Save the old stuff and fix it up: vintage rack redo

The saddlebag on my Peugeot hangs a tad low, and a few times, small items have slipped through the gap between the bag and the flap. So I went about looking for a rear saddlebag rack.

I found this one online, for thirty bucks including shipping.

As you can see, it came with a lot of surface rust and some old black paint. After mulling it over for a couple of weeks, I decided I would get it sandblasted and powder coated professionally, an expensive choice but one that ensure a thorough job and longer life.

After asking for suggestions and calling around, I took it to Portland Powder Coating. They were one of the few shops that were willing to work with so small an item and, if I was willing to wait a little longer, they would wait and toss it in at the end of a larger paint run to save me some money.

They also had a few choices of color that would get it at least close to the finish on my front rack.

I picked it up today, it looked good, though the clamps were too small and too corroded to save. I’ll get some new, rubber-coated clamps in the right size made of stainless steel, and use those to install it.

When I got it home, I held up the pieces next to my front rack to see how close the color matched.

They nailed it.

I’ll pick up the clamps next week and put it all together. It’s not a big rack, but it will be perfect for lifting my saddlebag just enough to keep things from spilling out of it. And it’s nice to save something old by fixing it up and making it nice again.