Living Car Free - Good way to haul beer

I know someone has dealt with this before, but how do you strap down a case of beer (or pop if you will) to your rack? Any way that I think of leads me to the conclusion that the box of malted goodness will stretch any bungees and slide right off the side and out, pushing my derailleur into my spokes, or worse, falling on the ground and spilling everywhere. Is there something I'm missing?

Yeah, a backpack.

Or balance it across your handlebars with one hand.

How far do you have to go?

Yeah, a backpack.

Or balance it across your handlebars with one hand.

How far do you have to go?


Well, if I stood on the roof of my apartment, I could hit golf balls at the cars in Kroger's lot.:)

I live pretty close to the store. A backpack would work I guess, but I usually buy the 30 pack big boxes because they last me a while and those don't fit into a backpack very well. I think Santa might be bringing me some grocery panniers, so I could use that, but putting that big box on top of the rack seems like the best place for it so as not to throw off the balance of the bike.

Well, if I stood on the roof of my apartment, I could hit golf balls at the cars in Kroger's lot.:)


In that case just balance it across the top tube with your left hand.

Or walk to buy beer.

Well, if I stood on the roof of my apartment, I could hit golf balls at the cars in Kroger's lot.:)

I live pretty close to the store. A backpack would work I guess, but I usually buy the 30 pack big boxes because they last me a while and those don't fit into a backpack very well. I think Santa might be bringing me some grocery panniers, so I could use that, but putting that big box on top of the rack seems like the best place for it so as not to throw off the balance of the bike.

My Bailey Works XL courier bag holds a 30-rack still in the box with room to spare.

I don't strap anything on with Bungee cords, I use 1" nylon straps that are 6' long. I think I paid $2 for two of them from the camping section at Walmart. They don't stretch at all, and have buckles to secure them down.

One is permanently attached to the rack (I sewed the end onto the rack), and the buckle is attached to the other side of the rack. I also carry a couple extra straps in my panniers, though I rarely use them.

Drink it and bring it home in your tummy :p

But seriously, that is why I have a trailer.

Gosh I'm out of touch. I don't know what a 30-pack is.

You can take a milk crate and use multiple double-sided velcro strips on the bottom to lock it to to your rack. Voila! Instant large trunk.

If these are 30 packs of cans, you can break up the packaging to slip them in your backpack. That would be 22 pounds of liquid though ... should be ok for your short jaunt. I've used the cut-the-package-in-two trick to carry home 12 packs of very bulky muffins from Costco.

My paniers have a metal frame, effectively making a platform at the back of the bike (2 paniers plus rack). A 24-sized box fits there very nicely, with adequate support as long as I don't lean into turns too much.

I don't strap anything on with Bungee cords, I use 1" nylon straps that are 6' long. I think I paid $2 for two of them from the camping section at Walmart. They don't stretch at all, and have buckles to secure them down.

One is permanently attached to the rack (I sewed the end onto the rack), and the buckle is attached to the other side of the rack. I also carry a couple extra straps in my panniers, though I rarely use them.

i completely forgot about nylon cargo straps! :crash: I think I've seen some narrow ratcheting straps in the automotive section of my local crap-mart for really cheap. That might be the best option yet!

:beer:

On a standard-sized rack, place it across your grocery panniers and bungee it down, front-to-back.

Get an expedition-sized rack, like the Jandd Expedition Rack (http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FREXP), and you have more choices. Put the case on the rack the long way (front to back), and secure with one bungee front-to-back, and two side-to-side. Or use a Delta Cargo Net (http://www.deltacycle.com/product.php?g=26) (which isn't quite stretchy enough for a case of longnecks).

full sized messenger bag will hold more than 4 cases quite easily, heck a messenger bag will swallow 3 standard sized panniers and still have room to spare

I saw a guy that built a plywood box with sides about 2 inches high. It was made just slightly larger than a case of beer. He had it attached to the top tube of his bike. He'd just plop the box of beer in it and off he'd go.

If all else fails, just buy in smaller quantities. But if you're only 300 yards (golf swing distance) from the store, I really don't see what the problem is. That's only a 5 minute walk, isn't it?

Yeah, but there are no sidewalks and carrying the beer, which isn't exactly feather light, plus whatever groceries I bought across an open field or along the road would really suck, so I'll just drive (er... ride) :D

I've got neighbors that will fire up their SUV just to drive over there and pick up the same amount I could carry on a bike. They don't even think of taking a bike, and god forbid they have to walk anywhere.

Online shopping forget hauling it home.

full sized messenger bag will hold more than 4 cases quite easily, heck a messenger bag will swallow 3 standard sized panniers and still have room to spare

+1 - I've gotten 3 freezer packs into my Chrome Metropolis bag many times. Probably could get a fourth but with 3 I'm a little tipsy when I stand up :rolleyes: :D

I take a standard hand dolly, bungee-cord the handle's center very tightly to the center strut of my back-rack. Ensure that the dolly trails nicely, then head off. To the store, load it up, using bungees and/or packing tape to hold the cases in. I've brought back three full cases in one run (riding carefully, needless to say). Nice thing is that the dolly, loaded, actually holds the bike up -- no need for a kickstand!

My messenger bag can fit a 24.
If you used a bike trailer you could probably carry a keg or two, or a mountain of other sorts of alcohol. Depends how big the trailer is. Skies the limit.

Dunno about 30packs but on my old Giant Iquana Commuter I would lay one case down flat and bungie a couple more on top, then another couple could go on the front rack:D I think my personal record was 6 cases:eek: from the beverage barn to the beach house over a distance of about a mile, just take it slow and easy:p

Aaron:)

Dunno about 30packs but on my old Giant Iquana Commuter I would lay one case down flat and bungie a couple more on top, then another couple could go on the front rack:D I think my personal record was 6 cases:eek: from the beverage barn to the beach house over a distance of about a mile, just take it slow and easy:p

Aaron:)

That's like 125lbs of beer! Hope you had friends coming over to help drink it.

That's like 125lbs of beer! Hope you had friends coming over to help drink it.

Why:( I was there for two weeks:D actually that was probably the 3rd or 4th beer run of the week. IIRC there were about 5 of us consuming the beer. It was a family beach vacation with about 20 some people all sharing the big cottage. We were 2 blocks off the beach and the beverage barn was back the other way...didn't want to have to make so many trips;)

Aaron:)

I have an old converted milk crate on the back of my bike. I just toss the beer in there. I usually bring along something soft in case the beer needs padding or I combine a beer run with a grocery run.

Well if you got the paniers you'll just have to buy two 30-packs to balance out the load. Darn...

I was going to tell you that I had no problem lugging a 6-pack which I carried in a cloth grocery bag hanging off my rear rack. However, I notice you guys are in a different league...

My Bailey Works XL courier bag holds a 30-rack still in the box with room to spare.

"the" solution.

I don't strap anything on with Bungee cords, I use 1" nylon straps that are 6' long. I think I paid $2 for two of them from the camping section at Walmart. They don't stretch at all, and have buckles to secure them down.

One is permanently attached to the rack (I sewed the end onto the rack), and the buckle is attached to the other side of the rack. I also carry a couple extra straps in my panniers, though I rarely use them.

Quick hint from a guy who works in a motorcycle shop: A lot of motorcycles come strapped down (with racheting straps no less!) to in steel framework that is a modern motorcycle box. These, like the case itself, are discarded! I've sewn hooks into them to strap down motorcycles, used the straps as-is to do largish boxes to a rear rack, etc.

Check your local Honda dealer when they're setting up the big V-twin cruisers. The VT1100, VTX1300 and VTX1800's all use very heavy duty straps - if you're friends with a mechanic, there's usually no real problem getting a couple gratis.

Gosh I'm out of touch. I don't know what a 30-pack is.
This a 30-pack and how it is easily transported by bike from the store.
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/4299/30packonbike1lh4.th.jpg (http://img413.imageshack.us/my.php?image=30packonbike1lh4.jpg) http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/6712/30packonbike3br6.th.jpg (http://img403.imageshack.us/my.php?image=30packonbike3br6.jpg)


Also good for 6 packs and other sundry items.
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/953/dscf1118wd8.th.jpg (http://img412.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf1118wd8.jpg)