Basket narrower than the Wald 137?

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EasyRider

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Jun 7, 2017, 3:27:41 PM6/7/17
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Hey Bunch,

As I'm putting together a new build, I realized that my Nitto 32f front rack and Wald 137 basket aren't going to play nicely with my 40cm wide drop bars. If I can squeeze the basket between the brake levers, there won't be any room for fingers. :( I ride a smaller frame, so positioning the top of the basket below the hooks won't work either.

Is anyone using a smaller basket -- something 10-12 inches wide?

A boxy bag is another option, but in for a penny, in for a pound. They are expensive. I'd like to stick with the basket. My other bikes have baskets and it makes it very convenient to use my Riv shop sack with each of them.

I thought about turning the basket 90 degrees, but I think that'd give the unsupported end of the basket a bit of a diving board action.

Thoughts?

Pete

Arlington, VA

lconley

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Jun 7, 2017, 3:34:00 PM6/7/17
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I vote for rotation - just locate the long struts as far forward on the bottom of the basket as possible.

Jeff Lesperance

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Jun 7, 2017, 5:49:19 PM6/7/17
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How about a basket mod to make the rear of the basket shorter to get it below your bars? I remember seeing fellow list member Bill Lindsay post about a hack he did, inspired by Jenny@Riv's mod, and I've wanted to do it myself almost more for the looks vs. functionality. Here's a link to Bill's posting about it:


If that link doesn't work for some reason, I just did a search for "Lindsay Wald" in the list archives, or maybe Bill can chime in here.

-Jeff
Silver Spring, MD


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Andre Rosario

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Jun 7, 2017, 7:06:14 PM6/7/17
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Funny. I'm actually dealing with the same exact issue, except that I have my Wald basket on top of a small front rack. Right now I have everything set up so that the bars sit just above the basket, but I'd like to lower the bars another cm or two.

This past weekend I bought some 44cm Noodle bars, thinking that that would give me the extra width needed to squeeze the basket between the drops. Unfortunately, the drops on those are only as wide as those of the vintage rando bars I currently have on my bike, even though the ramps are placed significantly wider on the former handlebars. Guess I should have measured instead of assuming...

The thought of modifying the basket to make it a little less wide/tall at the back had crossed my mind, but I'm not really sure how I'd accomplish that. I may end up just switching to a smaller basket but the next size down is a lot smarter, I think. I like my wide basket! When I go bike camping, I can fit my sleeping bag (pretty big by itself), an extra layer or two of clothing, and some food/drink in the basket. Not sure where I'd put that stuff otherwise.

Howard Hatten

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Jun 7, 2017, 7:56:08 PM6/7/17
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I copied the basket hack that Bill Lindsay posted about. Just unwind all the wires on the sides and back then drop the top ring down rewind the wires. Here's a photo.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/136422809@N08/HS78kF

Howard
Livonia Mi

Clayton.sf

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Jun 7, 2017, 8:24:28 PM6/7/17
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chopped and dropped!

Clayton Scott
SF, CA

drew

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Jun 7, 2017, 8:28:05 PM6/7/17
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are you just using pliers to unwind the wires?

Howard Hatten

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Jun 7, 2017, 8:51:46 PM6/7/17
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I used a vice grips to unwind the wires. I used an end cutter to clip the excess length & a Dremel to debur the sharp edges.

Howard

Andre Rosario

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Jun 10, 2017, 3:47:52 PM6/10/17
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Thanks so much for the idea. I gave it a try myself this morning. Problem solved! I decided to clip off the extra metal and then did my best to wrap the ends around the top bar for a cleaner look. Took about an hour and a half, but I'm not great with pliers, so YMMV.

Garth

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Jun 10, 2017, 4:31:22 PM6/10/17
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Look for kids baskets.
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