Wow, 9 years. I am flattered. You were an early adopter. Back then we used aluminum rivits that did loosen over time. We now use stainless steel rivits which are about three times stronger, and don’t have the rattle problem. Several other areas have been beefed up as well.

When I designed it I took a case of Sierra Nevada (my home town fun juice) and built the basket part around that. Thus it works perfect for that, the original mission of what was then a run of maybe 10 or 20. I’ve tried to kill it many times because it is so labor intensive but it just wouldn’t die so here we are, All the points about carrying anything else are truely valid but can be over come with bunjee cords….mostly. More tabs is an excellent idea.

For all you bike shop people we finally let QBP pick it up so it will be way more widely available, as long as we can keep up. We’ll try.

Have a good ride,

Paul

The joining points at which the tubing forming the top of the ‘basket’ portion come together loosen over time, creating a rattle and a noticeable flex in the framework. Because they are riveted and not bolted or screwed, this can not be tightened or adjusted.

The mounting screws and spacers at the fork tabs can sheer off or snap under load when confronted with jolts from potholes, rocks, etc.

Overall, the Flatbed has worked well and is easily repaired (except for the loose rivets) It looks great and doesn’t weigh a ton. It is a bit shallow compared to Wald baskets, limiting what can be carried, but a little creativity goes a long way toward loading it up. In short, I agree – great piece of kit, stands the test of time from our end – almost daily use over the years and we’ve only had to fix the fork tab screws twice. Oh, it can ding the paint on your down-tube too, but that’s easily remedied with some old rubber grips cut down and zip-tied around the appropriate metal edges of the Flatbed.