Using a Milk Crate to Carry Stuff on Your Bike

Many people seem to want to know about using a milk crate to carry stuff on abike. Small wonder. Here in Chicago, milk crates are readily available for free, and even a store bought milk crate look-alike is a heck of a lot cheaper than a set of bike panniers.
You do not need any special tools to attach the crate to your bike, however, you do need a pre-installed bicycle rack. You will also need a bunji cord.

Your goal here is to thread the bunji in a criss-cross pattern through both the milk crate and the bike rack, and tighten enough to achieve good stability. I assure you that this can be accomplished with only two hands, although at times it seemed like it would be helpful to have a few more. It took me alone about five minutes to complete this task, without injuring myself, and resorting to only a handful of unrepeatable words. Ready?

1. Lean the bike to support it in an upright position (or use kickstand, or friend)
2. Place the milk crate on top of bike rack.
3. Thread each end of bunji cord downward through opening in the crate that are closest to outer edges of bike rack. If this seems impossible, trust me, it can be done, by feeding the pointed end of the bunji hook in first, and letting the rest follow.
4. Cross two ends of the bunji underneath the rack, and feed back up through the crate. Feed them one at a time. Hook the one you're not working on onto something to avoid having to start over.
5. Hook the ends of bunji together to secure. Alternatively, stretch them a little more and hook into openings in the crate.

You can also accomplish this with zip-ties, but while it might be easier to attach the crate that way, you'd need new zip-ties every time you want to reattach it.
A milk crate makes a great all-purpose bike carrier, and the only drawback I can think of is that it tends to hit your hind end a little as you ride.

Comments

[Gideon]

What a great suggestion. What size bungee cord did you use?

Thanks,

Gideon

[Justyna Frank]

I used the medium size. The shorty ones are too short, and the longest ones would require more wrapping. I don't believe they are standardized, but a length of 10-12 inches should work. If you find that it is too loose the way I have it shown in the photo, cross the hooks over each other, pull them further out, and hook directly into the bottom of the milk crate.

"Here in Chicago, milk crates are readily available for free"

When you take a milk crate, it is called THEFT.

[Justyna]

Geez, you coulda signed your name. I wasn't actually advocating stealing milk crates from the back of the grocery store. I personally have found milk crates, abandoned, I assume, on the side of the road, in the alleys by garbage cans, at the recycling center and in the empty apartments after the occupants have moved out. I hardly consider making good use of those milk crates THEFT. If you can't find an abandoned milk crate, you can, as I suggested, buy a cheap substitute at an office supply store. The whole point is to use available resources, and not necessarily make bike riders spend tons of money on expensive gear.

[Ross]

In my experience, zip ties get the crate way tighter, way faster than a bungee or other strap. You can yank them super-tight with a needle-nosed pliers. Replacing them when I remove my crate is a small consequence, given that buy them in packs of like 50 or so.
As for leg/butt rub, I just cut my crate back a little bit and there's no issue - the front fits under my seat.
Aside from installation issues, crates offer two distinct cargo advantages over pannier bags: first, they don't make your bike wider, so you can still squeeze between two taxis or whatever; and second, you can put fragile stuff in there and it doesn't get smushed like it could it a flexible bag. Try a stretchy cargo net (a couple bucks at Performance, if your LBS doesn't carry them) and you can pile stuff high. Go Crate!
Ross

[Justyna Frank]

I actually agree with you on the zip ties for ease of use. But, surprisingly, many people don't have them lying around the house, so I wanted to use something most people would already have. For the record, zip ties are available at hardware stores and home improvement centers, and are infinitely useful things to have around.

[Laura]

Thanks for the info about how you "installed" your bike crate. I've been using a flimsy fake milk crate, attached with bungee cords, and it tipped over on my way home yesterday...so I've been trying to figure out a better way to mount it. (Also, I will maybe try an actual milk crate...) I'll try your suggestion for how to thread the bungee through the rack & crate, and zip ties (which I actually happen to have) sound like a great idea, too! THANK YOU!