Chris makes slats for VO Porteur racks. They really look nice. He also has a lovely old Atala.
We get a lot of e-mails from folks saying they really like the Porteur Rack, probably more than about any other product. I wonder if we should also make a bigger version?
Yo yo yo, make one to hold a large pie and you'll have them on every pizza delivery bike in NYC.
ReplyDeleteif you made one to hold an entire case of beer securely I would buy several
ReplyDeleteA "slat kit" so that the less carpentry inclined among us could give our porteur racks a similar treatment would probably be a big hit.
ReplyDeleteIf there could be one thing I would add to the porteur rack, it'd be some provision for mounting to canti studs or lowrider bosses. The rack is awfully flexible laterally when mounted just with the eyelets and fork mount. I cobbled together some canti stud attachments with p-clamps and steel flat stock and it works great, but it's sort of junky-looking. An integrated solution like the Nitto Campee front rack has would be wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI agree with anon 5:44. I have the VO porteur rack, and although I mostly love it, it does sway a bit too much because of the single brake attachment. This is with 14 lbs of gear. I'm considering getting a fork with rack studs located on the crown shoulder and using P-clamps.
ReplyDeleteI really like the rack, but THE BLOG is what is TRULY INTERESTING.
ReplyDeleteNow this is a man.
Thanks for the link!!!
Owen
A slat kit would be nice. If a kit won't be offered (and Chris isn't selling them himself) a how-to would be great. Mrs Dibbly cringes anytime I start messing about with paints, stains, or varnishes.
ReplyDeleteIf VO does offer a larger porteur rack (and I think it's a good idea), please don't discontinue the current size. Add'l mounting points would be welcome for the "regular" as well as for a future "large" rack.
Definitely bigger. I would have already jumped the gun if it weren't for it being only 42cm narrow. Need something for my duffel back commute.
ReplyDeleteI want to try it out, but I'm not positive it would fit/mount properly, and I just can't afford to shell out the money to try it.
ReplyDeleteOne main question: I run caliper brakes on my bike (single mounting bolt through the fork crown) - would I still be able to mount the rack?
YES! Bigger! I usually carry my messenger bag on the rack, but I struggle to stretch a bungee net over it all to hold my bag down. I wish I could just lay my bag in it as if it was a large basket, like the Wald Woody rack.
ReplyDeleteSo I made my own "outboard" rail attachment by bending matching stainless tubing into a rail that sat out a few inches more on all sides than your rail, essentially making it a large basket. My prototype lasted for a few months of daily use, but eventually it got loose and I went back to the standard rail.
If there was a larger rack, I'd find an excuse to buy it.
I'll have to send you a picture of the carbon fiber slats I have on my porteur. I ran my slats parallel to the rack tubing, so they sit down between the tubing, instead of above. But those wood slats you pictured are awfully handsome! I'm still not sure if the carbon fiber is my taste, but it always draws attention...
YES! Bigger! I usually carry my messenger bag on the rack, but I struggle to stretch a bungee net over it all to hold my bag down. I wish I could just lay my bag in it as if it was a large basket, like the Wald Woody rack.
ReplyDeleteSo I made my own "outboard" rail attachment by bending matching stainless tubing into a rail that sat out a few inches more on all sides than your rail, essentially making it a large basket. My prototype lasted for a few months of daily use, but eventually it got loose and I went back to the standard rail.
If there was a larger rack, I'd find an excuse to buy it.
I'll have to send you a picture of the carbon fiber slats I have on my porteur. I ran my slats parallel to the rack tubing, so they sit down between the tubing, instead of above. But those wood slats you pictured are awfully handsome! I'm still not sure if the carbon fiber is my taste, but it always draws attention...
I once toured with a basket and it was a bit of a revelation; very versatile. Just lash your (waterproof) stuff with bungee cords and have it instantly accessible. The basket supports wouldn't play nice with lowriders, though, so I skipped those, losing some total capacity.
ReplyDeleteSo I'm thinking: Would a pannier bar make sense on the porteur rack? Perhaps removable? As long as it's high enough you wouldn't need to add additional support for the bottom of the pannier - still works fine weight-distribution-wise, I think.
The Porteur rack can fit panniers without too much fussing.
ReplyDeleteAnd it will fit bikes with caliper brakes, but you may need to be a little creative in routing the strut above or below the caliper.
I have not purchased the P-rack yet because of the triangular mounting. I have another rack with similar mounts that just wobbled around. My solution was to install braze-ons into the fork crown and use rear rack stays between the fork and rack. This set-up is nowhere near an elegant solution, but the single top mount is an issue.
ReplyDeleteI have not purchased the P-rack yet because of the triangular mounting. I have another rack with similar mounts that just wobbled around. My solution was to install braze-ons into the fork crown and use rear rack stays between the fork and rack. This set-up is nowhere near an elegant solution, but the single top mount is an issue.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it would be possible to drill a couple of holes in the fork crown of my Polyvalent and use a tap to add M5 threads so that I could create some additional mount points. Hmmm....
ReplyDeleteI'd say it needs to be axle mounted for a bit more stability. another idea is to have that plus rando mounts, which could screw-in on the vo rando / similar braze-on fork, or use p-clamps. again this would just make it more stable. I feel like the rack itself is very strong, but the actual connection to the frame is weak.
ReplyDelete@Tom: I guess you're right.
ReplyDeletePierce: We designed the porteur rack to fit as many bikes as possible so opted for a a center mount up top and eyelet mounts at bottom. If we went with fork crown or rando rack mounts, we would limit the fitting to our forks, Kogswell forks and a few obscure french constucteurs. Axle mounts would preclude the use of quick release style hubs or have an overly complex lower fitting that needs to mate to the dropout fairly accurately, and we would have to include an extra long front skewer. Of course it could be done, but it would not be a $160 rack anymore. It would be much more expensive.
ReplyDeleteThe concerns of stiffness are shared with all stock cargo racks (VO, CETMA, Pass and Stow, Minoura, etc). And all of these are more stable than a basket. DIY improvements can be made. Unless we specifically design a rack to fit your exact bike and component configuration its pretty tough to have a perfect one size fits all deal. And it would fall into a 'custom' rack which, once again, is not going to be cheap.
Tom: You make good points about standards. I would have probably done the same. Having said that, though, perhaps it is time for VO to acknowledge its position as a leader in this small but emerging market and come up with a standard that others can make bikes & racks to fit. Somebody has to do it. Why not VO?
ReplyDeleteI have found 2 companies making bags specifically for the VO Porteur Rack:
ReplyDeleteSwuft Industries:
http://www.builtbyswift.com/products/6
Laplander Bags (who make a couple of different bags for this rack):
http://laplanderbags.com/Home.html
If it's relevant to anyone, I had my VO Porteur rack modded so that it ties in to the top of the fork crown, on both sides. It makes it much, much more bombproof. It wasn't all that expensive, but on the other hand there's no "one size fits all" solution that would work on different bikes so you can't expect that VO can magically solve this. It just takes careful measuring, then a visit to a welder capable of doing SS. You can drill and thread the fork crown yourself -- not hard to do and there's plenty of meat there for the threads.
ReplyDeleteIf there was a way to post a picture here, I would.
Last post on this subject, I promise, but I want to get this here so if anyone searches, they find this....
ReplyDeleteI found a 3rd company currently making bags for the Porteur front rack, Inside Line Equipment:
http://ilequipment.com/rackbag
Correction of previous post: "Swuft" should be "Swift", of course.
I think there's a pl;ace for both the curent, and perhaps a larger version of the rack. Also, I think I speak for many of us here when I say we'd love to have a wicker/wood/reed basket, something like the old Baker's Basket, that would fit snugly onto the Porteur Rack in either the current size, or a larger one.
ReplyDeleteHey there.. this is Chris - the guy making the Portuer rack slats. Thanks for the complimnents. I currently have sets online (eBay - item 110690216943) if anyone wants one & I'll even consider custom colors like ebony or red stain. I'm currently toying with artifical weathering, distressed plank look.
ReplyDeleteI think wood stuff looks great on rando/constructeur bikes... how about some beautiful VO wooden fenders?!
thanks & take care,
-Chris
chris_ginsburg@hotmail.com
Black Lodge (Chris) has fine hardwood custom slat sets for the VO Porteur rack.
ReplyDeletewww.blacklodgestudio.com
UV-resistant, weatherprrof & lightweight, functional & beautiful!
The website blacklodgestudio.com no longer exists. Chris are you still making the wooden slats for the VO Porteur Rack?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know where I can buy the wooden slat kit? Have turned up dead ends so far! Cheers
ReplyDelete