Getting shopping home by bike

All the different ways of solving the shelter problem. To be static or mobile? Roots, legs, or wheels?
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vexed87
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Getting shopping home by bike

Post by vexed87 »

I searched for this just in case but doesn't look like it has been raised yet...

Do those of you who do your shopping by bike use a trailer, backpack or panniers? What's your preference, and why? I find my 30L backpack way too small for a weekly shop and getting to the supermarket mid week is a pain as I am usually carrying stuff from work anyway so I can only get a few basics in the bag if needed. I think 60L would be overkill for day to day riding, and perhaps even a tad unsafe.

Rather frustratingly neither of my bikes take a pannier rack, so I'm thinking either pick up a cheap tourer off craigslist/gumtree/ebay if the opportunity strikes, or drop a couple of hundred pounds on a BOB Yak or Burley Nomad trailer, but that seems a bit spendy...

I really need to choose my road bike more carefully next time. The hyrbid MTB was a hand me down... half tempted to sell the hybrid after finding something more practical but haven't spotted the right deal yet.

Thoughts?

unno2002
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by unno2002 »

What type of bicycle do you have that you cannot attach a rear rack and hang say folding baskets?

jacob
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by jacob »

Try:
* Seatpost rack (won't take a lot of weight). Avoid if you have a carbon seatpost.
* Frame bag
* Handlebar basket
* 60L backpack is possible. It's more of a weight issue than a bulk issue.


jacob
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by jacob »

Okay, unless you really really need to haul massive loads (100lbs), don't get the trailer. It's a hassle to drive and to lock up. And if you do want to get a trailer, it's relatively cheap and easy to manufacture your own.

https://www.google.com/search?q=instruc ... ke+trailer (many different ways to do this)

dot_com_vet
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by dot_com_vet »

I even hook up the trailer when I don't have a pocket for my phone. Yes, I carry my phone in a bike trailer.

TopHatFox
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by TopHatFox »

Two-wheeled trailer--I can get a month's worth of groceries in one trip! :D Storage of this type of trailer is no prob even in part of a tiny 7" by 8" room (many can come apart & fold if you want it in a smaller space); likely impractical in a van unless if I add some storage space on top of the van.

Backpacks are heavy, sweaty, inefficient, and uncomfortable by comparison. Rear panniers are useful for smaller to moderate loads, and moderate to higher frequency trips. Front panniers are useful too. If you live in a place like the northeast, a touring bike with narrow/slick and wide/studded tire sets is ideal for utility and general transportation cycling IMO.

----------------------------------------------------

I second this (except my trailer is more like a wide rectangular prism with wheels than a child carrier):

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/ ... e-trailer/

and this, if you like owning bulky furniture, or for moving to a new local residence faster:

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2014/06/ ... your-bike/
Last edited by TopHatFox on Wed Jul 08, 2015 10:45 am, edited 2 times in total.

Gilberto de Piento
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

I have a messenger bag, ortlieb panniers and a burley kid trailer. The messenger bag was free and the others came from craigslist. $80 for panniers and $40 for the kid trailer.

I use whichever makes the most sense given what I'm planning to carry. I prefer the panniers but they are not as easy to carry off the bike as a messenger bag or backpack and putting a lot of groceries in them means the bread and vegetable are going to be squished. I use the kid trailer for a lot of groceries or large objects. I once helped a friend do a move with kid trailers (long before MMM existed). I like the kid trailer well enough but I don't like how I can feel it pushing the bike around, the extra width and having another thing to lock up.

For $40 I would not try to build a trailer unless you need something not commercially available. I would also choose the kid trailer over the cargo trailers (which I have also used) since they haul a lot more and don't have to have everything strapped down in bags. As a bonus, drivers give you a lot more room and hold up traffic to let you cross the road when they think there is a "baby on board".

Can you post a link to the bikes you have? With p clamps and/or a seatpost clamp with rack mounting holes (I use one of these on my commuter) you can put a rear rack on almost anything. A cetma style front rack can work on almost any bike too.

vexed87
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by vexed87 »

@GdP, my road bike doesn't have the pannier eyelets on the seatstays. Maybe I need to look into these 'p-clips' you mention.

I have just remembered my hybrid/MTB does have pannier eyelets, but I haven't found one compatible with the disc brakes.

I bought a seat post clamp rack for my MTB last year but had problems with heels striking the pannier bags, I think the bike frame was too small. Shortly after this I realised the rack would only carry 10kg max due to seatpost clamp. Also as jacob rightly pointed out, I wouldn't want this on my road bike's carbon seatpost! 10kg isn't suitable for the weekly shop either. Ditching the hybrid for a tourer with proper front and back panniers seems to be the way forward. I could do with a new fixer upper project too :)

The main reason I was thinking about a trailer was that it wouldn't require any change of bikes/risky overloading of seat post clamp racks...

TopHatFox
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by TopHatFox »

vexed87 wrote:The main reason I was thinking about a trailer was that it wouldn't require any change of bikes/risky overloading of seat post clamp racks...
Speaking of overloading, I'm curious how much one can overload a trailer if the trailer hitches on the non-derailleur side of the rear skewer of a bicycle.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/ ... rt=mozilla

I'd be especially concerned if it's a road bike frame. I imagine the uneven hitching of a heavy object like a trailer could potentially bend the rear skewer and frame of a bicycle not designed for heavy utility use, but I'm not sure if that's a baseless fear or a legitimate concern.

More importantly, I dislike bicycle trailers that attach via the rear skewer since it's only one point of contact with the bike. There are some trailers that lynch on via a three point clamp that attaches on the seat stays & chainstays of the non-drive side of the bike.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/ ... rt=mozilla

This clamp has a hitch at the end of it that the trailer's lynch pin attaches to. Again, I think this three point clamp hitch is much more sturdy than the skewer hitch since it has three point contact with the bike instead of only one. It also frees up the rear skewer to attach fenders to it, if your bike doesn't have eyelets.

Sadly, my current trailer uses a skewer hitch, so I'm stuck unless if I get a new trailer with a three-point-clamp hitch.
Last edited by TopHatFox on Wed Jul 08, 2015 12:49 pm, edited 3 times in total.

enigmaT120
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by enigmaT120 »

That stuff is all these people talk about:

http://www.bikeforums.net/utility-cycling/

I keep seeing a web ad for a Bob Yak-copy trailer, single wheel, for 69 bucks but I did a search and they're kind of junky. I've never pulled a trailer with my bike, but it is a touring mountain bike and I have front and rear racks and panniers, and Salsa Anything cages for the front forks, and so on so I can haul a lot on it if I wish.

vexed87
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by vexed87 »

Thanks for the heads up, my fav cycling forum doesn't have a similar sub forum :)

jacob
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by jacob »

@Zalo - I think bending the skewer will be the last point of failure (they are not easy to bend!). More likely, the wheel will fall off before the skewer bends. It would pull out of the dropout if [horizontal]... or the quick release will fail. A QR relies on clamping force and it can shift in the horizontal dropouts just by pedalling hard, so pulling something behind definitely doesn't help.

tommytebco
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by tommytebco »

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/6 ... L1000_.jpg

I bought one of these off Craigs list for $25.
Haven't used it yet. the bicycle attachment din't come with it. (It can be fabricated from caliper brake parts. I'm still using the car. It just sits there waiting to do something for me :-(

enigmaT120
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by enigmaT120 »

25 bucks is a good price, I haven't seen any that cheap even at garage sales.

vexed87
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by vexed87 »

Agreed, nice find! If parts are missing or faulty, most people give their stuff away. Most of the trailers I see on gumtree (UK's answer to craigslist) I wouldn't put my kids in due to crap build quality, that said it's only going to carry my milk and bananas. I think if I'm filling a trailer up with 100lb of goods and travelling 25 mph downhill, I want a well made trailer (from a reputable brand).

In the mean time, I'm keeping my eye out for a good steel framed fixer upper which will take front and rear panniers for impromptu trips to the shops. I have access to a car when I need it for heavy hauling, but ideally, I want to be totally self-sufficient in my transport needs by the end of the year. Plenty of time to get sorted, but I get itchy feet just thinking about this stuff!

ducknald_don
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by ducknald_don »

I went for a Burley Nomad. It was quite expensive as I couldn't find a reasonable second hand one but it paid for itself within eight months just from fuel savings. I do get some strange looks at the supermarket but on the positive side drivers seem to give me more room than they normally would.

black_son_of_gray
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by black_son_of_gray »

For what it's worth, I see a lot more bikes like this around town in the Bay Area. The rise in this style of bike has coincided with the dramatic increase in ebikes. I imagine 95% of all things I'd need to transport across town (including children) could be done with that, even with the hills (mostly). Previously I've topped out at about 40lbs of groceries in panniers, and that made my bike handle ghastly.

loutfard
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Re: Getting shopping home by bike

Post by loutfard »

We have one large shopping delivery per month to our doorstep. The cheapest chain here offers that service for 7€/delivery. This is the heavy stuff. 10kg of potatoes and 12 or 24l of milk are just the beginning. A full car trunk, and then some.

I get the rest of our food by bike: a Brompton folding bike with a large bag clicked onto the front. I've used one for over 20 years now. Excellent quality and super versatile. It folds into a wheeled shopping cart when I go into a shop.

We combine them with public transport and the occasional car sharing rental. That makes them extra useful. Even more so if living in a cramped space or somewhere with a lot of bicycle theft. If you live in a place with somewhat decent public transport, try the Brompton, both the bike and the bag! Don't be scared of the 2k€ price.

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