Basket to Rear Rack Attachment

[George Schick]

I've been working with an older lady who wants to add a rear rack with a spring operated retainer to her bike, but also wants to occasionally install a basket to that rack.  Well, that's doable with all of the variants of racks and baskets available nowadays, but what would the best "temporary" attachments be for the basket so they could be installed and/or removed easily?

When I got her first request text for the rack I had just assumed using zip-ties to hold the basket in place. But when I got the subsequent request that she'd like to be able to install and/or remove the basket at will it left me wondering what to do.  Velcro straps?  Leather straps?  Riv rainbow straps?  Looking for input here.

[J G]

Have not thought on this before, but along the lines of strap options, I would think Voile straps might be the best option for good tension, security and easy on/off.

Hopefully other have done this and have a good system to share.

[Bill Lindsay]

I think zipties are still pretty good.  I buy a bag of 100 at Harbor Freight for $1.  When I want to install a basket it does indeed take two whole minutes to install.  When I want to remove a basket it does take a full thirty seconds to do that.  So, it's nowhere near as fast as necessary for people who demand instantaneous attachment and removal, plus it takes effort, about as much effort as it takes to tie one's shoes.  If that's too much effort, then zip ties fail again.  Plus add on the trouble of having to remember where you left the zipties and where you left the cutting tool to trim the ends and to remove the basket.  That's all far too much trouble for a lot of people, but I think it's manageable.

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Andrew Letton]

RaClips

$33.00 RaClips These little clips are a smooth and easy way to keep your bag secured to the rack while allowing simple and quic...

A bit pricey, but it supports a fellow BoB.

I bought a couple to attach a rack, and now see that I should have bought 4. 

Might need shorter screws so they don't poke up into the rack load, but that's easy.

cheers,

Andrew

On Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at 08:33:44 AM GMT+11, George Schick <bhi...@gmail.com> wrote:

I've been working with an older lady who wants to add a rear rack with a spring operated retainer to her bike, but also wants to occasionally install a basket to that rack.  Well, that's doable with all of the variants of racks and baskets available nowadays, but what would the best "temporary" attachments be for the basket so they could be installed and/or removed easily?

When I got her first request text for the rack I had just assumed using zip-ties to hold the basket in place. But when I got the subsequent request that she'd like to be able to install and/or remove the basket at will it left me wondering what to do.  Velcro straps?  Leather straps?  Riv rainbow straps?  Looking for input here.

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[Mike Rossi]

I use voile straps. Like Will from Riv did on his mom’s Clem build. Or like Blue Lug does here with the 6” nano straps

Mike

On Mar 25, 2025, at 6:35 PM, Andrew Letton <let...@flash.net> wrote:



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[Dorothy C]

Downside to zip ties is discarding little bits of plastic all the time. If Voile straps are too fiddly I can recommend  a basket with this mechanism. Mine is an Axiom I think, but works just the same. The guy with the Shifter Youtube channel has mentioned this style in the past too. 
https://publicbikes.com/products/public-metal-basket

[Garth]

For easy on/off the good quality(no cheapie knockoff) double sided Velcro brand rolls that can be cut to length would be pretty easy to use. Then there's plastic coated garden wire sold in rolls like this for example. It comes in various thickness and there's a zillion different brands. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BNLB1JP

[Pam Bikes]

The one Dorothy mentioned is what I have on my daughter's bike.  Easier than any attachment.  Zipties come with releasable tabs and are good for occasional removal but the spring one is easier.

[George Schick]

Thanks to all for the various recommendations and suggestions.  While zip-ties, gardening twist ties, and velcro strips would probably make the most secure mounting methods, the ease of installation and removal of that Public Bikes basket that Dorothy and Pam use would likely be the best product for this cyclist.

George

[Shannon Menkveld]

If you do end up using zip-ties, make sure you use the outdoor-rated black ones. The white ones get degraded by sunlight and nasty stuff in the air, so they get brittle and break. Depending on where you live, it can happen in just a few months.

Yeah, they cost more, and they stand out and your basket won't look as good. Your basket is way more expensive, and it'll look way worse after it flies off the bike and gets run over by a bus.

--Shannon

[George Schick]

Shannon, I got a great kick out of your reply because it reminded me of the 35+ years I worked in the telecom industry where we used only black zip-ties for the attachment of various cable accessories, because ultraviolet sunlight quickly degraded and deteriorated any colored ones.  In fact, if any cable splice case cover had been accidentally left off, one would eventually begin to see the ten colors of the twisted pair wires inside degrade into white-ish colors, making them indistinguishable from each other. :-)

[Andrew Letton]

Soma just introduced a new Tanaka rack with basket quick-release that might work for your friend, though it is primarily designed as a front rack, it could be used in the rear.

Tanaka LiftLoc Front Basket Rack

$149.95 Tanaka LiftLoc Front Basket Rack

cheers,

Andrew in Sydney

On Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at 08:33:44 AM GMT+11, George Schick <bhi...@gmail.com> wrote:

I've been working with an older lady who wants to add a rear rack with a spring operated retainer to her bike, but also wants to occasionally install a basket to that rack.  Well, that's doable with all of the variants of racks and baskets available nowadays, but what would the best "temporary" attachments be for the basket so they could be installed and/or removed easily?

When I got her first request text for the rack I had just assumed using zip-ties to hold the basket in place. But when I got the subsequent request that she'd like to be able to install and/or remove the basket at will it left me wondering what to do.  Velcro straps?  Leather straps?  Riv rainbow straps?  Looking for input here.

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