DIY Rack Fix and Rack Seat Tube Mount
I built a wooden rack over the standard $11 LBS rack: 8 ½" wide top by
24" long of ½" ply with two bag shaped ply sides going down to the
rack eyelets and there bolted to with rod cut from 6mm grade 8
capscrews. The sides are relieved with oblong holes accepting shock
cord hooks with teeth raised above the main deck for rope loop
stanchions and are braced to the main deck with 2x2' cherry cut from a
wooden skid/pallet.
The aluminum rack seat stay end snapped during a loaded rack Conti TT
test during the second swerve as the rack was headed east while I was
headed west.
The aluminum base stayed but the main deck was now supported by a nice
piece of cold steel strap about 3/32x2x6" shaped to angle down to the
seat stays where two piece spring clamp, one piece on each side of the
stays with a fitted ½"ply in-between bracing the plates main surface
beyond the stays with each plate having four fingers bent back to the
stays-two each side-then bolted thru the main surfaces middle and off
course that strap recovered from the bumper ofn an ancient cemetery
mower. Sometimes a drawing wud do it right but who wants to look at…
So that bracket cracked thru the bolt hole in the aforementioned chain
stay flat plate.
Enter THE FIX!
Good for a starting point on a DIY rack or as a repair for an existing
rack that can be eyeballed for a 8 ½" x ? ply main deck.
True Value Hardware carries a ¼"x3 1/2x 4 ¼ U-clamp, two (get three)
nylocks to fit, and several stainless washers in metric.
Paint with Rusto. Allow to harden.
Salvage a steel frame with cable guides. Cut the top tube at just
above the guide and somewhat below (using oil on the hacksaw blade off
course) after measuring and gauging the u-bolts position from the
rack's seat stay clamp>>> or! angle iron (in light alloy) bolted to
the main deck and drilled beforehand to accept the u-clamp>>>to the
seat tube where the u-bolts curve will fit around half that salvaged
pipe(protecting the tube) that butts up against the existing seat
post/top tube lug while the u-clamp butts against that salvaged cable
guide.
Works good! Instant repair or starting point.
A third piece is a u channel bolted to the angle iron by the u-clamp
and itself screw up thru the angle and the main deck. The channel gets
side cut and then bent over to the DIY ply rack's side plates as a
triangle brace. Weld shut if possible ($10?) maybe with a flat
triangle over it on the bottom side as an angle brace.
see also in tech>DIY touring bags