Wednesday, September 21, 2011

furoshiki + toe-straps = veloshiki?


one of the never-ending searches of the
bike nerd is
the perfect portaging configuration.
combining my love of Japanese culture 
with my love of
traditional bike technology
has lead to a surprisingly effective solution
to the problem of carrying my kendo uniform to training


the package is about 350 x 250 x 200mm
weight about 3 kg
too big to fit in my backpack which already
has a laptop


the furoshiki in this case is 100% polyester
and secured with two knots.
it takes two toe straps joined together to wrap around the load.




a fifth toe strap is used around the seat post and the load straps.




pros –
stylish
simple
cheap
home-made
requires no racks or supports
totally portable from bike to bike
removes completely from bike in seconds
load is secure and doesn't interfere with rider, brakes or wheel
(especially if you have mudguards)
works on bikes with no frame eyelets
no need for dangerous elastic or rubber straps

cons –
a little fiddly to set up the first time
small amount of load-movement affects bike balance

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