I got into biking once again this year after having rode one in Baguio last December. That experience brought back childhood memories of when I used to bike around my Huffy BMX that my father bought me. So as soon as I got back, I decided to get one for myself.
I’m just a casual rider and use bikes to go to our neighborhood mall, hardware shop, and banks. I don’t bike primarily to exercise or for any athletic reasons. I just bike out of leisure and just because it’s fun and at the same time just functional. I also do mostly ride during early mornings for some long distances just to get the blood rushing and just plainly because it’s fun. I also have another smaller foldable bike for bi-modal commuting which I think I would write about next time.
My bike is a 20” foldable Japan-made off-road bike. It has all the bells and whistles of a basic bike but one thing it didn’t come with was a basket, which I later found out I needed to use myself for lugging stuff around.
Of course, since I‘m sporting a rugged bike, getting those aftermarket girly baskets were out of the question, steel or wood ones :)
I then found out this PDW Takeout Basket had the perfect industrial heavy duty look that would go well with mine. I found about this cool looking basket when I got the DangerZone tail light a while back.
Takeout Basket Specs:
- Conveniently carry a six pack of bottles, five burritos, three chinchillas or an extra layer of clothing
- Fits 25.4-31.8mm handlebars (even fits between drop bars)
- Waterproof roll top bag clips securely into basket
- Eyelet for attaching light mount
- Integrated u-lock carrying slot
- Rugged light weight 10 mm alloy tubes
- Rack weight w/o bag 500 grams
- Inside of basket: 155mm x 255mm x 105mm
Included with the basket is this waterproof roll-up bag. I initially thought that the bag would just be an afterthought addition but I was wrong.
The bag is also made from heavy duty materials (same as Timbuk2 ballistic nylon’s) with a tarpulin-like interior lining. It can hold wet and dry items inside and can accommodate varying sizes thanks to the roll-up feature.
These are the parts that would go into your bike and the basket. The 4 curved shims on the right are for 25.4/26.0mm diameter handlebars. You don’t need to use them for 31.8mm diameter handlebars.
Installation was relatively easy. I just had to undo and loosen the brakes for a while so that I could have ample space to position it. Installing it with the front of the basket pointing up should be the easiest way. Just avoid tightening it too much so you could still slide it down and then do the final adjustments.
In fold-mode, this is what it looks like. It adds a little bit of weight of course but not too much. Only addition would be the extra space this would take in your car’s trunk.
This is what the finish version looks like. The glossy black blends nicely to the overall frame adding function and style. I really like how it turned out.
The Portland Design Works Takeout Handlebar Basket retails for $120 (around 5,400 pesos.) They now have other bag options on their website - Adventure and Waxed Canvas Edition.
Just to note for anyone wondering. This bike doesn’t have mounting holes for bottle holders. This is just a velcro strap with mounting holes. The brand is Two Fish Quick Cage Adapter. Pretty much most of the stuff mounted in this bike are powered by Velcro :)