Big Update on Carsick Slingsets
For years, for so many of us, the flexibility and convenience of the Carsick Designs cargo slingsets have been a key ingredient to the Seattle model of family biking! Carsick and G&O have always worked closely together on design and refinement of the slings, and we are excited for our new role as the sole distributor! We have been the sole distributor for some of the models for a while now, but we’ll be taking over all of the distribution moving forward as the fine folks at Carsick switch their focus onto other endeavors.
We are offering four sizes of the slingsets, in the three most popular colors. Bags are $300 a set, plus tax and $30 (US) shipping if applicable. Lead times are likely to be longer for now as more bags will be special ordered, and we will be shipping many out to riders around the country.
These are four different bags that remain available:
Tern HSD
Colors: Black, Purple, or Tie-Dye
Also Fits: Tern Quickhaul, Benno Boost, & R&M Multicharger
Tern GSD
Colors: Black, Purple, or Tie-Dye
Also Fits: Bike Friday Haul-a-Day & Yuba Spicy Curry
Legacy Long-Tail
Colors: Black, Purple, or Tie-Dye
Also Fits: Surly Big Dummy, Xtracycle Edgerunner (pre-2021) & Leaps
RadWagon 4
Colors: Black
Also Fits: ?
If you have a different bike, feel free to inquire and we can see if we can recommend any of these as the best fit for your ride, but there is not a bag available for every cargo bike unfortunately.
We will be building out a system for streamlining sales and helping select and install them at home, so more on this coming later.
For now, please continue to call or email sales@familycyclery.com if you are interested in ordering a set of Carsick slings for your bicycle.
The Tern GSD bag in the “Tie-Dye” color. We think it looks great on all colors of GSD!
General Installation Instructions
The general idea is to secure your bags to the bike in a way that the straps secure the bags both front/back and up/down, and so that the straps are out of the way of the chain, wheel, brake, and any other moving parts. The buckles to close many of the bags are also separately attached to the frame.
Check if the bags are directional: a good guideline on all new bags is the patch should be closer to the back of the bike when installed on the correct sides.
Undo the top buckles on the back of each sling, then fold the flaps over the rack and connect the buckles.
Undo the 4 straps from the ladderloc buckles on the back of the sling. (On some models, the straps may be removed from the sling and moved to a different mounting point on the daisy chain if needed)
Attach the 2 lower straps to the frame, preferably to a horizontal tube. I recommend two wraps around the frame, then feed them back through the ladderloc buckles and tighten. These two straps will hold tension on the sling vertically.
Attach the 2 upper straps to the frame, preferably to a vertical tube. I recommend two wraps around the frame, then feed them back through the ladderloc buckles and tighten. These two straps will hold tension on the sling horizontally.
If applicable, attach the main long straps on the front of the sling to your rack next to the fabric flaps using the following photos. Once these straps are attached you may simply undo the buckle or loosen the long straps to access the bag. (The Tern HSD bags do not mount this way, and we included a suggested modified install of this step in a previous blog post)
You must trim the straps: the straps on the back of each sling are longer than necessary to facilitate the use of slings on different bike brands. When you are satisfied with the fit and placement of the slings on your bike, trim the rear straps to your desired safe length, which is long enough to be secured to your bike and short enough to not get caught in any moving parts. Then melt the edge of the straps with a lighter to keep them from fraying.
Instructions for mounting buckles to frame for GSD, Long-Tail, and Rad 4 bags for step 6, above.
A Couple Specific Fit Notes
Note the pictures in this section include some discontinued colors of the slings.
Tern GSD
The Tern GSD sling fits all models of both generations
Yepps can go in front or back with the GSD, with the legs inside of the slings. You may want to install the top buckles in alternate places for access, especially when the Yepp is in the front position as shown on the blue bike.
The slings are not directional on the GSD (older models used to have directional zippers such that it was sometimes advantageous to install patch-forward, but newer slings come with two-way zippers)
Tern HSD
The HSD bag should be installed with the patch toward the rear on all models.
See our previous blog post about tips for the HSD install.
Legacy Long-Tail
The deck plate may need to be loosened or removed to install the top straps and buckles
We’re unsure if these bags fit the new Shimano STePs-equipped xtracycles; if you know, let us know!
RadWagon 4
note this sling is specifically designed to fit the RadWagon 4. The older models of slings designed for older models of Rads have been retired.
Do not hesitate to give us a call or email if you are running into an issue with installing your slings!