Mike fits up some new storage to the bike.The Big Refit

During our short trip back to Australia, I took the opportunity to prepare two storage kits to fit to the bike on our return to Spain. The kits were intended to provide some extra storage space for our cold weather gear which, while not heavy, is very bulky.

Each kit consisted of:
…..a 150mm storage tube with a screw cap opening and a padlock for security. The tubes had been fitted with spacers to ensure an even fit to the bottom on the panniers.
…..three stainless steel straps pre-bent and drilled.
…..reinforcement plate for the inside of the panniers.
…..stainless screws to suit.
…..a foam strip cut to size and pre-punched to ensure a secure fit.
…..a tube of sealant.
…..an old drill (abandoned in Barc) and a drill bit to suit.

The reinforcement plate was predrilled to suit the panniers.

The reinforcement plate was used as a template on the outside of the panniers to drill the nine fixing holes.

….which looked like this.

The sealing strip was used like this to ensure a water-tight seal.

The tube was fixed in place with three screws that were countersunk into the inside of the tubes.

There was a fair amount of mucking about to get the straps right.

When complete, they looked like they grew there and provide considerable additional storage that is water and dust proof and reasonably secure.