4.05.2023 My kingdom for a "proper" rear rack!

 Conversion is not possible and the QL3.1 button system has a much lower weight limit than the QL2.1 hooks. I found a touring bike, pannier discussion online with lots of useful information.

 ~o~

 Thursday 4th 48F. Bright overcast with much lighter winds. Aching all over from yesterday's modern slavery.

 8.30 Time for a walk. 

 9.30 11C/51F. It has turned grey with a light easterly breeze. The local wind turbines were crawling round at different rates. Somebody obviously forgot to oil the chain on the nearest. 

 I was passed by three huge tankers. Polished stainless steel hides their dirty secret. Carrying pig shit to the bio-gas converters. Requiring great clouds of dust from their seven axles of tires. Meanwhile, out on the prairie, the farmers were rolling a newly planted crop. Again, to the accompaniment of more clouds of dust. Weed suppression? The fields were just beginning to show a green blush.

 The light wind conditions strongly suggest a need for a ride. Destination presently unknown but probably subject to a whim.

 14.30 56F. Lunch over. The whim was ordering a new computer keyboard [in white] from a shop in the city. My old one had lost several letters. Due to poor, to non-existent, manicuring skills. On the website I chose to collect the keyboard. 

 31km later I was in the shop. Another 31km and I was home again. There and back without so much as a detour. Though I chose different, but parallel routes, in the middle of each ride. Just for a variation. 62km total at an average of 26kmh in 2h:19m. 50% Sport and Tour modes. One battery used and ended up at 25% charge. 

 The Moustache rear rack is really getting on my nerves! The slanting uprights make it all but impossible to find a clear run of top tube wide enough to hang the bags by the hooks. Presumably they intended it should be used with the later QL3.1 button system. Will my QL2.1 Ortlieb Back Roller rear panniers work with this system? Or allow conversion? I'll have to do some online homework. The Moustache rack came with the 3.1 buttons. I took them off to allow the bags to lie flat against the rack. I'll be back!

So, I need to arrange a "clean" additional, top tube for the Moustache rack. One without the Moustache rack's stupid, sloping upright stays. A back to back, double pipe clamp is what I need. I made these with plastic cable clips for my Higgins trike, home made rack. Not much clamping power though. Nor would the bags want to be outboard by much. Or the lower safety bars will miss the rack uprights. 

 I just found my earlier bar conversion of the Trykit. My heels struck the bag resting on the original bars. Two metal tube clamps provided a lift and were held together by a bolt through their "eyes." Perfect! These clamps were bike parts I think. For going around the chainstays on older bikes. For holding a restraining arm on Sturmey-Archer brake hubs. Sizes vary to suit different chainstay diameters.

  Dinner was cheese on toast. Followed by soup and a roll.

~o~