Old to New Bike Trunk

On a recent trip to the library, Virginia was wishing she had a basket on her new bike. The old one, still in service (though not reliably so), had a trusty front-mounted one.

Vintage Dunelt Bike

Though equipped with a rack, the new bike was clearly lacking the personality and utility of the vintage Dunelt. So, she came up with a brainstorm that just so happens to be a—if I may say so—perfect solution.

I ran to the hardware store for $5 worth of brackets, nuts and bolts, and down to the basement for a few scraps of an old inner tube for placing between the rack and the brackets (don’t want any squeaks when riding), and the actual box.

Old Wine Box Bike Trunk

We happened to have a couple of these old wine boxes (one of the local wine shops was giving them away a few years ago… you never know when you might need one, right?). I busted out the sander, smoothed down some of the rough edges, drilled a couple of holes and now she has this:

Old Wine Box Bike Trunk

It happens to be the perfect size for transporting a lunch, a bunch of books, her u-lock and helmet (although, the helmet stays on her head during the ride, but it still fits).

Old Wine Box Bike Trunk

And, best of all, it comes with a sliding top to keep everything secure.

Old Wine Box Bike Trunk

I know you can buy much lighter, much more waterproof versions of these bike trunks (and most of them start at $75 or more). You can’t go wrong with a solidly built pine box that you got for free and a few bucks for some hardware. Plus, it just looks cool.

Old Wine Box Bike Trunk

I’m not sure about the wine, though. It’s not one we’ve tried before. We might have to after this, what with all that free advertising.

Gone With the Wind

I’ve taken a crash course (thanks in part to this guy) in bike maintenance these last 24 hours. The reason being I found something on Craigslist (always the danger) I could not pass up:

Zebrakenko Wind

This lovely two wheeler has been sitting relatively unused for the past thirty-plus years. It’s a Japanese-made bike (a Zebrakenko “Wind,” to be precise) with many, if not all, original parts.

Zebrakenko Wind

I like the simplicity of design, with a couple of embellishments like this head badge:

Zebrakenko Wind - Head Badge

Since it’s been sitting around so long, it’s going to need a little rejuvenation. Hence the crash course in, specifically, rear derailleur adjustment. And, for things that I’m not able to do (like truing the wheels), we’re a hop skip and a jump from our local bike shop.

Zebrakenko Wind

It’s still high biking season, and with all the commuting I’ve been doing on my city bike, I’m looking forward to some road biking, unencumbered by my pannier full of clothes and lunch.