16 February 2008

basil bern basket review.

So here it is, the long awaited basket review. As you can see, it looks pretty nice on the bike:


Overall, I'd say it's a great basket. The install was easy and I love that if I'm just going out to cruise around, I can take it off and ride a little lighter. The problem of it not being fixed to the bike by hardware is that it has a tendency to swing around a bit when one is headed downhill with a load. As you can see (kind of) from the picture, that can mean that the bike can swing into the cords and one of them has come loose a couple times, which is scary shit. So you definitely have to be careful in how you balance your load. I've found that putting my fat bastard lock on the rear rack generally cuts down on the interference with the cables and allows me to have more control over the bike.

This is what a typical load looks like-- bag filled with books, water bottle, snacks, standard purse paraphernalia and the newest addition to my security system. The
bag is definitely ideal because it scrunches down so you don't loose headlight visibility. Ultimately I love just being able to drop my stuff in and ride, instead of all the hassle with bungee cords and whatnot on the rear rack. And the styling is nice enough that it doesn't take too much away from the design of the bike-- though I admit I wish the basket came in chrome because that would be awesome. What the pictures don't show is how nicely reinforced it is on the bottom-- the underside of the basket has three bars similar to what you'd see on a cargo bike, but not as huge.Here you can see how it hooks on at the top and then there's a curved piece of metal to grip onto the stem at the bottom.

1 comment:

zippitydodah said...

Thanks for the review. I have been considering this basket as a place to keep DSLR camera and odds and ends for commuting to work. Nice to see quality photos of the basket on your bike. I probably spend way more time looking at front basket options then I ought as I could just as easily buy a few baskets and be done with the looking. The function-ability of Biking accessories so important to the bike commuter. Thanks