Review: Basil Cesa Luxe basket

[NbyNW]

This is a great alternative to the backpack I've been using . . .

This basket clips to the top of your rear rack. It's great for quick trips to the neighborhood grocery, and holds quite a bit. Today it carried for me: a half gallon of milk, a quart of almond milk, umpteen things of yogurt, bunch of bananas, two bottles of contact lens solution, bag of dishwasher tablets, pens, a toothbrush . . . you get the idea.

The clip is very easy on/off, so I could take it into the store with me.

It's also a good solution for anyone who has heel-strike issues with rear panniers. The pictures below show it on my Dahon SpeedPRo TT, which has 20" wheels and a low rack. The mounting rails on my rack are also only 8" long, so I wasn't sure if a side-mount basket would fit, much less have fore/aft adjustment.

Fully loaded, my bike felt a bit top heavy while standing still, but I didn't notice any issues once I got moving.

For those of you in the Seattle area, I picked mine up at Gregg's Green Lake. On Basil's website, it's at http://www.basil.nl/gb/assortment/ and then you have to scroll about halfway down . . . . sorry I can't figure out how to link directly to the individual product.

[KnottedYet]

Oooh, I like it!
What a great idea for a folder! I was wondering (as I was lusting after yet another bike) how I could possibly carry stuff on the rear rack of a folder, and there's the solution right there.

('cept I promised my fiancee I wouldn't buy any more bikes for now. sigh...)

[mimitabby]

It looks heavy. Is it? Plus the chickens could fly out? :confused:

I like the fact that it has a handle. (wondering if i could get it on my rack too)

[NbyNW]

According to my kitchen scale, it weighs 2 lbs., 14 and 7/8 oz.

I stretched one of those little cargo nets made out of bungee cord across the top, to keep everything secure.

The clips are spring-mounted, so I think they should be compatible with most racks.

Knot -- congratulations on your engagement!

Re: folders and rear racks, check out the Athlete System EasyFix QuickRack with Quick release, about 2/3 of the way down this page:
http://www.thorusa.com/pletscher.htm

It provides a little more vertical clearance for panniers, but for me I felt it was a little fussy.

I use a small Arkel pannier, designed for a front rack, for my commute. It's big enough for a change of clothes, lunch, and a few gadgets. The Arkel mounting system allows me to adjust how far forward/back the bag sits. It's not perfect, though. The hook at the bottom, if you know Arkel bags, doesn't really have anything to hook onto on my bike. So I just slip a short bungee cord through my rear triangle and wrap it around the bag in order to keep the bottom part of the bag secure. If anyone's interested, I'll post a picture. But I'll have to take a picture first.

Here are some more cargo options, if one is touring/packing light. I'm not sure if I see myself doing this, but it's good to know that it can be done:
http://www.gaerlan.com/dahon/bag.htm

[Geonz]

I like it too! I stuck a bag on my Speed P8 but it keeps sliding forward and I keep kicking it.