How To: Bicycle Touring with a Basket
With all the new fancy rackless bikepacking gear out there, the inexpensive but highly utilitarian basket seems to have been forgotten in the bicycle touring world. What a shame! We’ve been touring with a basket for the last two years and it is a great way to carry a load that offers many advantages. Our basket of choice is the venerable Wald 137 which seems to be just the right size for our loads. Laura straps hers to a Globe Mini Porteur and I strap mine to a SOMA Mini Front rack. Check out our video below for 3 reasons why you should try a basket on your next tour! For more videos, subscribe to your Bicycle Travel Channel.
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Hi
For the curiosity of it, did you definitely park your Bromptons or are still using them?
Cheers, rr
We still have and use them. We actually just used them this past weekend to shoot some video. They make great mini-cargo bikes!
Russ
#cyclechic(tm) is trademarked? 🙂
It is trademarked. No joke!
PLP:
Hello, from north east Kansas. I love what you’re doing! While I haven’t taken a bicycle tour, but tour vicariously through various internet sources, until my three sons are older; I commute by bicycle every day and make use of a pair of Wald collapsible metal wire baskets attached to my rear rack. I forget the model number, but I’ve found them to be helpful, convenient, and durable for the last six years. They’re tough enough to use with bungee straps, too.
I also have a Wald basket on the front of a different bike, which I have procrastinated on moving to the daily commuter for a couple years. It might just be the Wald 137, but this one came used on a used bike, already installed.
Sorry, I’m rambling.
Keep up the good work, and know you have an advocate/contact in Ottawa, Kansas, at the northern terminus of the Prairie Spirit Rail Trail, and the intersection/trail-head of the Flint Hills Nature Trail. We’re working to make Kansas bicycle friendly. Come see us!
Awesome! Thanks for writing! Hope to make it out to Kansas and ride one day. Keep hearing about its epic gravel!
What kind of mini front rack are you using to support the basket?
It is a Soma mini front rack.
You have me sold!
My GF has the same Vaya and I’ve been trying to figure out the best front cargo setup for her. Starting from zero, do you have a preferred rack + basket or rack + bag combination? No need for crazy weight capacity, probably only ~10lbs tops.
Hi
I’m curios about what you guys have found to be the best method of lashing your basket to your front pannier racks. Spent some time removing unnecessary ironmongery from my wald basket and have only seen reference to zip ties so far.
Zip ties are the defacto choice. Permanent-ish, but a pain to get them on and off. I’ve also used leather toe straps (about 5 of them) strategically spaced out. Makes for a pretty solid connection (not as rock solid as zip ties, but pretty good), with the advantage of being quasi-quick release without breaking out pliers.
Russ
What size eVent bag are you using?
I have a Topit front rack that I would fasten this to. It comes with the legs and handlebar hooks. Are they removable? Also, I have brifters. Do you think this would interfere with my shifting?
Great video by the way!
The Wald’s don’t have a quick release system, though you can use toe straps and make them semi-quickrelease. It may interfere with your brifters depending on your handelbar width and how low your bars are. I have 46cm bars and Apex brifters and they don’t interfere on mine.
Russ