Fun with Dexion

[chris667]

Hello guys-

I'm new here, so apologies if this has been done before.
I've been looking unsuccessfully for a front rack for a long time now. But nothing exists that does what I want. They're all piddly little things, or lowriders, which are rubbish.
I like the look of Cetma racks from America (CETMAracks), but to be honest I can't justify spending so much. So I'm making my own from some Dexion I have knocking about.
Has anyone here done anything like this before?
All suggestions gratefully recieved.
Chris.

[border-rider]

Not going for a featherlight approach then ?

[clarion]

It'll be lighter once the rusty bits start flaking off..

[chris667]

Well, you know red lead **is** the new black....
I'm thinking it'll mount by going through the Q/R, maybe with this shopping basket I bought from Woolies for £1 in their recent closing down sale.
Do you think it's going to work if I bolt the top of the rack to the fork crown? Why does the Cetma design clamp to the handlebar instead?

[PhilO]

Why does the Cetma design clamp to the handlebar instead?

My guess(es) would be:

1) It places the mounting point above the load, which might give advantages WRT stability and the load applied to the mount.
2) Two, laterally spaced, mounts will be stronger and stiffer than a single bolt on the centreline.
3) It ensures a consistent placing of the platform relative to the handlebars - important if you're selling to people with a wide range of stem lengths, but less so if you're building a one-off.

ETA: Looking again, I'd say definately point (2) above. The lower supports are pivoted at both upper and lower ends, so won't resist twisting of the rack about a verticle axis. The rack needs to be braced against this, and the obvious way to do that is to use widely spaced mounts on teh H'bars.

[ScumOfTheRoad]

Was there not a thread on here a few months back about some pretty cunky front racks used by couriers in San Francisco?
Sorry - can't remember the name.

[chris667]

These are Cetma racks.

[gordon taylor]

Have a look on the OnOne site for Nitto racks, they do a neat one. My own preference for carriying panniers is the Blackburn front one:

Evans Cycles | Blackburn MTF1 Mtn Front Rack | Online Bike Shop

[chris667]

Yeah, they're all nice, but neither of them are big enough. I want a bigger platform, and I'm looking forward to doing a bodge!

[tallsam]

Hi, first post and all that.

There are some great DIY racks on Instructables. I'd post links but there are literally loads.

Nice forum btw. I'll be around a fair bit.

 

[Phil]

I've just spotted this link, which is for a CETMA-a-like made from shelf supports.  It's quite a neat job. 

http://www.bikecommuters.com/2008/08/03/guest-article-anns-diy-porteur-rack/

[arabella]

I think you need to consider whether you want the weight attached to the forks/bars (and so have to turn the rack to steer) or use the post office model of attaching the rack to the frame instead.

post office bikes have some brackets to attach the front rack though, whether you could bodge something given sufficient head tube (similar idea to the trailergator or whatever it's called - not that I've inspected one closely ever) I don't know (I have no head tube to speak of so have a little (normal) rack on the front attached near dropouts and at fork crown - makes it much harder to steer hence my opening comment.