Snazzy front rack. Now what to do with it?

[Jeremy McCreary]

Several months later, my snazzy front rack has just 2 main uses.

1. Carrying my good 12x36 binocs down to the beach. Never know what you'll see there -- whales, birds, V-22 Ospreys, all kinds of military and civilian choppers, Navy ships, fishing boats, amazing yachts -- and it's always better thru binocs.

Last March, caught a dolphin stampede off La Jolla Shores beach with hundreds if not thousands of individuals sprinting by in a chorus line stretching several miles toward the horizon. (You know dolphins are going fast when most of the distance they're gaining is through the air. Why they stampede is unknown.)

2. Pizza runs. The rack barely holds a stack of two 10-inchers from Primo's. The good and bad news: A mile round trip does nothing to offset the calories in those boxes.

 

[Tubbs]

Get a MIK adapter plate and you can have quick on & off capabilities. Here is my Pizza Rack it will hold 3 X-large pizza's and a hot bag.
I also have grocery rack (No pic) built both racks but there carbon steel so heavier than Aluminum.

 

[keithj69]

I have the Werk and use this as my front rack bag. I did have to mount a couple of flat wood strips (think paint stirring sticks) so I can use the bottom straps to mount the bag securely.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Get a MIK adapter plate and you can have quick on & off capabilities. Here is my Pizza Rack it will hold 3 X-large pizza's and a hot bag.
I also have grocery rack (No pic) built both racks but there carbon steel so heavier than Aluminum.

Nice work! Need to look into those MIK adapters for my rear rack.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

You should be able to find a Wald basket that you can zip tie to that rack. There are also porteur-style bike bags that slip into a rack like that and attach with velcro. Basically they look like boxy duffle bags. If you have a sewing machine and some sharp needles, you could just find a duffle bag and sew loops onto it and use those to attach to your rack.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I have the Werk and use this as my front rack bag. I did have to mount a couple of flat wood strips (think paint stirring sticks) so I can use the bottom straps to mount the bag securely.

Wish this small front rack could take a nice bag like that. Problem is, it can only handle objects fitting into a box 11"W x 10"D x 6"H. The height's limited by handlebar cabling, and most bags like yours are too tall.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Wish this small front rack could take a nice bag like that. Problem is, it can only handle objects fitting into a box 11"W x 10"D x 6"H. The height's limited by handlebar cabling, and most bags like yours are too tall.

This somewhat overpriced duffle from North Street has nylon loops that you could velcro to that rack. While it is spendy, it is made by hippies in Portland from mostly recycled and up upcycled materials.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

This somewhat overpriced duffle from North Street has nylon loops that you could velcro to that rack. While it is spendy, it is made by hippies in Portland from mostly recycled and up upcycled materials.

Cabling and the frame-mounted front rack rule out handlebar bags. Their rear trunk duffle has a promising attachment system, and I like the look.

Alas, they don't give the height, but based on the stated depth, it's too tall for this space.

 

[keithj69]

Wish this small front rack could take a nice bag like that. Problem is, it can only handle objects fitting into a box 11"W x 10"D x 6"H. The height's limited by handlebar cabling, and most bags like yours are too tall.

Interesting, I thought it was the same rack seeing as they are both Surface604's. But you are correct, the one on the Werk is bigger.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Interesting, I thought it was the same rack seeing as they are both Surface604's. But you are correct, the one on the Werk is bigger.

Ah, so they know what a useful front rack looks like! Surface 604 made a lot of great design decisions on my V Rook, but not sure what they were thinking with this rack. Textbook case of "great idea, poor execution" on 2 counts:

1. A good-looking sturdy frame-mounted front rack whose odd size excludes many potential uses -- hence the OP.

2. Handy built-in bottle cage bosses on back on both sides -- with a boss spacing under the standard by nearly 5/8". Try finding an off-the-shelf cage for that! (They know the standard. The boss pair on the downtube complies.)

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Cabling and the frame-mounted front rack rule out handlebar bags. Their rear trunk duffle has a promising attachment system, and I like the look.

Alas, they don't give the height, but based on the stated depth, it's too tall for this space.

It is 11 inches long by 6.5 inches in diameter, so it is both 6.5 inches deep and 6.5 inches high. The straps that hook it to handlebars will work fine attaching it to your rack.

Honestly if you dig around a bit there are probably lots of small duffles with daisy chain webbing that you can velcro to your rack. Most of them would cost under $25 I would think.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

It is 11 inches long by 6.5 inches in diameter, so it is both 6.5 inches deep and 6.5 inches high. The straps that hook it to handlebars will work fine attaching it to your rack.

Honestly if you dig around a bit there are probably lots of small duffles with daisy chain webbing that you can velcro to your rack. Most of them would cost under $25 I would think.

If the trunk bag really is just 6.5" high (same stated dimensions), I'd prefer its attachment.

At the time of the OP, nothing at several LBS, and nothing promising on a pretty thorough web search. But I had less lingo to search on back then. Will try "duffle" .

 

[keithj69]

Ah, so they know what a useful front rack looks like! Surface 604 made a lot of great design decisions on my V Rook, but not sure what they were thinking with this rack. Textbook case of "great idea, poor execution" on 2 counts:

1. A good-looking sturdy frame-mounted front rack whose odd size excludes many potential uses -- hence the OP.

2. Handy built-in bottle cage bosses on back on both sides -- with a boss spacing under the standard by nearly 5/8". Try finding an off-the-shelf cage for that! (They know the standard. The boss pair on the downtube complies.)

The built in bottle cages where they are on the rack, is awesome. I had no issues fitting other than having to tap the holes so that they didn't strip out. I am guessing that your rack and my rack are not the same at all. If so, sorry to hear that. I like the core of the bike as a whole. Minor complaints, but compared to my himiway for long term, I'm guessing the S64 will last longer and be easier to fix off the shelf from the local bike shop.
Also as a side note, the Werk was advertised as a semi cargo bike, if I saw the v-rook and rack, I would have gotten it instead, but that was an 8 month difference of my order for the Werk, and the intro of the v-rook. It took forever to figure out the size of the front rack and a bag. Thank you for your ideas as I will be changing my stuff up with your ideas also.

 

[keithj69]

a good back rack bag is an Arkel tailrider. it will hold a spare battery for the S64 (Jenny here can help you on that). And the bug out back pack from Arkel fits perfectly on the rack.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

The built in bottle cages where they are on the rack, is awesome. I had no issues fitting other than having to tap the holes so that they didn't strip out. I am guessing that your rack and my rack are not the same at all. If so, sorry to hear that. I like the core of the bike as a whole. Minor complaints, but compared to my himiway for long term, I'm guessing the S64 will last longer and be easier to fix off the shelf from the local bike shop.
Also as a side note, the Werk was advertised as a semi cargo bike, if I saw the v-rook and rack, I would have gotten it instead, but that was an 8 month difference of my order for the Werk, and the intro of the v-rook. It took forever to figure out the size of the front rack and a bag. Thank you for your ideas as I will be changing my stuff up with your ideas also.

Like the look of your bike in the EBR review of the 2022 Werk . Your front rack is definitely larger -- at least in width.

For me, the 2 best things I did to my V Rook were (1) to change the city slicks to hybrid tires, and (2) to downsize the chainring from 42t to 38t. Change (1) improved grip (lots of sand around here) without adding too much rolling resistance. As for (2), I prefer to ride in PAS 1/9 whenever possible. At this stage in my return to cycling, the lower gearing made PAS 1/9 possible a lot more often on the many short, steep hills in my area without giving up too much at the top end.

 

[PCeBiker]

A stuffed ET that is 18" high in a red hoody arrives tomorrow. It is going into a milkcrate on the front rack of a bike to enhance the bike's aerodynamics. They are $9.

 

[PedalUma]

I just checked. Those stuffed ET toys are now more than twice the price. Some ridders will pay anything to enhance aerodynamics.

 

[PCeBiker]

I have a windshield coming that should help enhance my aerodynamics.

I'm only out $68 if it doesn't work or I smash it when I fall over.
I'm OK with that.

 

[PedalUma]

If the windshield doesn't work out these mini milk crates are 1.3 inches cubed. You could glue one to the fender for a mini E.T. It will fly.

 

[PedalUma]

Here is my second latest build of an electric bike. Check out the wires. It just needs a basket. See the wire to the battery? It is almost invisible. Today's bike got a silver motor.