24 lbs) and used the same rack and it takes the load with no failures.

Paul G

 

[REdiculous]

The seat post should be perfectly round so attach it there instead of to the frame of the bike....? If the seat post O.D. is too small I've found leather to be a good shim material....hell, even half a roll of electrical tape can work.

 

[REdiculous]

That's just weird - I've never seen a seat post that wasn't round unless it was mashed by the owner somehow. What kind of bike is it?

 

[Hillhater]

That's just weird - I've never seen a seat post that wasn't round ...

He is talking about the clamp hole on the rack not being round.

But you obviously have not seen a seat post on a road bike lately...many of them are oval and even "wing" shaped. !

 

[REdiculous]

It wasn't obvious he was talking about the clamp hole. Especially since in my post I said, "The seat post should be perfectly round" and then chekola said, "Well , Unfortunately its not very round at all".

I was just at the bike shop Friday and none of the bikes had tear-drop shaped seat posts, they were all round. I believe you though. :wink:

 

[ElectricEd]

You don't need a flat bar just for mounting a controller (or a box with a controller in it), as a controller doesn't weigh much, what about a couple of nutserts mounted into the tube? It's a bit hard to see in the picture, the controller is mounted by a 5mm nutsert at each end. They haven't moved or come loose with 2 years of riding.


If you don't have access to a nutsert tool see katou's post on how to install rivnuts:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=26617&hilit=nutsert

 

[doc007]

Check out polycaprolactone aka Shapelock, Friendly Plastic, or Instamorph. Maybe this stuff can help?

 

[theRealFury]

Since my last post Ive had to remove the magic bond as it turns out ( now I have a magnet ) that the rack is actually alloy therefore ( so Ive been told ) impossible to drill without cracking it , as I was hoping I could just drill a bolt through it as a final resort.

I tried rubber tire in the first pic, then rubber with aluminum inside and finally leather ( no photo ) to the extent I had to get someone to hammer the seat post in , in all attempts the rack still moved .

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28633046@N02/5911565703/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28633046@N02/5912123022/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28633046@N02/5912123566/in/photostream

Perhaps just plain old duct tape will help stop the movement better , but I have my doubts, I couldnt get the seat post any tighter in that i did, but it obviously needs a lot more than just tight fit thanks to the crappy vice mechanism schwinn have designed for it.

grant

I know that feeling Chekola, my seatpost rack doesnt fit tight either, even tightened up so far i snapped the allen key on mine if i lean too much into the corners i have to straighten my rackup afterwords because its always hanging out to one side. Wish i had a square seatpost and then it would be easy to make a rack that stayed put lol

 

[REdiculous]

You should be able to drill that bracket no problem. Drilling the seat post is gonna be harder...a drill press and clamps would work best otherwise the hole may not be straight and you can more easily snap the bit.

That style of rack kinda sucks since they swing out so easy. If it was me I'd run a string or something from the rack to the bike frame to keep it from swinging so far....maybe use something rigid and attach it to the hole where the v-brakes go. It's an idea, anyway.