Waterproof Bike Basket

[jonny jeez]

Okay, I'm not quite ready for a Pashley, or dutch equivalent but I am bikecurious

Which is to say that I ride Boris bikes around the place all day, in a suit with no challanges and am wondering if I could cut down on my commute time by riding in a suit on a Pashley, keeping down the speed and avoiding the need for showers and changing at the work end of the ride.

My 12 mile ride (with lights and traffic) takes me 40 mins on the road bike. However I need another 40 for showering, cooling, changing and a good deal of time running about between the showers and the locker room. I rekon a 10MPH ride would take me about 70 minutes (with lights and traffic), so it may be worth a thought as all in all I can leave later and arrive ready to ride the desk.

What would possibly swing it for me is a totally waterproof basket, that looks like a basket. I could arguably chuck in all manner of stuff that i cant usually ride with like a laptop, Ipad, file, paperwork, maybe even a fresh shirt. (just in case)

does such a thing exist?...it needs to be totally waterproof, in all conditions and not resemble a flight recorder.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

You mean like a wire basket as opposed to the woven cane sort? Yes wire baskets exist

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Waterproof wire baskets?

Yes - the water just runs off

 

[MichaelW2]

Pashleys ride nicely but you can do better if you are in the market for a lightweight, efficient, modern clean-running bike. Marin do a nice one with aluminium frame, oil-free belt drive, 8-speed hub and hub dynamo with disk brakes and some tough tyres like Marathon Plus.Ortleibs ae the usual solution to waterproof carr.y Basil do a wide selection of baskets.

 

[mjr]

@MichaelW2 is right on Ortlieb or Basil bags (and the implied keeping the heavier stuff on a rear rack rather than dragging the steering about) but wrong IMO on most of the rest... for example, steel is a far better ride than alloy in bikes of this type, Marathon plus are rather stiff, belt drives are fiddly... except that I think there are better value steel city bikes than Pashley. I like my Dutchie Dapper 3 and Gazelle, Batavus and Raleigh Netherlands all often do good bikes. VSF might have something, too.

 

[jonny jeez]

Pashleys ride nicely but you can do better if you are in the market for a lightweight, efficient, modern clean-running bike. Marin do a nice one with aluminium frame, oil-free belt drive, 8-speed hub and hub dynamo with disk brakes and some tough tyres like Marathon Plus.Ortleibs ae the usual solution to waterproof carr.y Basil do a wide selection of baskets.

whilst that's most likely perfectly correct info, I kind of fancy the look of a classic bike, with classic accessories. My road bike is all shiny and modern (and deserving of lycra), My single speed is a carbon belt so i fancy something elegant. Which doesn't really suggest yellow ortleibs and disc brakes?

I fancy looking like Mr Chips as i glide along the Cycle superhighway, Scarf fluttering in the breeze.

 

[jonny jeez]

this one

not this one

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Baskets are rubbish, really.
I'm all for N+1, but what you are envisaging is not feasible in our British weather, you'll get to work looking like a drowned poodle more often than not.
Can you not just ride slower?
If I had to take a 40 min shower every time I ride 10 miles up the road I'd have no skin left

 

[Milkfloat]

It is all well and going having a waterproof basket, but how are you going to keep your suit dry if you are wearing it?

 

[mjr]

Bah! Basil seem to have changed their range and I didn't find the baskety front bag. The best now seems to be https://www.basil.nl/product/sport-design-front-bag-zwart/ and similar, which attaches to the BasEasy stem bracket.

One drawback to most front mounted bags or baskets is that they have limited weight capacities. I suspect Dutch people wanting to carry more than that on the front would use a front rack like one of http://www.dutchbikebits.com/luggage-racks-and-accessories

 

[mjr]

It is all well and going having a waterproof basket, but how are you going to keep your suit dry if you are wearing it?

Mr Chips is wearing a cape

 

[mjr]

Plastic crate and dry bag.

I've done this. It works.

 

[Milkfloat]

Mr Chips is wearing a cape

Mr Chips better have really good mudguards then.

 

[jay clock]

I have a hybrid with one of these on the rear rack. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PEDALPRO-...622828?hash=item51c0a88dec:g:x4IAAOSwHnFVkr1m Comfortably takes a big laptop bag or rucksack held in place with a bungee. much easier than panniers for commuting

 

[simon.r]

I love my Pashley and use it several times a week for short (<5 miles) trips, but in all honesty I don't think I'd want to do a 12 mile commute on it, unless the terrain was very flat. There's no getting away from the fact that the bike weighs *a lot* and it's particularly noticeable on anything that points vaguely upwards. Basil panniers and plastic bags keep things dry for me.

I've just noticed that there are no panniers on that photo! I don't have an up to date photo to hand, but the XXL Basil panniers will swallow loads of stuff.