Surly Bikes
As a kid, the TV trays, handed down from Grandma to Mom, were something to be revered. Almost like the fancy china, they were only taken out for special occasions. New Year’s Eve, maybe Super Bowl Sunday and then they were gone, not to be seen again until another distant, magical night when dinner would be enjoyed in front of the TV. I really hope the Surly TV Tray conjures up that same excitement and it becomes more of an everyday type of thing for you. Step away from that glowing box, ditch the Hungry Man Dinner and let’s redefine what a TV Tray can hold.
What Is the TV Tray?
Very simply put, the TV Tray is a rack platform extender. More specifically it’s a 4mm thick, stamped and machined aluminum platform that shares a similar footprint to the 24-Pack Rack. It can be direct-mounted to the barrel bosses on the 8-Pack Rack or can be mounted with 4 extruded/machined hooks to myriad other racks. The TV Tray allows you to add a porteur-style platform to almost all Surly racks (the Wide Disc Rack and 24-Pack Rack being the exceptions). The cutouts are arranged to accept the Porteur House bag and the Petite Porteur House bag either lengthwise or widthwise depending on your preference.
What Can You Carry on it?
The world is your oyster, go nuts, etc. etc. albeit with a few restrictions. The maximum load of all your trinkets and cheeseburgers can’t exceed 30 lbs, or the max suggested load of your rack, whichever is lighter. The mounting hooks are only compatible with rack struts between 9.5-12mm in diameter, and racks that have a width of 98-178mm (strut center to center). The last rack rule is that you must have four mounting points for whatever rack you are installing the tray on, and it must meet that pesky ISO 11243 test standard. For further mounting instructions and limitations refer to TV TRAY INSTRUCTIONS.
In addition to provisions for mounting our line of red-meat-inspired bags, there are a couple of other features that will help you in containing all those cheeseburgers. There are notches on the front and rear of the platform that is perfect for hooking a stretchy cargo net to. Slots line the perimeter of the TV Tray that makes using loop-style junk straps a breeze. It’s almost like they were put there for that sole purpose. Strap a basket on there and join the Basket-packing revolution. What you carry and how you secure it is up to you, but make sure that shit is strapped down; you don’t want to leave behind a zesty road score for someone else.
If you have an old touring rack sitting dusty in your garage, why not breathe some new life into it and give it a porteur-style makeover? What are you waiting for? Here is a list of some racks that are ISO qualified and that we have confirmed fit on. It’s not an exhaustive list by any means but you can get all of these from Mom and Dad when you get your Local Bike Shop to order your new TV Tray.
Surly Rear Touring Rack
Surly Front Touring Rack
Surly Disc Rack
Surly 8-Pack (direct mounted)
MSW Pork Chop 200
MSW Pork Chop 100
Salsa Alternator Standard
Salsa Alternator Low
Salsa Wanderlust
Salsa Wanderlust HD
Check the TV Tray Instructions to see if your non-Surly rack meets the minimum requirements.
About Slippers Cortez
Well hello there, meet Ben, aka Slippers Cortez. Ben is one of the Engineers here at Surly. When Ben isn’t doing bike math and drawings, he’s likely enjoying a beer and playing the mandolin with his brothers in their folk/bluegrass band, The Thirsty River. If you don’t know what a mandolin is, there’s a google for that. If you meet Ben, you’ll notice that he’s the most Minnesotan person you know. We mean that in the best of ways of course. So the next time you're straddling your Surly, think of Ben, because he just might be thinking about you too.