Bike Pannier (front & Rear)

Driving a bike is better for the environment than driving a car. But what if you have to carry a lot?
Therefor a pannier could be handy.

In this instructable we are going to create 1 front- and 2 rear-wheel panniers.


This instructable is part of a system called Coffee Cycle:
Biodegradable flower pots out of coffee grounds!
Coffee grounds collector
Burlap sack for bicycle basket


Tell me more about the Coffee Cycle project!

Step 1: Preparation

Make a drawing of the box you want to make and collect all the materials you need.

Here:
- Wire frame 150x100cm with a 5cm spacing between the wire mesh
- Plier/wire cutter
- Straight piece of wood
- Measuring tape
- Plastic straps (not pictured)

Step 2: Dimensions

Tape off the needed dimensions on the frame.
- Make use of the borders to obtain a nice border on the top of the box.
- Make sure there are lengths of wire at the sides which you can twist around to attach to another side.

Step 3: Cutting the Frame

Cut the frame to the desired dimensions. If you want a serie of boxes with the same size, you can use this one as a template.

Step 4: BendBend

Start with bending the four sides of the box and bend the base as the last.
Put the piece of wood equal with the bend line en bend the first side over the wood in an angle of 90ᵒ.
Do the same for the second and third bend.
To bend the base you have to put the piece of wood through the two sides and make sure the wood is equal with the bend line of the base. Now bend the base in an angle of 90ᵒ.

Step 5: Attach

Twist the ends of the wires to attach to the other sides.
Now you have a box to attach to the bicycle rack.
Repeat all steps to create a second box.

Step 6: Cut Out the Front Box and Bend

With the rest of the frame you can make a box to hang onto the handlebar (6x16 squares).
Bend a front and backside.

Step 7: Sides

Cut out two sides and make the cuts so that lengths of wire are left to attach the sides to the base.
Make sure the sides are lower than the front and the back.

Step 8: Attach

Twist the ends of the wires to attach to the base, front and backside.

Step 9: Finish

Cut the front of the box so that the front is one square higher than the sides. This row now can be bend over to have a smooth border to prevent injuries.
Cut the backside so that there remain two strips. These strips will serve as an attachment to the handlebar.

Step 10: Install

Hold the front box in front of the handlebar and bend the two strips over the handlebar.
Use plastic straps to attach the big boxes to the bike rack. For each boxes four straps were used.


This instructable is part of a system called Coffee Cycle:
Biodegradable flower pots out of coffee grounds!
Coffee grounds collector
Burlap sack for bicycle basket

Tell me more about the Coffee Cycle project!