Penelope’s DIY Bike Crate

I’ve been biking everywhere this summer, and it’s changed my life. No rush hour traffic to find myself agitated in, no stress over finding parking spots, and I have this meditative calm when I ride that’s been great for my mental state. I’ve biking well over 60 miles a week; I bike to Target, the bike shop itself, parks, photo shoots, even the grocery store. I’ve been fantasizing about selling our car, and daydreaming about long explorative journeys discovering the Canadian countryside with Tom and Penelope. For the first time I can remember I’m actually hesitant about the arrival of autumn, simply because winter will come and I’ll have to put her back in her palace in the garage.

But carrying groceries is really hard on your handle bars, or in my front basket because it limits how many groceries I can carry home. So after searching for the perfect carrying device for Penelope, I set out to make my own bike crate for her. Which, as it turns out, is not that hard at all!

You need:
1 wooden crate –I nabbed mine from Michael’s craft store for $12. My crate was 12″ x 16″.
4 bolts aka machine screws- Mine were 1 1/3 long, but this also depends on how thick your crate is, make sure you account for the bolt going through the crate and your back bike rack, and then the mending plates.
Nuts & washers- I honestly can’t remember the size for this, but they should be labeled to match the bolts you select.
2 mending plates, 2 x 12″ long –This changes depending on the size of your crate, so just measure your crate first so you know what sizes you need.
wood stain
tung oil
a drill
an old cotton t-shirt
burlap (optional) – This was also 12″ wide and can be found at Michael’s. It’s waxed on the bottom, so it was perfect!

What You Do
Step One. Stain your crate! A few tips I saw here on the www about staining wood said using an old t-shirt was best to use. The only thing I would suggest is doing this outside, maybe even turn a fan on, or wear a mask because the fumes can be a little intense.
Step Two. After the stain dries, do a layer of tung oil.
Step Three. Flip the crate over and mark where your bolts will go with a pencil. Drill!
Step Four. Place the mending plates underneath your bike rack and then just attach your washer and nuts on the other side. Make sure the crate is tight, but not too tight, or when you bump around while riding, you’ll splinter your crate.
Step Five. Cut your burlap and lay it on the bottom of your crate.

And now you’re ready to ride!