Peli cases as panniers

[Dee Duble Yuh]

After much head-scratching my Dad and I managed to fix a pair of Peli 1430 Cases to my Hepco & Becker pannier rails.

The H&B rails look like this:
Reasonably low if rather wide. (Most pannier rails are. )

Here's the end result; steps to achieve that are below:


I'd experimented with various ideas for fixing the cases to the rails. I wanted the solution to be simple, not require many holes in the cases, but it had to be secure.

The cases are only about the same size as the rail loops, so aligning the brackets would be crucial. We thought it through and decided that we should fit the lower brackets first and then that would indicate where the upper brackets should go.

We took two alloy angle strips of different sizes, trimmed one side of the larger one as below. The corners have a radius to avoid catching legs when being carried. The bolts have domed Allen heads inside to avoid snagging any contents. After taking the photo below I replaced the nuts with cap nuts for neatness and to keep out road spray. The lower bracket's job is to stop the case jumping up and off the rails on rough sufaces:


Then the upper brackets. I tried various options. A thick, deep u-channel might have done, but Dad came up with this. He took some alloy angle strip, trimmed one edge so it was asymmetrical, cut to lenght, and then bent it in a folding machine that he has. (You guys would love his garage!):






Here's the end result:


It fits like this:


After filing and cleaning the brackets, each case was offered up to its pannier rail, and the top brackets were taped into place. We screwed them to the cases using counter-sunk bolts (outside) and cap nuts (inside, again to avoid snagging any contents).


I had to trim a little from a stiffening rib so the bracket can fix to a flat surface. A wood chisel does this fine. I also had to file down a little of the hinge support, but there's plenty of strength left there!

Note: The gap between the two brackets is there to allow for the way the rails are mounted to the bike.

Finally we drilled holes in the lower brackets for a padlock. I had sourced a set of weather-proof padlocks that all share the same key:



Finished result:


When I have time I'll post a photo that shows the overall effect.

[Dee Duble Yuh]

I realise I could have used TT-style "pucks" but I they're ugly and I don't like the way they mount on the pannier rails. Our solution might look pretty simple (and didn't take too long to fabricate) but they took some thinking through to get right.



Advantages of Peli cases over alloy boxes:

• probably tougher in the event of an accident;
• bear up well under day-to-day scratches;
• will cause less damage if the cases clip a vehicle (or a person!);
• maintain their shape without the wobbles that some alloy cases are prone to;
• fully waterproof;
• guaranteed crush proof for life (probably voided by drilling holes!!!);
• manufacturers can supply and fit various interiors, such as foam protection and "office" dividers (for laptops, paperwork, odds and ends).

Disadvantages:

• the 1430s are rather small;
• don't look so intimidating to car drivers ;
• don't make ideal camping stools.

[j]

Good job Dave, looks like you can put a tube bag over the top and some chairs.
How much for the boxes could you get bigger?

[Chad]

top quality work that man

[Dee Duble Yuh]

Cheers guys. For camping trips I can remove the top box to strap on a tent etc. Alternatively I'm thinking of mounting a PVC tube on each side between the wheel and the rails for my tent and sleeping mat. (I think Xander used to do this before he made his most excellent alu boxes.)

Peli 1430's cost about £50 each. Plenty of deals on the Internet. Foam inserts are cheap; office dividers or utility dividers are pricey. (Oops, sorry to take your name in vain!)



Peli do cases of all sizes, but most are suitcase style, not top loaders. Jenna's links above show how people have mounted these to pannier rails:

• http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2891921
• http://www.protomatter.com/nate/klr650/panniers2.html
• http://www.crucialrealm.com/klr650/P...lCasePans.html

Most users in the USA mount them to Happy Valley rails. These come pre-drilled so mounting cases is relatively easy. I don't think Happy Valley are available in the UK (?)

[severs]

I note with interest that you mounted the boxes hinge-in-towards-bike. This appears to be what you have done from looking at the photos. This would mean that if you open the boxes while they are on the bike, the lids open against the seat/bodywork of the bike.

Do the lids touch the bodywork? Does this interfere with opening the boxes fully while they are still mounted?

Is the shape of the box such that they could have been built to open outwards?

I'm thinking of doing a similar project to mount some sort of box onto the Givi rails I have on my TA. Peli cases would be great; I'm currently using cordura cloth bicycle panniers (for the simple reason that I already have some).

[Dee Duble Yuh]

The H&B rails hold the cases miles away from the bike... well... several centimetres! No problem opening the lids that way. You could mount them the other way around but there's a pressure-equalisation valve that would get in the way. Also the lids would be really awkward, and the lid padlock would dangle against the rails.

A Google search for the 1430 case should show you where the pressure-equalisation valve is.
http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl...&q=peli%201430

[severs]

I wonder if these brackets could be doctored to make a Peli box to pannier hoop interface?

[Dee Duble Yuh]

I'd wondered about them too. Unfortunately they're a bit expensive and lie too far apart for most pannier rails. Also the point where the hooks attach to the case looks weak. I'm sure something could be adapted though.

[Dee Duble Yuh]

And this is what they look like on the bike: