Wanting to make my Peugeot city bike a little more distinctive from the All Rounder, I decided to replace the short rack and front trunk bag with a larger handlebar bag, and a rack with integrated decaleur to support it. Doing so would increase the capacity a bit up front, and allow me to bring a little camp stove and tea kettle along on longer day rides, something I’m working my up to for next spring.
I found this Ostrich handlebar bag in a thrift store for a crazy bargain price (under $25). A previous owner had tried to dye the brown canvas black and got sloppy with the color, bleeding some onto the white trim. No matter. I brought it home, cleaned it up and applied some Nikwax spray-on proofing wax for canvas. It required some rubbing in and spreading around, and a few hours to dry in the sun.
Next came replacing the cheap shorty rack I’d gotten for the trunk bag with a more robust, brand new Randonneur Front Rack with Integrated Decaleur from Velo Orange. This was definitely more of an investment, but the stainless steel should hold up for many years of Oregon rain. I also mounted a small knob to the left side of the rack that will hold a headlight, so I can aim the headlight a little lower. This one’s from Portland Design Works, but multiple companies offer these and you can find one at your local bike shop.
I started the process today. Ultimately, I’ll need to refer to the printed instructions from V-O to complete the installation, including punching a couple of holes in the handlebar bag to accommodate the decaleur crossbar. I’ll get to that after Shabbat.
The rack went on without too much trouble, and I was able to use a rubber spacer between the rack and the fender to add stability to both. Once I sort out the decaleur installation and fit I hope everything will work seamlessly.
I’ll also have a shorty rack and trunk bag available for sale, cheap. US shipping only.
Stay tuned.
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