Stuff We Love: Wald Baskets

Baskets. They come in all shapes, sizes and styles varying from woven plastic with daisies stuck to the front, to hardcore metal beasts that could probably carry a small person with no trouble. Considering the vast range of aesthetics and sturdiness it may seem like there are too many options to be able to find one that's just right. Well, if Goldilocks came into our shop and wanted a basket that was just right to carry all her porridge (and whatever else she decided to help herself to along the way), we would definitely point her straight to the Wald front baskets. Every single one of us here has a Wald on one of our bikes. Why? Because they're great for everyday tasks and they hold up really well. They're inexpensive, the shop carries them in two very convenient sizes and in both silver and black so they match any bike. All the pics in this post are of the smaller size we carry, apparently they can hold 14 beers and a soda with ease. Added plus, they're made in the USA which is never a bad thing.

I have the larger of the two sizes we carry (18"x13"). I've lined the bottom with my dog's favorite mat and taken him for rides places in it. It was really easy to design a little harness system for him because of the basket's open wire design which is cool. Clip in the front, clip in the back and all adorable 12lbs of his Mini Dachshund self are safe and secure. I've used that basket for lots of things, but the most impressive thing that basket has done, by far, happened the time our car battery died. We had only a bike and Wald basket to carry a new 40ish pound battery over 3/4 mile from the auto store to the car. It was pretty sketchy, but the basket held up and our car was rescued. The baskets aren't rated to handle that much weight, but in a pinch it didn't let us down.

The smaller of the two sizes (15"x10") is perfect for those little things that you find yourself traveling with. The guys have used theirs for tons of stuff; puppy portage, avoiding wearing a bag when it's really hot out and carrying cheese steaks and various takeout... very important. It's just the right size for a spare jacket, thermos full of chili or new bike parts (some anyways). It's perfect when paired with a cargo net, which is a net made from bungee cords that has a securing hooks on four corners. The fact that the Wald baskets are basically wire cages makes it easy to always find a good spot to attach the hooks and keep your cheese steaks from bouncing out. The small is also a good size for putting various bags in so you don't have to wear them while you're riding (pictured is a small Fabric Horse WC tote $70).

Overall, you can't beat these baskets in bang for your buck factor, and they are probably the singular most utilitarian thing you could get for your bike, not bad for $20-$25 bucks.