Living Car Free - Carrying 'stuff'

I've had a lot of people that have been pretty shocked at the amount of stuff you can carry on a bike... and I regularly get pointed at, here people saying 'Look, look' and honked at when leaving the store.

I took a couple pics for some of the people I work with.... I usually hit the store twice a week, once where I do major shopping, a second time for various things that didn't make the list, and maybe a quick trip to pick up just one or two 'special' items.

Tonight was a 'second' trip... that's when I usually grab dog food, so I'm not carrying quite so much weight.

anyway... here it is... my bike, loaded rack and grocery panniers.

I can get almost that much
stuff in a big basket I have
in back of my seat on an EZ-1
Easy Racer. I it is a drag to
try and keep the bike balanced
on the bike stand though when
I am loading and unloading it.

That's why I am going with a
quadracycle in the near future.
It should be delivered two weeks
from tomorrow.

http://www.rhoadescar.com/4w1p-j.jpg

Less load shift in route that way
too. Trailers are probably good
but I just can't see pulling one
on a bike and maybe tearing up
the rear end of a nice bike with
the gizmos used to attach a trailer.

I'm going to build a trailer... I don't see any problem with the axle mounted trailers.... I'll try it and see!

I carry more items (but usually less weight!) when I do my weekend shopping... get more food, less junk, and no dog food on those trips.

oh, carting a twelve pack of soda around is some serious hauling...

Nice haul, especially that bag of dog food. ;) I get both odd looks from people & some "wow, look what he's doing" looks. The best part about it is the amount of room on the roads people are willing to give me when hauling stuff around. People seem less inclined to get agitated when I'm "fully loaded" than if I'm "just" cycling.

When I lived in a hilly town I had a choice of 2 supermarkets, on at higher altitude and one lower but closer. I mostly used the lower one but if I wanted to haul a load of drinks or other heavy stuff I would chose the one at higher altitude and roll back down.
I was never asked to take part in a consumer survey as to why I used that store but do you think they have a tickbox for "better altitude than your competitors"

Any of you ever considered an xtracycle? I'm really considering one, I think I could haul a weeks worth of groceries pretty easily. The hills in the city (SF) are my only serious drawback, but a good excuse to get in better shape.

When I lived in a hilly town I had a choice of 2 supermarkets, on at higher altitude and one lower but closer. I mostly used the lower one but if I wanted to haul a load of drinks or other heavy stuff I would chose the one at higher altitude and roll back down.
I was never asked to take part in a consumer survey as to why I used that store but do you think they have a tickbox for "better altitude than your competitors"

:roflmao:

How about: Because you'll let me bring my bike in and park it by customer service?

Nice haul, especially that bag of dog food. ;) I get both odd looks from people & some "wow, look what he's doing" looks. The best part about it is the amount of room on the roads people are willing to give me when hauling stuff around. People seem less inclined to get agitated when I'm "fully loaded" than if I'm "just" cycling.

Yeah, definitely! The more stuff hooked onto the back of the bicycle, the more reasonable people are! If my grocery panniers are folded up and I'm riding, I'll get the occasional buzz or yelling/honking motorist... When they're open and full of stuff I tend to get a lot more clearance and nobody screaming at me. I think it's mostly because they're afraid that all the stuff makes me more unstable and I will suddenly fall over in front of them! :p

oh, carting a twelve pack of soda around is some serious hauling...

Can't live without my Pepsi! Mmmmmm.... Caffeine! :p

How about 50 lbs. of assorted ammunition, two rifles and one handgun plus assorted shooting supplies, taken by bike 12 miles to the range? :D

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b52/Gussick/rr3.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b52/Gussick/rr2.jpg

How about 50 lbs. of assorted ammunition, two rifles and one handgun plus assorted shooting supplies, taken by bike 12 miles to the range? :D

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b52/Gussick/rr3.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b52/Gussick/rr2.jpg

Meh... that's nothing. I have to carry that stuff every day on my commute to fend off the motorists. :rolleyes:

:roflmao:

PS: That's pretty sweet, but I sure wouldn't be hiding the rifles away like that.... leave 'em showin' to scare the cagers!

When I lived in a hilly town I had a choice of 2 supermarkets, on at higher altitude and one lower but closer. I mostly used the lower one but if I wanted to haul a load of drinks or other heavy stuff I would chose the one at higher altitude and roll back down.
I was never asked to take part in a consumer survey as to why I used that store but do you think they have a tickbox for "better altitude than your competitors"

That one's a classic... :)

Nice haul, especially that bag of dog food. ;) I get both odd looks from people & some "wow, look what he's doing" looks. The best part about it is the amount of room on the roads people are willing to give me when hauling stuff around. People seem less inclined to get agitated when I'm "fully loaded" than if I'm "just" cycling.

You know, that's true. I've experienced the same thing; when I'm fully loaded, no one gives me a hard time, even guys in pickups. Not so much as a dirty look. I think it's because it makes being on a bike look less trivial; you know, you look like you have a purpose being on that bike. I've always suspected that some motorists get annoyed with bikes because they think we're just a bunch of enthusiasts on a joy ride, never suspecting that we, too, are actually trying to get somewhere.

(Got off topic; sorry, won't happen again.)

Meh. The 'topic' is just a conversation starter... the conversation wanders where it will!

Anyway... another thing I've noticed is that I have a lot fewer problems in the "bad" neighborhoods... the rougher, lower income areas. I enjoy riding my bike in some of these areas because I tend to get more courtesy, waves, people stopping to talk. I don't know why... maybe they think I'm too poor to drive a car, maybe they're just more family oriented (I have a very young-looking face... people tend to treat me as a kid... I have SO many families that have 'adopted' me!)

In the nicer areas, everyone is in a rush, off in their own little world, maybe they're super stressed about how they're going to make that huge mortgage payment with the interest rates going up, and pay for gas in that huge SUV they had to have.

I went by my cycle shop earlier this week, on the way back I went through a couple neighborhoods I've never been in before... definitely not 'high-class' ...

You know what I saw?

PEOPLE! People tending their yards, kids playing, people hanging around chatting. I don't know how many times I've ridden through 'nicer' neighborhoods and not seen anyone that wasn't either in a vehicle, or going to/from a vehicle.

Anyway... another thing I've noticed is that I have a lot fewer problems in the "bad" neighborhoods... the rougher, lower income areas. I enjoy riding my bike in some of these areas because I tend to get more courtesy, waves, people stopping to talk. I don't know why... maybe they think I'm too poor to drive a car, maybe they're just more family oriented (I have a very young-looking face... people tend to treat me as a kid... I have SO many families that have 'adopted' me!)

In the nicer areas, everyone is in a rush, off in their own little world, maybe they're super stressed about how they're going to make that huge mortgage payment with the interest rates going up, and pay for gas in that huge SUV they had to have.

I went by my cycle shop earlier this week, on the way back I went through a couple neighborhoods I've never been in before... definitely not 'high-class' ...

You know what I saw?

PEOPLE! People tending their yards, kids playing, people hanging around chatting. I don't know how many times I've ridden through 'nicer' neighborhoods and not seen anyone that wasn't either in a vehicle, or going to/from a vehicle.

I agree with your observation. I think we now tend to judge the niceness of a neighborhood solely in terms of its physical features. The presence of actual real people in a neighborhood is a negative, unless they simply serve to accessorize the architecture. We don't mind seeing an occasional property owner puttering in a garden, or children playing together, as long as there are not too many of them and they leave us entirely alone.

Well children don't know that they a poor when they have a loving family and friends to play with it just seems the norm everyone lives that way

i do my grocery shopping via-bike too, but i usually end up going three times a week. one time is usually to get all the heavy, bulky stuff i need (like ocassional soda, cans of soup, et cetera). the other time is primarily for soft stuff (bread, fresh fruit) and the third time is basically everything i forgot and can sometimes get a little hard to carry stuff on the way back. the grocery store is only about three miles away, so it's no problem to hop on my bike and ride down there.

i don't use any racks or baskets though, i carry all my stuff in my timbuk2. i've also gone on weekend rides and "mini-tours" with only my timbuk2 loaded.

I have 3 grocery stores within 3 miles... A Super Walmart (Half mile), a Safeway (about a mile) and a King Soopers (about 2 miles) ... plus Family Dollar (x2!), Sav-a-lot, big lots, a hardware store...

Next week, though, I'm moving... I'll be 5 miles or so further from work, there's still two stores fairly close (A King Soopers and a Safeway) One bonus is that it's close to a nice park, and close to the foothills, I can ride into the mountains a ways again.

It's also at the very end of the same bus route that I'm on here, so I can still get to downtown pretty quick if I need to, or bike it, like I've been doing.

Planning on still commuting, so I'll get an extra 50 miles or so a week on my bike. Meh.. what the heck, everyone at work already thinks I'm crazy. :p

people generally always think we're crazy for not driving.

How about 50 lbs. of assorted ammunition, two rifles and one handgun plus assorted shooting supplies, taken by bike 12 miles to the range?

When I'm fully loaded, no one gives me a hard time.

:-)

My wife made This bag (http://www.deviantart.com/view/33209031/) and made sure it was big enough for a case of 24 beers.... (beer store is only 3/4 of a mile away - grocery store is 1/3)

We also use it for groceries - square, cinch top, with a covering flap to hold the extra that sticks out the top. It's the second generation of the design (the double closure was the main improvement after the other flap kept going one side of the load or the other). Last trip we got 4 litres of milk (a gallon), two bags of chips, a loaf of bread, 3lbs of carrots, tin of gatorade powder, stick of french bread (down the side) and some cheese. Lots of room.

yup, my timbuk2 is the perfect size for twenty-four cans of my choice of beverage.