DIY Front basket (+ pannier), fast and cheap

[spinningmagnets]

I'm not saying that it's pretty, but...Made from an $8 plastic "Hefty Swinglid" trashcan, lid-style "M", size 13-gallon.

Its non-rusting, has a solid bucket so nothing small falls out (like small bits might in a wire basket) , easily removable bucket to carry into the apartment or work. Sheds rain if you are forced to park outside, or a sudden unexpected shower hits. The lid opens towards the rider so its easy to get a drink when you're pulled over. L-bracket on the bottom is cut from a plastic electrical junction box, and attached into an existing hole where an old-style caliper brake would have been mounted.

Front lid hinge is a common gate T-hinge. Removable bucket has a swinging D-handle on the inside.

Clear tape sealing the swinglid right now, I might use a boat fiberglas patch kit or some bondo to seal it better and then paint it. I might also install two headlights in the bottom.

The last pic is another I'm using on a different bike. Its a $12 Sterilite file storage box. Since a leaky roof can ruin stored paper files, the lid, handle, and hinge are made so that they shed water.

 

[John in CR]

That should prove exciting in a big crosswind.

 

[Lessss]

Neat if the wind is blowing from behind you can open the lid and use it as a sail!

 

[AussieJester]

hehe plaster a few 'My little pony' and 'Barbie' stickers on that and Hyena ( hyena dress; Hyena cross dressing; hyena transgender; <--for the google bots )
will be stocking them on his 'accesories' page right under the spokey dokies and bar end tassels

KiM

 

[spinningmagnets]

HA! yes, I wanted to stay dirt cheap on something that was functional. I plan to end up with panniers and a much smaller front basket. Until then, what to do?

I carry the bucket from my room to outside where the bike is locked up. Its the used $20 bike I got from the thrift store, and I had to cut off a big U-lock. A back-up beater bike I'm not worried about being stolen. Once I put on the helmet, my lunch fits in the space left. No suspension, so I'll probably never put a motor on this one.

Too warm and humid to wear a back-pack, and fortunately I'm only 1-1/2 miles from work. Still rains here on occasion, quite suddenly and without warning. Then, sunny, hot, and humid an hour later. AJ, if you send me some "my little pony" stickers, I'll make one blue, and one pink, and the blue one will be giving the sheila a solid Rogering. Throw in a sticker for your favorite Aussie beer (Carlton?). When I was 9 I really shouldn't tell you what I had my sisters Barbie doing with my G.I. Joe...I suppose I could use a Barbie as a bow ornament.

http://www.schoonerman.com/figureheads.htm

I'm liking the deployable sail idea, it DOES get windy here...in Kansas

 

[REdiculous]

It looks like a small trash can to me (probably just the pic) but it's a neat idea. :lol:

 

[Hyena]

Hyena ( hyena dress; Hyena cross dressing; hyena transgender; <--for the google bots )
will be stocking them on his 'accesories' page right under the spokey dokies and bar end tassels

Yeah thanks for the google bot keywords. Jesus, why did I give you that idea. :lol:

I see one big problem with this bike. Spinningmagnets where are your spinning magnets ??

 

[spinningmagnets]

where are your spinning magnets?

You caught me, no motor here, and truthfully, no motor planned for this bike either (no suspension, lots of potholes here). I had a push-trailer a while back (In Utah), and now I wish to buy a Kepler-drive.

I have an aluminum BMX inside my RV (small and light), and I'd like to make it a left-side drive with an RC motor. So, as you can imagine, I've been watching Thud and Mudd. It seems the ESC's keep frying, and I'm hoping this whole RC thing gets sorted out. Whats the best controller to use after halls have been installed?

Hopefully my house in Utah will sell soon, and then I'll be spending money like a US Congressman.

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

i think it's great just as fairing, any storage is like bonus.
when u get a motor u need to do a current draw comparison to with it removed.
i take it the lid originally had no hinge & just snapped or rested on there, did u have to cut away any part of the lid or can to get it to flip open properly?

have a set of axiom lowrider front pannier racks that for a time i mounted a small mating pair of cheapo plastic recycle insert buckets (one black one blu that fit together back-to-back in the can that had the lid, maybe uve seen these at wal-mart).
i agree it sure is nice to have a handy spot to toss-n-go rather than constantly tying & untying the gd bungees onto the rear rack & even then if it's an odd shape having it come loose/fall off.
they're off atm, may put them bak on cuz i have a luv/hate thing about added crap attached to my steering.
the added inertia makes for mushy response but there's scant alternatives for stowage on a DF.
after a couple of months i suggest u temporarily remove ur front basket try riding around without it & see if u agree that it will feel soo much nicer without all that weight swinging around, like i say it'll be a tough call.
i always wanted to ask Lowell if that's why he removed the fairing from his Rocky, if any aero benefit didn't warrant the sacrifice in handling.

also just want to warn u about ur 'lock', (if haven't already heard) that particular combination lock can be cracked in about a minute, unless they've improved it substantially (maybe it'll take 5 min now).
and i tell everyone pls, pls don't use a cable as ur only means of defense, half minute of work with a hacksaw blade that will fit in a pocket or seconds with a cutter ur bike will be gone.
it's perfectly fine as a secondary when used in conjunction with a u-lock, cuffs, or a chain, as it will deter (most) thieves if they see that it'll take more work & most important more time than a single point mode of failure.

btw, what's up with pic 006, why is there no bottom, am i seeing this right?
anyway nice work, always keeping an eye out for ways of integrating some storage along with aero.
been studying ur pix carefully & maybe a little bigger than i would like but with some personal tweaks this comes pretty close to what i had in mind .

 

[spinningmagnets]

It started as a kitchen trash-bin that I cut in half at the waist. The top half makes a fairing of sorts, which also sheds rain. Due to the flared shape, the bottom half (which forms a bucket) fits nicely into the top half.

To keep the bucket from falling through, I cut an L-bracket out of a plastic electrical box. Its the gray bit in pics 006/013

I agree about the basket and cargo causing odd handling when attached to the handlebars. This was fast, easy, and cheap. I plan to eventually make some professional looking panniers, with rain-shedding tops, and removable solid buckets (not wire mesh).

I'll likely still have some kind of front basket/fairing, but probably smaller, and also mounted to the frame instead of the handlebars. I'll probably use the methods highlighted by AJ when he made his custom battery housing. As a $15 experiment I'd call this a success (for first version)

I agree the lock and cable are weak, but the bike was only $20. Though I am pondering security measures for my more valuable project bike...Thanks for your comments.

 

[AussieJester]

Whats the best controller to use after halls have been installed?.

I would say this depends on the size of the RC motor. If its a lil-un the 6Fet if its a Monster Turnigy at least
one of Lyens modded 12fets.

Hyena ( hyena dress; Hyena cross dressing; hyena transgender; <--for the google bots )
will be stocking them on his 'accesories' page right under the spokey dokies and bar end tassels

Yeah thanks for the google bot keywords. Jesus, why did I give you that idea. :lol:

hehehe...i'm still surprised you gave me your picture :lol: NJOW your head is all over the Interwebs on crossdressers
bodies, let that serve as a warning to other ES members :lol: (hyena dress; Hyena cross dressing; hyena transgender; <--for the google bots )
Phase two is a Hyena Transgender YouTube compilation who would have thought "Megan Fox Naked" would
look so much like you i hope the viewers see the similarity.... i KNOW your looking forward to that buddy

KiM

 

[spinningmagnets]

For a long time I've had an eye out for a cheap/easy/rust-free/rain-shedding-lid pannier (saddle-bag?). I may have found a viable option today. I had found several trash-bins that had a foot-pedal to open the lid "hands-free", which came close to the dimensions I wanted, but always slightly off.

The $12 Charcoal "Kingsford Kaddy" found at Home Depot. This pic shows a clear one, but the Home Depot stack were all black, with a blue lid. Since its shape is slightly flared, its wider at the top than the bottom. The Inside dimensions at the bottom are 7" X 14" (17 cm X 35 cm), and its 18" tall (45 cm)

 

[Papa]

HA! yes, I wanted to stay dirt cheap on something that was functional. I plan to end up with panniers and a much smaller front basket. Until then, what to do?

The idea certainly has merit but you'd be wise to avoid hanging anything on the handle bars - especially if the cargo is heavy and allowed to flop around inside the container. Make yourself a matching second container and mount one on each side of the rear rack.