dbyrne
New Member
alt="Bike buckets for Quest"
alt="closeup of underseat attachment"
I used these bike buckets on a week-long tour in June and will be starting a month-long trip in November from St Paul to New Orleans: www.crazyguyonabike.com/dbyrne
The Gamma Seal Lid makes any 5-gallon bucket (also 4 or 7 gal) watertight and airtight, available at hardware stores. No rack is needed. I drilled holes in the seat pan and seat back (4 total), and installed a bolt, wingnut and part of an 1/8" wire rope clip (the part that is not a U-bolt). That holds the bucket's wire handle tight, which had to be bent in an odd shape to fit under the seat. I also mounted a padded spacer between the buckets bolted to the water bottle cage threads in the bike frame under the seat. It is made of a galvanized steel joist hanger covered with padding and taped. Its purpose is to prevent swaying and to push the buckets apart and up under the seat, resulting in a ground clearance of 6". A new bucket and lid costs about $10 at Home Depot and their color matches my Quest. Two bike buckets, Gamma Seal Lids and hardware will cost about $25. That is about a tenth the price of Ortlieb panniers and a rack.
The recumbent advantage for touring is the ability to increase stability by carrying your gear low and centered, where the pedals would be on a "normal" bike. I witnessed the opposite following a German cyclist on a "normal" bike, touring with no panniers. All his gear was on top of the rear rack: high and off-center. He wobbled dangerously going downhill!
Behind the right-side bucket is a sling pack hung on a 2" bolt I attached to the rear rack. That's the pack I use on day trips and keep valuables in for long trips as it's quick to remove every time I stop.
I used these bike buckets on a week-long tour in June and will be starting a month-long trip in November from St Paul to New Orleans: www.crazyguyonabike.com/dbyrne
The Gamma Seal Lid makes any 5-gallon bucket (also 4 or 7 gal) watertight and airtight, available at hardware stores. No rack is needed. I drilled holes in the seat pan and seat back (4 total), and installed a bolt, wingnut and part of an 1/8" wire rope clip (the part that is not a U-bolt). That holds the bucket's wire handle tight, which had to be bent in an odd shape to fit under the seat. I also mounted a padded spacer between the buckets bolted to the water bottle cage threads in the bike frame under the seat. It is made of a galvanized steel joist hanger covered with padding and taped. Its purpose is to prevent swaying and to push the buckets apart and up under the seat, resulting in a ground clearance of 6". A new bucket and lid costs about $10 at Home Depot and their color matches my Quest. Two bike buckets, Gamma Seal Lids and hardware will cost about $25. That is about a tenth the price of Ortlieb panniers and a rack.
The recumbent advantage for touring is the ability to increase stability by carrying your gear low and centered, where the pedals would be on a "normal" bike. I witnessed the opposite following a German cyclist on a "normal" bike, touring with no panniers. All his gear was on top of the rear rack: high and off-center. He wobbled dangerously going downhill!
Behind the right-side bucket is a sling pack hung on a 2" bolt I attached to the rear rack. That's the pack I use on day trips and keep valuables in for long trips as it's quick to remove every time I stop.
