Quick Tip #2 - a Stylish Yet Affordable Locking Bicycle Trunk
7855 Views, 10 Favorites, 0 Comments
Quick Tip #2 - a Stylish Yet Affordable Locking Bicycle Trunk
Many people approach me about the trunks i have on my bike so quick tip number 2
Use a Scooter trunk found at your local scooter shop or Swap shop or Online
as a stylish yet affordable locking trunck for your bike.
Cost - anywhere from $15 to $35 or so per box... depending of course on the style, make, model of the one you want.
They come in a variety of styles and colors and are easily mounted to either post rack or standard rack systems.
Shown first is a larger trunck box with a base mounted on my Silver e-bike's post mount rack.
another is the Black slim line model i put on my standard bike which has a standard rack sytem.
Mounting the Box
Mounting is easy as all new Scooter trunk boxes come with mounting hardware which should include nuts and bolts as well as a bar system to attach the box with.
Depending on where you purchace yours it should but not always will come with a plastic shock base for mounting the box directly to as outlined in the photo in red on my Silver E-bike. You then mount the whole thing to your rack system.
My Black Trunk Box - did not come with this base however and had to be mounted directly to the rack and I'll show you a little more on how that is done though keep in mind, this is not rocket science we are discussing here... anyone can do this and figure it out
- it's that simple.
Though the mounting hardware may be slightly different depening on the box you get. Mounting them is pretty much the same no matter which bicycle rack you have - ether post mount or standard rack system.
However is is good to note here that if you are going to be purchacing a rack to go with your Scooter Trunk - make sure the bolts can attach - that there is a place to run them through or you be drilling them out if not. A Schinn post moount i looked at recently did not have and space to run the bolts though along the main frame of the rack. So i just looked for another style.
As well make sure you pick up a rack that can hold at least 20lbs when choosing a post mount system just to be safe.
Depending on where you purchace yours it should but not always will come with a plastic shock base for mounting the box directly to as outlined in the photo in red on my Silver E-bike. You then mount the whole thing to your rack system.
My Black Trunk Box - did not come with this base however and had to be mounted directly to the rack and I'll show you a little more on how that is done though keep in mind, this is not rocket science we are discussing here... anyone can do this and figure it out
- it's that simple.
Though the mounting hardware may be slightly different depening on the box you get. Mounting them is pretty much the same no matter which bicycle rack you have - ether post mount or standard rack system.
However is is good to note here that if you are going to be purchacing a rack to go with your Scooter Trunk - make sure the bolts can attach - that there is a place to run them through or you be drilling them out if not. A Schinn post moount i looked at recently did not have and space to run the bolts though along the main frame of the rack. So i just looked for another style.
As well make sure you pick up a rack that can hold at least 20lbs when choosing a post mount system just to be safe.
Weather Proofing Your Trunk Box.
Once mounted you have one more step to take... Weather proofing it.
Thats right most of these inexpesive but handy trunk boxes don't come weather proofed - i don't know why but they don't.
And they leak like crazy through the screw holes in the top as well as you'll get water in though the mounting holes if you don't take steps to prevent this.
But that is easy enough.
I used as you can see - Neopreme fused washers and a dab of silcone each. A dab i say - not a glob of silcone.
A little dab will do you. besides you'll want to remove these screws in the future to add led lights to the reflectors possibly in the future or replace a broken reflector if need be.
A word of caution - do not over tighten the screws when putting them back in! They will break or strip out fairly easily if too much torch is applied - go comfortably tight - then a quater turn is all. Just snug them up and then a tad more is all!
Thats right most of these inexpesive but handy trunk boxes don't come weather proofed - i don't know why but they don't.
And they leak like crazy through the screw holes in the top as well as you'll get water in though the mounting holes if you don't take steps to prevent this.
But that is easy enough.
I used as you can see - Neopreme fused washers and a dab of silcone each. A dab i say - not a glob of silcone.
A little dab will do you. besides you'll want to remove these screws in the future to add led lights to the reflectors possibly in the future or replace a broken reflector if need be.
A word of caution - do not over tighten the screws when putting them back in! They will break or strip out fairly easily if too much torch is applied - go comfortably tight - then a quater turn is all. Just snug them up and then a tad more is all!