In preparation for the new, urban commute (and carrying a laptop on a regular basis), I decided to add some sort of load carrying capacity to the Steamroller. The dream was to have a proper porteur rack, but custom models are upwards of $200 (and being custom, take months to arrive), and the only non-custom option (made by CETMA) isn’t the most elegant design. The most economical solution was a basket, made here in the U.S. of A. by Wald LLC. While the basket is certainly not pitched strongly by the general bicycle industry, there are some who will extol the benefits of a basket over the standard racking system (Rivendell chief among them). My thought was that given the largest basket was $29, it was an inexpensive way to determine if I would like carrying the load on the front end of the bike.
Enter the Really Big Wald basket.
The local REI had a standard Wald in stock, but after looking at it, I decided it was too small for my needs. Ideally, I didn’t want to be forced to carry anything on my back if I didn’t want to, and the standard model would have trouble holding my messenger bag. The large basket seemed to be a better choice, especially since it would accept the hard case for the laptop I would be given by the new employer. I couldn’t find a local shop that stocked the model, so it was ordered via a shop selling on Amazon (Rivendell did not have the large in stock or I would have sent them my money).
On Thurday, a Really Big box arrived containing the basket. The box was, fortunately, quite a bit larger than the basket, but the basket was still Really Big. It easily swallowed my messenger bag. The mounting hardware is relatively primitive (nuts and bolts, and supports that attach via the wheel axle), but rather solid once everything is in place. I will probably scour the message boards, as someone somewhere has probably developed a quick release system. I did, unfortunately, have to swap out the Mary bars, as they don’t interface well with much anything that mounts to the bars. Currently, I have a Nitto riser bar, but I’m not sure about it. I would like to sell the Marys (or the Nittos) and find a pair of Albatross bars. Worst case scenario would be a pair of Nitto Promenades, for that really authentic porteur look.
I took the bike out for a shakedown yesterday, riding over to the climbing gym. The basket contained a U-lock, my mess bag containing the usual (toolkit, etc), my climbing shoes, a t-shirt, and a full 32oz water bottle. Again, no issues fittng the stuff in with room to spare. I could easily carry another mess bag. Loading the front wheel, however, radically affects the handling of the bike.
In the last few months, I’ve learned all about trail–the distance between the steering axis and where the rubber actually meets the road. Generally, the average bike is mid to high trail, providing generally more responsive handling. Bikes that are meant carry a front load (either touring bikes or “work” bikes) have lower trail measurements. This makes the bike more stable at lower speeds with a load. The stock Steamroller fork’s trail is slightly higher than average, but slightly more relaxed than the average track bike (when I was considering a front load carrying solution, I knew this would be a problem, so I already have staked a claim on the new Kogswell 622mm porteur fork, mid-trail version). I expected the ride to be little, umm, twitchy.
The experience didn’t disappoint. Now, I’m sure there were a few things at work here: I had just ridden the Cannondale on Friday to the office, which always leaves the Surly feeling really skittish. Then, the new bars. And finally, an extra 10 pounds on the front wheel. At low speeds, the front end wanted to flop if I turned the bars too far. Once I was up to speed, the ride was fairly stable, but the steering was less responsive. I was hesitant to track stand at the first red light, but by the time I arrived at the Factory, I was comfortable enough to keep my feet in the cages at a red light. I have to be cautious, however, to not oversteer into a track stand–that will likely dump me on my face.
The ride back home wasn’t a problem at all. There’s no real climbing between our house and the gym, but on the few short inclines I got out of the saddle and pushed hard, to see what it would feel like. No problems. I was initially a little apprehensive about climbing out of Panther Hollow on Neville Avenue (the road is pretty rough, too), but I think it should be fine. I am anxious to get the Kogswell fork, as it will make the ride a bit smoother and the steering a bit more predictable.
Posted on 1 April 2007