You’ve been tearing your hair out because you have an old license plate and you just don’t know what to do with it.

You also have a Terratrike Cruiser (or something similar) with no luggage rack. What can you do?

Terratrike Cruiser DIY Luggage Rack - View from right-rearThe answer is simple: build a luggage rack. In minutes, you can build a luggage rack for your trike that is sturdy, shock absorbent, and requires little to no handy-man skill. I am not a handy-man, just a man. Let’s get to it.

Materials Required

* Anything flat and approximately license-plate sized will work, as long as you can drill holes in it.

This installation assumes that you are doing a right-side installation (your right if you’re sitting on the trike).

Step 1 (Optional) – Put a strip of electrical tape around the edges of the license plate.  You’re going to be attaching this plate alongside one of the rear frame beams, so this should help to minimize scratching and potential clanking when the luggage rack is empty.

Step 2 – Secure the top edge of the plate to the right rear beam using 2 zip ties.  Make sure you go under the chain and any derailleur cables or you won’t be able to go and/or shift. You should probably leave the zip ties slightly loose because this allows the plate to pivot to fold up when not in use!

Step 3 – Attach remaining two zip ties to remaining holes along the lower edge of the license plate. These provide an easy way to hook on the bungee cord.

Step 4 – Hook the back-most zip-tie loop to one end of the bungee.  String the bungee cord through the upper right corner back of the seat, then down to hook to the other bungee cord.

Pictures would probably help at this point.

No Luggage? No Problem.

When you have no luggage, you can unhook the front-most loop from the bungee, pull the bungee (this will cause the plate to flip up vertical), and then hook the bungee to the left upper-corner of the seat so it stays.  This will prevent clanking and you’ll feel cool that it can do this.

Extra Luggage? No Problem.

If you want to carry more than this rack can support, you know what?  You can do the same thing on the other side of the trike!  I know – it’s amazing … but it’s true!

[Update]

This luggage rack is cat food friendly.

This setup will allow you to carry 15.4lbs of cat food! The proof is in the picture.

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