[Closed] Rack thread, let's see yours.

I've made a few for commuting and touring bikes. More function over form than your very nice star rack. I use mild steel tubing and silver solder it together using inserts to provide strength (internal lugs, if you like). The main aim for me is to make custom racks to clear brakes or provide extra mounting points for lights and mudguards, etc. I try and design them to be easy to build with as few joints as possible, mainly because I'm lazy but also because it makes them less likely to spring apart at inopportune moments.
The best (and also the worst) picture I can find of one.

[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5585/15053469192_54725268bc.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5585/15053469192_54725268bc.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/oWdXWh ]Kyrgyzstan[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/28214113@N05/ ]crogthomas[/url], on Flickr

Is your rack (the bicycle one pictured) stainless? How did you braze it? I *thought* stainless couldn't be brazed, or not easily anyway?

Looks good, I used mild steel on my first rack,
[img] ?w=705[/img]
I then decided that powdercoating was ok, but not ideal, not too fond of chroming, so I went stainless.
It's a bit harder to braze, and more expensive, but it does solve the paint/rust problem once and for all.
The hard bit on the star/mercedes/cnd/czech rack was the centre, once that was sorted, tight miters and a bit of care means it's not too hard. just keep it clean, use the right flux and silver and don't heat it too much.
The hardest bit was hand number.

I was holding the torch with one hand, and the needle nose pliers with another to keep the tab on.
So I held the rod with my teeth to braze it.
It's not normal procedure, I'll make a jig for that in the future, but I wanted to finish it.

I quite like making racks, it's like mini framebuilding.

Ooo..

*Bookmarks thread*

Keep theses coming.. Love this kinda thing,

😉

[img] ?oh=383010920df645cdf109e0b8a7d9a8a4&oe=54686F84[/img]

MY only one.
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/47/164103183_0937c00a71_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/47/164103183_0937c00a71_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/fv5ae ]Corrieyarrick[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/88555557@N00/ ]matt_outandabout[/url], on Flickr

nice one Matt, you got close up pics of the clamp?
reminds me about the very first luggage thing I made, with an old stem, clamped to a seatpost, to make one of those beam ones. about 8 years ago.
On a mtb I really like framebags lately, but that's for another thread.
Crogthomas, how do you bend the tubing?
I've got a few methods, but none give me all the solutions.

off topic, K-stan looks amazing,nice pics.

@emanuel

Not at the moment - and it is living on a friends bike at present. It is the only one I could find with four bolt attachment, not quick release, and it is a longer clamping surface as a result. It has never moved on me.
edit: one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bike-Cycle-Black-Extendable-Mounted-10KG-Load-Aluminum-Seat-Post-Rear-Cargo-Rack-/141056836468

[img] [/img]

Liz Hatch to the forum...

Emanuel what's the cnd one for (luggage type) in your first post?

Just intrigued by the design.

Garage-dweller.
The idea was to have something that would easily take either a longish lateral load as well as a normal bundle/rucksack type load.
with just one toestrap you can cinch a shortish beach umbrella and foldable rush mat for the beach in a really solid way.

That's what the bike was for, sort of a fastish beach cruiser thing.
bit OTT, maybe, but they're nice once in a while.
[img] ?w=705&h=603[/img]

Also the fact a circle is the shortest perimeter you can get for a given area size. so it's lighter, basically.
I was trying to get the most rack per weight. it's 8mm tubing with 0.5mm walls, lightweight but tested it and up to 8kg is fine.

plus I like the shape.

Might make a custom bag for that, like a japanese lunchbox, would look nice, and probl even more OTT.

Crogthomas, how do you bend the tubing?

I use a cheap tubing bender for 8 and 10mm tubing. Halfway between a car brake pipe bender and a plumbing one. It works well enough with a bit of practice and some re-engineering of the bender to make it more rigid. It was very cheap though. I started off just using straight tubes, joining each corner, but that took ages. The bender makes things a lot neater and quicker. I use mild steel tubing because it's not as brittle as stainless for an expedition rack. Any issues with stainless fracturing?
I'm experimenting with various types of paint, truck bed liner is the favourite at the moment, but cosmetics are not really important to me.

I make all my racks with tight joins that hold themselves together without solder, no need for the third hand, although some strategically placed weights or bits of wire sometimes help.

PS: Kyrgyzstan is stunning. A hidden gem.

I have a front rack on my tourer. Never used it yet as you can't get any reasonable priced bags.

Never used it yet as you can't get any reasonable priced bags.

dry bag? or any old rucksack/ suitcase/ suitable box.

... can all be strapped to my rear rack or in the panniers attached to it.

I have use the front rack to support shopping bags slung from handle bar, but i meant i have not used it for supporting a useful bag, ie. a rando style bag. Carradice need to release one!

Incidentally, ive also tried to buy a basket to bolt to it but have been unable to find one that fits between drop bars.

Crogthomas,
I have one of those benders, it works ok, though I find the 12mm and up tubing a bit of a struggle.
What did you do to stiffen it up?
I've found old pulley wheels to work really well for bending, though you do need a fair few.

I made the first rack using canti brake bridges, I had nothing to get small radius bends, so I made do
it worked really well and looked neat, allowing me to join three different tubes, brazing everything together could have been easier, I think the only way to make racks viable as a bespoke item is to make them rational and simple to build, the key is tubing selection and weight placement.

Stainless is a little bit less elastic than cromo. Maybe it would be easier to find equipment for brazing steel rather than stainless, on tour.
But if a rack is built and designed for what it's going to do, it won't fail.

Not done many stainless racks so far, though plenty of stainless frames, they've been fine.

All paint comes off in the end, bed liner works well, though not the prettiest.
powder+clear works well.

STATO
rando bags can be diyed, they're simpler as they're supported.

I made some klickfix bags in about ten mins with the kit they sell, four holes and a screwdriver and you have a bag for their mount.

Crogthomas,
I have one of those benders, it works ok, though I find the 12mm and up tubing a bit of a struggle.
What did you do to stiffen it up?

I made up a second 'bridge/link' to make it double sided. More difficult to use, but more effective.

gotcha, good idea. might be an idea to have it removable, so it's easier to load, unload.