Thanks, and: Front Carrier ?

[TheLoneRider]

Hi Folks,
and thanks for all your previous help.

I'm now back from my trip to the wilderness. Bike worked well. It has Dorado style Battery on downtube, and I fitted a rack battery from eBay(china) on the back carrier, (thanks for advice you gave me on feasability of that process), with cable to a Dorado style plug from greenbikekit.com.

When Dorado batt gave up (17miles), I removed it and plugged the rack batt into it's frame socket. Finding a way to carry the dead batt was a headache (it ended up in my rucsac), but without the rack batt, I would have been walking & pushing the 4 inch Kenda Juggernaut tyres for the last 7miles of my journey !

So now planning next jaunt. Good way to avoid dreaded 'Battery in Rucsac' syndrome would be to mount the spare batt on carrier over the front wheel. But these forks have no lugs for bolting carrier to bottom of fork legs.

Can any of you good folks suggest a source for a front carrier which might clamp to front forks (or even a different solution) pls ??

Thanks

Steve

 

[AndyBike]

Thule pack and pedal rack can fit front or rear, but they arent cheap. Topeak tetrarack R1 front also straps on too. the latter is about 80 quid, the former about 95.
Of course those are flash bits of kit.

There is this however. Looks sturdy enough

Cycling Front Pannier Rack MTB Bike Bicycle Rack Carrier Bracket Luggage Black | eBay

We strike to be market leader in the sporting industry. We have a huge range of products that covers cycling, swimming, running, motorbike and gym. VERSATILE USE: Perfect for carrying groceries, luggage, and other essentials.

www.ebay.co.uk

But i think its pot luck where its coming in from. Likely China is the source so maybe it will arrive, maybe not.

You could go the diy route using the pic as an instruction manual as to how to adapt a bog standard rack. Fork leg clamps, a hacksaw, ruler and fittings is about all you'd need.

 

[TheLoneRider]

Thanks Andy,

That could work, I've got a good hacksaw and a very big hammer . . . .

Might be possible to adapt a rear one with longer legs ?

But I can't find any 'fork leg clamps' despite various searches on ebay

 

[TheLoneRider]

actually, I found lots of small clamps, but none big enough - until I realised that carrier would probably have to clamp to the upper fork legs, not the lower fork sliders. Get there eventually !

So now I will go and measure the fork leg upper section, see what size is required before bemoaning a dearth !!

 

[AndyBike]

Instead of 'fork leg clamps' just maybe look towards seatpost clamps, which will be or similar diameter. The may be plastic, but that will be strong and have a hole provision for modifying something to fit using that hole.
It might just be a simple wrap around bit of flat steel you can put around the cut off section of the rack, but before cutting anything, think about how long the section needs to be and if you would need to file o r shape it to better fit a clam.
Bike charity projects would be a good place to get a rack from, you'll likely pay a fiver and theyre bound to have a few different styles.
Only advice is dont rush into it, think about what you would need, do some sketches if it helps.

 

[montwo]

I'm not sure how well it would work for you but I have a front rack that bolts to the head tube, I really like it. It doesn't turn with the bars, unlike something attached to the forks, so the steering is unaffected.
Mine came from ebay, this is the same thing:

Steco headtube mounted front rack

www.dutchbikebits.com