Introduction: Bucket Panniers on a Wire for Bicycle Cargo Hauling on a Tight Budget
Materials:
Bucket of desired shape and size or what ever you can find that has a large enough lip on the top to hold the wire.
Wire long enough to go completely around a round bucket a little over two times or once around a square bucket. Small wire can be braded to make a sturdy enough bucket wire.
Optional Materials:
A lid for the bucket.
Plastic hose with an inside diameter close to the same size as the gage of the wire.
Stickers for personalizing your bucket, we recommend reflective stickers, check out BiciConeX.com for a variety of reflective sticker designs.
Tools:
Wire cutter
Optional tools:
Computer and internet service(unless some one printed these instructions and forgot to erase this line) Note to people printing these instructions please erase this line so people don’t think they need to find a computer in order to complete the project.
Sand paper, file, grinder, or concrete.
Pliers.
A piece of string.
Step 1: Steps
To approximate how much wire is needed rap the string around the bucket 2 ½ times for round and once for square.Or if you didn’t get the optional string just guess by rolling the bucket along the wire.Remember it is always easier to cut off a little if it is to long than it is to add a little if it is too short.
Cut the wire.Be careful the cut ends are sharp and should be sanded with the sand paper, filed with the file, ground with the grinder or caressed with the concrete to dull the sharp ends.
Step 2: Bending Wire for Bucket Panniers
Optional.Slide hose over ends of wire to protect finish or rack or handle bars.
Step 3: Mounting the Bucket
Hold the bucket and wire snugly against bike rack or handle bars, or where ever you prefer to mount your bucket and bend the wires down around the rack.
Optional. Decorate bucket with stickers or spray paint.We recommend covering spray paint artwork with a clear sticker and only doing a thin coat, otherwise the whole thing will peal off.
Check out BiciConeX.com to get our reflective sticker, or the whole package if you like our design, but don't want to make it your self!
Step 4: Using a BiciConeX Factory-bent Wire:
With the other hand lower the bucket into the wire while pulling up slightly on wire and pushing down on bucket.
For first time Bucket Pannier installation bend wire ends with bucket installed on rack to custom fit the wire to your rack.Wires not bent ¾ away around rack or handle bars may come loose.BiciConex does not fully bend the wire hanger because not all racks are the same and because some people put their Bucket Panniers on the handle bars we don’t fully bend the wires.
Optional:
For heavy buckets first place wire on rack, with two hands lift bucket on to bike rack.Balance the bucket with one hand while lifting the wire with the other.Slide the bucket into the wire and ease down while keeping bike steady.
To remove bucket on upright bike push wire down while pulling bucket up.
Use wire as handle:
Slide end of wire up into slot on bucket, not through whole that a standard handle fits into.The wire hanger can easily be pushed back out.
BiciConeX Bucket wires have also been used to; fix chain that fell off, as a drum stick to hit the bucket, and as a device to retrieve things that are out of reach.
Step 5: Using the Standard Lid:
To remove lid start at mid-edge between corners of lid, arrows may appear on lid.Then pull up at corners and remove lid.For easy to remove lid cut corner lips, however this will compromise water tightness and may make the lid too lose.
To install lid partially for easy removal push only at 4 mid-edges not at corners.
Step 6: Handle Bar Bucket Pannier
The Handle Bar Bucket is made out of a new 1 gallon food grade plastic bucket with a new Zink plated wire hanger and new lid.The standard Handel Bar Bucket is decorated with a 3 ¾” x 3 ¾” reflective sticker.
The Handel Bar Bucket fits on most bike handle bars, however some brake cables don’t allow enough room for the bucket.A bike shop might be able to adjust placement of brake levers and shifters to fit the Handel Bar Bucket.If you are not completely satisfied return the bucket for a refund, buyer pays shipping.
Don’t let the name stop you form putting the Handel Bar Bucket on the rack as well!
The Sound Bucket also called the Boom Bucket has 2 wholes drilled in the bottom and a strap for using with a small speaker device.The sound bucket is not completely water tight, but your music player will stay drier in the bucket than out.The Sound Bucket still has plenty of space to store other things.
The Story of BiciConeX Bucket Panniers
By Woodsin Joseph
I am not the first person to hook a bucket to my bike, or the first to try to sell buckets as a bicycle pannier, but I have come up with simple secure system.I saw how other people hooked buckets onto their bikes and tried to copy them, but I wanted something that is stable, easy to remove and doesn’t compromise the bucket by drilling wholes.One day I got the idea, all it takes to hold a bucket on my bike rack is a simple bent wire!
Step 7: The Story of BiciConeX Bucket Panniers
By Woodsin Joseph
I am not the first person to hook a bucket to my bike, or the first to try to sell buckets as a bicycle pannier, but I have come up with simple secure system.I saw how other people hooked buckets onto their bikes and tried to copy them, but I wanted something that is stable, easy to remove and doesn’t compromise the bucket by drilling wholes.One day I got the idea, all it takes to hold a bucket on my bike rack is a simple bent wire!
Step 8: Bucket Uses From the Obvious to the Obscure:
- Bucket Kick Stand
- Storage that is watertight, rodent resistant for anything that you can fit in the bucket.
- Furniture, one for a short chair 2 for a stool, or a table, cutting board and the kitchen sink!
- Gardening with bucket planters, watering, harvesting and transportation of plants.
- Music by banging on your bucket like a bongo or a beat box.
- Business, sell flowers, wash windows get your messenger bag off your back.
- Transportation when attached to a bike, take a bucket on the road!
