James’s light touring (basket) bike

If 15 years ago you told me that my future self would be building a touring bike with a Wald basket on it, I’d have thought you were crazy. Wald is not known for making the highest quality components but their baskets are the standard that all others are compared to in the bike world. This one was modified to mount to a set of special eyelets brazed onto the front rack.

Having a basket adds a level of practicality to the bicycle that an ordinary rack cannot. That said, I made sure this bike has practicality built into it everywhere. The lowrider racks allow the bike to be suitable for overnight trips and other short tours or even just trips to the market. The Sinewave Cycles Beacon headlight has an integrated USB charging port that allows for phone/Garmin charging on longer trips. The infinite adjustability of the quill stem will always be a practical feature to me. And of course fenders will always be included on a bike that is designed for commuting and touring.

For the lug design, James suggested something simple and he gave me several examples. I really wanted to try something new and he let me have at it. I ended up slotting the head lugs and twin plate fork crown drawing on a vintage Galmozzi keyhole design for inspiration. The final effect with the contrasting black inlays against the metallic pink is a first for me and definitely not a last.

James works in a bike shop in Providence and has been involved in the bike world for what seems like his entire life. Because of these connections he was able to supply almost all of the components and even build the wheelset.

He’s already put the bike through it’s paces on the streets of Providence and on the trails and gravel roads in rural Rhode Island. I look forward to getting more ride reports from him to see what improvements I can make on the next basket bike. Yes, there are a few upcoming customers who have expressed interest in baskets and I’m more than happy to build one into the design.