Man's Greatest Invention

When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments. Here was a machine of precision and balance for the convenience of man. And (unlike subsequent inventions for man's convenience) the more he used it, the fitter his body became. Here, for once, was a product of man's brain that was entirely beneficial to those who used it, and of no harm or irritation to others. Progress should have stopped when man invented the bicycle. - Elizabeth West

Purpose and Mission


To share our experience and to encourage and inspire others to use a bicycle as a form of year round recreation and transportation. To be an example of living car-free and to help others to make the transition to having a car-light or car-free life style.

Our bodies is the engine that moves us.


Saturday, June 19, 2010

A Rack Doubles the Usefulness of Your Bike

I originally heard that term coined by Grant Petersen of Rivbike and I whole heartedly agree.  I like to be completely self sufficient when I'm out riding so that requires having the right gear with me at all times. 



That would include a tire repair kit (tube, patches, tire levers), multi tool, lock, camera, food and a place to store clothing as it gets removed while the day heats up.  In the past, I would carry everything other than the tire repair kit, in a small backpack.  The repair kit would be carried in a small underseat saddlebag.  I don't like using a backpack on my bike, especially when the weather gets hotter.  Instead, I've attached a rack to my bike and have modified a set of equestrian saddlebags to fit the rack.



For the rack I have chosen the Streamliner Road DLX from Axiom.


I wanted something narrow that followed the lines of the bike's seat stays.


The saddlebags attach to the rack with leather laces.  I had a shoe repairman insert the metal eyelets.

 

The laces are simply tied inside the bags.



The saddlebags mounted to the rack.



A nice match with the Brooks saddle.



What could be more appropriate for a Saddle Up bike than an actual pair of saddlebags?











Posted by at

6 comments:

  1. ScottJune 19, 2010 at 10:43 AM

    Nice job on the leather prep and the addition of the eyelets to secure the bags to the racks. In my opinion these are great for Calgary with our western heritage and the upcoming stampede... A Calgary take on CycleChic.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 19, 2010 at 2:22 PM

    That is a brilliant idea! I've been thinking about building myself a decent city bike and I think I might do something like this. Permanently mounted panniers are always there when you need them, and never a nuisance when you don't.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2010 at 1:48 PM

    what saddlebags are those? they look nice!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Breathing RoomSeptember 25, 2010 at 10:09 AM

    They are no name equestrian saddle bags off of ebay.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2012 at 9:59 AM

    Did you modify the mounting plate for the rack? It looks shorter and more square than some other pictures I've seen of the Road DLX.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Breathing RoomJanuary 7, 2012 at 11:43 AM

    Yes I did, really easy to do. Because I had to enlarge the holes anyway I trimmed down the mounting plates at the same time.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)