this is an order of magnitude less impressive than the people making their own bags and light mounts, but here’s a thing I did with my Xtracycle that made it work better:
bought a big pickup truck tailgate net, took the running board off the back of the bike, put it back on with the bottom of the net sandwiched between it and the rails. Pulled net up and over the rails, zip tied it in a couple of places. The net has an elastic band on its edge, so it stays up okay on its own, and I can lower the right side for when my kid wants to sit side-saddle (the purple webbing strap is a sub-strap to keep her from sliding down).
it works ok for keeping light stuff like blankets and frisbees up top, and stabilizes grocery bags and backpacks pretty well. I did this because I griped a lot about how the Edgerunner can’t haul big things unless you put them into the side bags. This sort of fixes that problem.
Also, $8 patio furniture cushions with velcro tape on the underside work fine in place of the $50 running board pad, according to my kid.
Made some mudflaps for the h/g since the ALX fenders are too short to keep my BB from getting covered in wet leaf crap. These are 11" long which miiight be too long but I can always cut them down of course. I think Andrew Squirrel pioneered this attachment method but I can’t find the thread.
Sweet! I’ve come to appreciate ultra long mudflaps which surprised me. I thought they were a little goofy at first but they do an amazing job at keeping the drivetrain clean and they shrug off curbs and trail detritus. I thought for sure that toe overlap issues would happen while turning but haven’t had any so far. I still wish the ALX fenders were slightly longer in the front.
I still want to get a photo of a Seattle cyclist with the biggest mudflaps i’ve ever seen. They are huge and beaver tail in shape. I’ve only ever seen him in passing.
Watching what all y’all are doing with the ALX fenders, the spend all my money on biek parts part of me is half tempted to buy a second set and put a rear fender up front on the Endpoint. But that’s spendy and vinyl stair treads are like $3/each.
It’s a little easier if you have rolled edge VO/Berthoud/Honjo style since the rolled edges in the corner keeps the drill bit centered when drilled from the inside. The rolled edge also allows you to get the holes nearly symmetrical without measuring.
For the ALX I had to use a spring loaded center punch tool on the work bench to get a good starting dent for the drill bit.
The smaller exacto slits have worked out well for me but they also introduce a tearing point which might shorten the life.
One thing i’ve never tried is using a zip-tie & small washer which might prevent the sharp edge of the zip-tie from propagating the cut in the material.
I’ve put many holes into making different thin materials. For thin metal, definitely back it with a block of wood, use a sharp drill bit, and take your time.
For plastic or rubber I’ll either use the same method with a block of wood or I’ll melt a hole by heating up a metal thing the correct diameter with a torch, I’ve used nails, shitty old screwdrivers, etc. The method used relies mainly on what size hole is required, how much I care what the finished product looks like, how much of a hurry I’m in, and what tools are handy. I do prefer the melting method for thin hard plastic just to play it safe and avoid cracks.
