Takeout on a rear bike frame

August 25, 2023 10:18 AM

I have a new ebike, with an integrated rear cargo rack. What's the best bag/crate/tie-down setup to make it so I can strap a couple of takeout containers to it & get them home alright? I'm sure this isn't a new concept, but I'm missing the right phrases to search & find results, so I come to here.

I don't have a front basket, a bit reluctant to add one but if that's the only way to go I'll take it under advisement. If knowing more about the bike helps, it's an REI Generation e1.1 (partially prompted by this previous question).

posted by CrystalDave to Shopping (22 answers total)

I think the terms you need to search for are "bike rear basket"
posted by rozcakj at 10:26 AM on August 25, 2023

The low-cost option here is to bungee a milk crate, either the real thing or the cheap versions you can get as storage at big box stores, to your rack. I did this in grad school and it was very useful for this sort of thing.
posted by Alterscape at 10:33 AM on August 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Ortliebs, especially the back-roller classics, are widely recommended because they are stellar bike bags. If they're available, get at least one.

Crate set-ups are a hassle because they basically have to be permanent, which gets in the way of bike bags and everything else. Instead, what I do for loads which don't fit in the Ortlieb (like, for instance, a cake) is put it in a box and strap it down — with straps, mind you, not elastic or bungee cords which will degrade and fail you in your hour of greatest need. I keep the straps wrapped around the back rack so they're always there.
posted by daveliepmann at 10:34 AM on August 25, 2023

Best answer: Possibilities are endless!

Milk crate ziptied to the back, cargo mesh on the existing plank, they make fancy ones that double as trolleys for grocery shopping. Hard to tell, but panniers might fit? You could go bucket pannier.

No best in this realm, only preference.
posted by furnace.heart at 10:34 AM on August 25, 2023

My ebike has a weird rack that doesn't fit most of the standard attachments for actual bike baskets, so I ended up going with the classic "zip tie a milk crate to it" option, which works great for a variety of transport needs. The only downside is swinging your leg over it, which can be awkward. You could probably use a collapsible crate instead so it's more out of the way when not in use. I've had fancy rear baskets on other bikes, and the milk crate works as well if not better for my purposes.
posted by duien at 10:35 AM on August 25, 2023

The milk crate with bungee cords seems to be the solution I see the most of that feels like a good fit - easy on/off, wider than panniers so broader containers stay flat, takeout ought to be light enough that bungee cords should be OK to keep the crate secure, and plenty of internal attachment points for a couple additional small bungee cords (or these, I use these in my front basket to hold light stuff in place and I really like them) to strap over the containers, if needed. Actually, since I put that link in to Wald's site anyway, maybe have a look at their rear basket options - I haven't used them myself, but my front basket is one of theirs and I've been very happy with it.
posted by EvaDestruction at 10:42 AM on August 25, 2023

I’m a fan of grocery panniers, which are big, sturdy, folding rectangles. If you’re ever transporting heavier items, it’s nice to keep the weight lower to the ground with panniers.
posted by Comet Bug at 10:45 AM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: No pannier I've ever seen has the dimensions to carry a typical clamshell 9x9 takeout container laying flat. If carrying home takeout is really a common use case for you (and the kind of food you get comes in those clamshells), you want a milk crate style basket on the back rack. You may also want to consider some kind of net/bungee to keep everything stacked and closed for the ride to protect it from bumps and sliding around.

[There's a guy on TT/YT who is an e-bike based door dasher and as best I can tell his setup is a milk crate on back with an insulated bag that fits perfectly in the crate and has a velcro flip-top. I think he also has some sort of foam with circles cut in it at the bottom of the bag that holds drinks upright, and he uses a bottle of water in one of the circles to keep food to one side or the other so it doesn't slide back and forth.]
posted by misskaz at 11:21 AM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

If you want to go with the professional solution, you'd get a gimbaled rack that would even let you transport a bowl of soup safely. But this might be a wee bit of overkill for your needs.

Rear racks are narrow—6" tops—and you want something wider. Every wide rack I've seen mounts in front. There's a subcategory of front rack called a "pizza rack" (for obvious reasons) which would work OK for you; add an elastic cargo net (often used with motorcycles) over that to hold down the food and you're good.
posted by adamrice at 11:36 AM on August 25, 2023

I have the same bike. Milk crate and heavy duty zip ties works well for me. I bought a collapsible milk crate.

Ignore the second collapsible milk crate inception.
posted by emptycircles at 11:58 AM on August 25, 2023

Best answer: If it's a plastic takeout container, I'd have no problem using a Delta Bungee Net. For foam takeout clamshells, I'd do a crate of some sort. But now, I'm dreaming of a putting takeout in a cake carrier and using the bungee nets. Of course, I'd need to remember to have that on hand when getting takeout.
posted by advicepig at 12:40 PM on August 25, 2023

Best answer: I didn't take note of the bike you've got, and having looked, I withdraw my advice above. You'd have a hard time fitting a front rack to that, and adding a rack on top of a suspension fork isn't a great idea.

If you go with the milk-crate plan, I recommend using hose clamps because zip ties will break (I've seen it happen in exactly this scenario). If you want to add a wide, flat mounting surface to your existing rack, Surly makes this plate
posted by adamrice at 1:17 PM on August 25, 2023

I have folding rear pannier baskets in the style of the Wald 582 on the back of my e-trike. It would hold some but not all takeaway containers (most fast food, Chinese style folded containers, the rectangular styrofoam ones, up to maybe a rotisserie chicken; but probably not a pie, a multi-person sushi tray, a square styrofoam, a pizza). This might not be the solution depending on what you need; the bungee milk crate actually sounds pretty good.

But the added point I want to make about my bike basket is that unlike with a pannier, every bag I own (within reason) can now easily come with me, by dropping it into the basket (and making sure there are no dangling straps). If I need a computer bag? I can use my already-owned laptop backpack. A briefcase? Fine. A smaller backpack? No problem. Shopping bag? Sure! Tote bag? Totes! For me with a recumbent, I can't wear a bag on my back, but on a hot day I've been pretty glad that I don't have something extra sweating up my back. So unless you really need to buy bags, and want to be limited to bike-bag rules, I recommend a basket, a pannier basket or crate.
posted by Superilla at 1:17 PM on August 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

Wald makes a neat removeable front basket that I love for shopping because its base is so small and unobtrusive.

Another option for the rear rack is a Rubbermaid Roughneck 3-gallon tote held down by four screws drilled through the bottom. I use one of these daily for groceries, takeout, my lock, and other items.
posted by migurski at 3:04 PM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I do this all the time; never trust a pannier bag will work, even the same restaurants you know will change up their packaging game on occasion!

I got a folding plastic grocery basket from Aldi, and I attach it with those heavy duty twist ties, like rubber coated tie wires. It can take 2-4 minutes to reconfigure, but I have to do that anyway since I frequently carry my kid on back.

If you want something that has the right wide footprint for flat takeout containers , is always on and doesn't mess with other aspects of the bike, then you want the nice big front basket, ideally one rated for 15lbs or more.
posted by SaltySalticid at 3:17 PM on August 25, 2023

I screwed a piece of mdf onto my rear bike rack - it was so I could carry large sketchbooks but it ended up being good for takeout too!
posted by mskyle at 4:02 PM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

You might want to try a couple of voile rack straps with your existing rack-- they are so much more secure than bungees and much less likely to crush items. Make sure the take out boxes fits snugly in a bag you have tied shut and tighten the straps to secure.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 6:11 PM on August 25, 2023

Seconding the collapsible crate and bungees. I've got both a milk crate sized one and one a bit larger with wheels and a telescoping handle (like an open topped wheely bag). The milk crate fits in my panniers (basically lives there) while the wheely one has to be strapped to the rack.

There are other smaller sizes available too but milk crates are great because so many food items are designed to neatly stack within.
posted by Mitheral at 7:49 PM on August 25, 2023

I solved this problem with a wicker basket from Goodwill, lashed to my rear rack with bungee cords. It's a lot more stable than you would expect.

You can always replace the basket with a proper implement (panniers vs basket) at a later time.
posted by aquamvidam at 10:18 PM on August 25, 2023

I've got a little collapsible side basket mounted next to the rear rack and it's perfect for takeout, or for dropping a bag into, etc. I have a bungee cord I string across the top just to make 100% sure nothing will fly out if I hit a bump, but I wouldn't want to "strap down" a paper takeout container so the basket is much nicer for me.
posted by Lady Li at 9:57 AM on August 26, 2023

Maybe take a page from the delivery riders and get an Uber Eats or (now defunct) Deliveroo bag and strap that down? Might not be the aesthetic you’re going for, but likely to keep the food warmer during transport.
posted by ec2y at 10:55 PM on August 27, 2023

I have a bag in a style similar to this, which has a compartment on top of the rack to keep larger containers flat, as well as side panniers.
posted by metasarah at 7:22 AM on August 30, 2023 [1 favorite]