DIY T50 Seatback Pannier Mount

[JerseyJim]

I love my T50. However the one thing that has been a challenge is storage on the bike. When I started commuting on it, I was strapping my backpack to the back of the seat with bungee cords. This worked but it was awkward and time consuming to get my backpack on and off the bike.

A luggage rack is an option, but to be honest I never liked the way it looked on the T50. The rack is functional but it sticks way off the back of the bike. In my opinion it is awkward, ruins the bike's look and potentially it's handling. Even if one adds a rack there's this huge gap behind the seat which is the perfect place for a bag, It seems kind of silly not to use that space before adding a rack.

With all that in mind I decided to create a mount for a bag behind my seat for a small front pannier. I already had a pair of Jandd Economy Panniers and I knew one would fit in that space. I just didn't have a way to mount it. Now I do, as well as a way carry other things.

I created a frame to mount the pannier out of 3/8" aluminum round bar. That was pretty easy with a hand tube bender and the size is right for the pannier bag hooks. I created a triangular shape that would fit between edges of the seat back and was wide enough to catch both pannier hooks.

To mount this frame to the back of the seat I decided on a system used in woodworking. I used a standard aluminum t-slot channel. With that I could secure the pannier bag frame and attach other accessories to the back of the seat depending on my needs. The channel was secured through the existing holes in the seat using long water bottle bolts.

After brazing some mounting plates to the pannier mount frame, trimming the plates and drilling some holes, it was ready to attach to the back of the seat.

I'm happy with how everything came out. The bag sits behind the seat as if it was meant to be there. I have the option of using other small pannier bags too. When the bag is removed you can barely see the mount from the side. It's a clean design and installation. Now I don't have to worry about bungee straps anymore.

For the times I need more luggage space I have plans to make another rack to carry 2 bags on either side of the seat using the same t-slot mount. I think this is the ideal position for bags on this bike. It looks much better than a rack sticking out the back.

Hope this helps any T50 riders solve their luggage issues. Happy riding!

Jim

 

[super slim]

I love my T50. However the one thing that has been a challenge is storage on the bike. When I started commuting on it, I was strapping my backpack to the back of the seat with bungee cords. This worked but it was awkward and time consuming to get my backpack on and off the bike.

A luggage rack is an option, but to be honest I never liked the way it looked on the T50. The rack is functional but it sticks way off the back of the bike. In my opinion it is awkward, ruins the bike's look and potentially it's handling. Even if one adds a rack there's this huge gap behind the seat which is the perfect place for a bag, It seems kind of silly not to use that space before adding a rack.

With all that in mind I decided to create a mount for a bag behind my seat for a small front pannier. I already had a pair of Jandd Economy Panniers and I knew one would fit in that space. I just didn't have a way to mount it. Now I do, as well as a way carry other things.

I created a frame to mount the pannier out of 3/8" aluminum round bar. That was pretty easy with a hand tube bender and the size is right for the pannier bag hooks. I created a triangular shape that would fit between edges of the seat back and was wide enough to catch both pannier hooks.

To mount this frame to the back of the seat I decided on a system used in woodworking. I used a standard aluminum t-slot channel. With that I could secure the pannier bag frame and attach other accessories to the back of the seat depending on my needs. The channel was secured through the existing holes in the seat using long water bottle bolts.

After brazing some mounting plates to the pannier mount frame, trimming the plates and drilling some holes, it was ready to attach to the back of the seat.

I'm happy with how everything came out. The bag sits behind the seat as if it was meant to be there. I have the option of using other small pannier bags too. When the bag is removed you can barely see the mount from the side. It's a clean design and installation. Now I don't have to worry about bungee straps anymore.

For the times I need more luggage space I have plans to make another rack to carry 2 bags on either side of the seat using the same t-slot mount. I think this is the ideal position for bags on this bike. It looks much better than a rack sticking out the back.

Hope this helps any T50 riders solve their luggage issues. Happy riding!

Jim

Excellent lateral thinking, AND construction of the frame!
+ It looks as though it was designed to fit!

 

[benphyr]

@JerseyJim Do you ever have any trouble getting it to hitch on? From the photo it appears as though the bag might run into the seat support before you can get it on the mount. Also, I had a time when I was using a bag with those kind of hooks (and granted I had it way, way, way overloaded) and it slipped sideways just enough for one side to slip off then pulled the other side off and dumped bag and milk that was in it all over the road. Do you ever have it rub on your fender? My bag sometimes does that and has rubbed a place part way through the fender. What are your thoughts?

 

[JerseyJim]

Excellent lateral thinking, AND construction of the frame!
+ It looks as though it was designed to fit!

Thank you very much, Slim. I appreciate it.

 

[rx7mark]

Good idea! I did something similar with a seat post bag. You can check it out in the T50 forum in the post titled "Another option for a seat pack for the T50" mine used straps, but works well, and I use it when my Bent cycle aero bag is not enough storage.

Mark

 

[JerseyJim]

@JerseyJim Do you ever have any trouble getting it to hitch on? From the photo it appears as though the bag might run into the seat support before you can get it on the mount. Also, I had a time when I was using a bag with those kind of hooks (and granted I had it way, way, way overloaded) and it slipped sideways just enough for one side to slip off then pulled the other side off and dumped bag and milk that was in it all over the road. Do you ever have it rub on your fender? My bag sometimes does that and has rubbed a place part way through the fender. What are your thoughts?

The bottom hook is the hardest part of mounting it but it just takes a bit of practice to get it in the slot gap. Once you do it seats itself and then you just push the top hooks up onto the top bar of the frame. The seat struts don't interfere. since the bag is soft you have some leeway.

Other panniers will fit and the stabilizer hooks on those bags will vary. They will still work and may be easier to mount. The magic number is 14 inches for the bag height. As long as you're below that it should mount just fine.

I have never had the bag slip off once it is mounted. It has shifted but because the frame is within the down turned edge of the seat, the hook got to the corner of the frame and stayed put. When i noticed it I just centered it again. If that hook had come completely off, the other hook could not follow in the same direction as it would be stopped by the t-slot from going past the middle of the frame. With the bottom hook, and one top hook fully engaged it won't come off the bike. You have to physically push the bag up to disengage both hooks at once.

The bag doesn't interfere with the fender. The lower hook does a good job keeping the bottom of the bag snugged up against the seat. It can't really move too far because of that. The weight of the bag is supported mainly by the top hooks and the bottom hook pulls the bag in. You can't see it well from the photos but the bag isn't sitting on the bike frame tube. There's a little gap. The bag is truly suspended from the frame on the seat back.

Now since the whole rig is on the t-slot you can adjust the bag to sit higher or lower. So if you want the bike frame to take some of the bag you can do that.

Keep in mind that this is a prototype/proof of concept design. I'm open to ideas that will make it better. I will say that so far I've commuted with it and I did a century ride with a water filled Camelback, tools, phone and snacks in the bag and it worked perfectly.

 

[JerseyJim]

Good idea! I did something similar with a seat post bag. You can check it out in the T50 forum in the post titled "Another option for a seat pack for the T50" mine used straps, but works well, and I use it when my Bent cycle aero bag is not enough storage.

Mark

Thanks, Mark! I think I saw your idea when I was brainstorming. I had 2 things in mind; I wanted a way to attach things to the back of the seat that was modular and bungee-free and one of those things had to be a bag. You could say the t-slot is the main accessory and the pannier frame is the first application. I plan on designing more solutions around the t-slot mount.

 

[Maria Parker]

This is really clever Jersey Jim. Thanks for sharing.

 

[JerseyJim]

This is really clever Jersey Jim. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you very much, Maria! I appreciate it.

BTW, I enjoyed meeting you at the 2016 Philadelphia Bike Show demo. That was my first time on a Cruzbike after riding other recumbents for years. That experience definitely influenced my purchase.

 

[McWheels]

I think it looks excellent. For that seat angle there might be mods possible, like rings on bars that pivot to hold different width pannier mounts, but none I can think of that are really needed.
I think the next step is what does a fully kitted out rack-bag Cruzbike look like?
Moose pack, Scarab bag, tail box, banana bag(s), top tube bag on the boom, and something along the void under the mainframe.

I've just got a rack.

 

[JerseyJim]

I think it looks excellent. For that seat angle there might be mods possible, like rings on bars that pivot to hold different width pannier mounts, but none I can think of that are really needed.
I think the next step is what does a fully kitted out rack-bag Cruzbike look like?
Moose pack, Scarab bag, tail box, banana bag(s), top tube bag on the boom, and something along the void under the mainframe.

I've just got a rack.

Thanks, McWheels! The beauty of the t-slot is that you can fit whatever you want in there. Dream it up and as long as you have some bolts you can attach it. Since the t-slot takes up the existing center bottle mount holes, you can make a double or triple water bottle mount to go on the t-slot when you're not carrying a bag back there. I like your idea of a flexible mounting system for different sized bags. There's also some bikepacking gear you could fit like the Salsa Anything Cage or the Cleveland Mountaineering Everything Bag.

The only thing I'd say is that if you're going to mount something very heavy you probably should drill another hole in the seat for another mounting bolt through the channel. That would make it extra sturdy. When I designed it I only wanted to use the factory seat holes so I could go back to stock configuration with no damage to the seat if it didn't work out. It's also easier if someone wants to try to do their own. All the real work is done on the parts you're going to add and not your bike.

 

[Rod Butler]

Very neat execution of a good idea. I like the the look of the bike as well. Stealth black and red rims...nice!

 

[JerseyJim]

Very neat execution of a good idea. I like the the look of the bike as well. Stealth black and red rims...nice!

Hey, Thanks Rod! Much appreciated. Got lucky with the rims - eBay special. The black did need a bit of color. There's at least one other T50 owner that did the same. I added the red brake levers for a bit more pop.

If you decide to add the pannier mount, be sure to post here. It would be good to know if anyone made use of the idea.