This is one place where there are really a lot of ways to solve the puzzle.
One of the most attractive installations Ive seen was to loosen/pull the side rails, & using thro over bags, cut the strap between them & use part of that strap to go up under the side rail & pinch it to keep it there. You can build a wire bracket to keep the bags outta the wheel & stuff to go in behind it. PIano wire is available at hobby shops that sell RC planes. Its VERY hard. It sometimes breaks, well,, shatters, if its bent too hard. Itll sling stuff, so be careful..But, for its size & weight, its very strong & its cheap..YOull need good pliers & to cut it, unless youre The Hulk, just squeeze the cutters hard, then bend at the dent, itll break right off.

The best way Ive found for working wire is to put vise grips in the vise.
Line the rivets behind the upper jaw up with the hole in the vise jaws.
Then, you can set the wire into the vise grips & use a light hammer on the wire. Leave waste on the end of any wire youre trying to bend, so you can bend it, pull on it & spank it with the hammer & drive the wire over. Its slow, youll get frustrated because its hard to decide where to start the bend to make things symmetrical, but this isnt a place where being off 3/16ths is gonna matter.

Tools

small bolt cutters or high quality wire pliers
vise & vise grips
small hammer, light, quick taps. Youll be holding the other end & a hard smack is gonna hurt,,& moving metal quickly isnt good, UNbending it is harder than bending it,.

If you find youself needing to bend a spot thats too short, a very small 1/4" deep socket on a nutdriver handle will give you what you need,