Living Car Free - Rain! And lots of it!!

Soooo.... I had to buy groceries today. It's been raining on and off all morning, but I have nothing edible left in the fridge except some baking soda and an egg. I waited to see if the rain would stop, but it looked pretty light so I clipped my one waterproof pannier to my rear rack remembered an extra shopping bag to put in the basket and off I went.

The ride (a scant 3.9km) was damp. The rain was intermittent and no big deal. I arrived at the store, locked up my bike, inserted a quarter to get a cart and tossed my pannier inside. Half hour or so of shopping then passed by. Paid for my stuff and divided my new yummy groceries between the pannier and the basket bag.

Then I went outside. Oh wow! Talk about rain! Solid sheets of water kept coming out of the sky! As I was unlocking and loading up my bike several people offered me "good luck" and "lousy day for a ride". But I decided not to whimper or whine about the rain. To be honest I was more concerned that I'd be able to safely maneuver my way home because my bike was quite heavily leaning to the left.

I arrived home after about 20 minutes of cautious rain riding. Totally soaked. Totally happy. And since my bike was drenched I took the opportunity to clean her and add a little lube to the chain.

Even better, I have food in the fridge. I'm thinking spaghetti with meat sauce for supper tonight. And for dessert, and nice fresh juicy peach!!

Oh, and I am getting this week a set of grocery basket panniers for my bike. I think she deserves it!:love:

but I have nothing edible left in the fridge except some baking soda and an egg.

Breakfast of champions.

Do any of the supermarkets near you offer the vinyl/plastic reusable, waterproof shopping bags? About $1.50 or so here. Something to look into and it reduces waste.:thumb:

Yeah, this happened to me recently. Made a scouting trip to the grocery store (to confirm where it was for future purchases). After circling the parking lot and verifying there was a rack (albeit unattached to anything!), it started to rain. I raced back (no easy feat, seeing as the return trip was generally uphill) and arrived only moderately soaked.

Breakfast of champions.

Do any of the supermarkets near you offer the vinyl/plastic reusable, waterproof shopping bags? About $1.50 or so here. Something to look into and it reduces waste.:thumb:

They do, and luckily I have several. :thumb: And they are worth every penny! I even bought a padded frozen foods bag. It's been a big help this summer!

I know none of you can hear this but the thundering outside is incredible! And it's been going on for hours. On my way home many of the streets were starting to fill up with rain water. I hope no one's home gets flooded!

Got some a few weeks ago and haven't touched a plastic shopping bag since. Not a big deal, maybe, but it's something:).

Didn't notice you were in Toronto. How is TO for bike-friendliness? Public transit passable? And, if you don't mind me asking, what do you ride as your main "utility" bike?

I'm in Newfoundland and where I am having no car is easy in the summer. Not so much in the winter.

Hi Crankshaft!

Toronto is pretty bike friendly -- quite a few bike lanes (more on the way, I hope), bike racks all over the place, even bike racks on some of the buses. In fact many of the buses are wheelchair accessible so there is only on step up onto the bus, and bikes are allowed before, in between and after the rush hours (generally after 9:30 am to 3:30 pm you can take your bike on the bus or subway, then wait til after 6:30 pm until 7:30 am).

My bike is a comfort hybrid:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2381/2468546757_c0ed27879b_b.jpg

It's my main form of transportation from April until the snow piles up (anywhere from December to March, sometimes it's only January and February. This year it was December until Mid April, and even then many paths were snowed under until May!)

Every year I say I'm going to try winter riding but I usually concede defeat to snow once I've done the uncontrolled slip and slide off some ice into a snow bank hiding a garbage can, and then I buy a bus pass. Who knows, maybe this year?

Nice bike! There's something functionally attractive about hybrids, especially kitted out like yours.

Studded tires work wonders...There's a member here in Edmonton who commutes on a fixed gear MTB all winter. It is doable but it sounds like you've found a nice balance. Way to go on the car-free thing.

.... It's my main form of transportation from April until the snow piles up (anywhere from December to March, sometimes it's only January and February. This year it was December until Mid April, and even then many paths were snowed under until May!)

Every year I say I'm going to try winter riding but I usually concede defeat to snow once I've done the uncontrolled slip and slide off some ice into a snow bank hiding a garbage can, and then I buy a bus pass. Who knows, maybe this year?
It sounds like you're having fun in the rain. People who don't live near the Great Lakes have no idea how suddenly these rain squalls can come up--even on a sunny summer day. They have killed a lot of sailors, but as far as I know, no cyclists have been blown away--so far. Put rocks in your pockets as a precaution. :)

I think I'd rather ride in the snow than in the heavy rain, although neither bothers me much any more. The way I look at it, why should I stop having fun just because the weather changes? We'll have to have a thread or two on winter riding in a couple months. August seems a little early to start thinking about it.

cyclokitty...nice ride:thumb: I love a well turned out utility bike!

Here is a picture of my current grocery getter....

Aaron:)

http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/41899/2683444210066886751S500x500Q85.jpg

Hi Cyclokitty! You have inspired me! I live near you, in Guelph, and we have been having the same kind of rain. I am about to give up my car, and live car-free, mainly for financial reasons, but I have had a lot of doubts about the wisdom of this lately, especially with the constant rainy weather. I think I have been spoiled by using a car for so long. I was looking around the web trying to find some support and inspiration, and it looks like this is a good group for that. Thanks!

p.s.: I have ordered a Burley cargo trailer, thinking this would be good for carrying groceries, but now I am thinking baskets might be enough, like on your bike and wahoonc's. I would appreciate anyone's thoughts on this. Thank you.

Nice bike! There's something functionally attractive about hybrids, especially kitted out like yours.

I like them, too, but there was a thread not too long ago where someone was raging against them.

The only things I'd change about yours would be to install some more swept-back handlebars and to substitute an internal hub gear for the derraileur. (Far better for cycling in nasty weather to have all the gears tucked away inside the hub, rather than being out where they can get gunked up.)

But as long as you're happy with it. . . . .

p.s.: I have ordered a Burley cargo trailer, thinking this would be good for carrying groceries, but now I am thinking baskets might be enough, like on your bike and wahoonc's. I would appreciate anyone's thoughts on this. Thank you.

That depends on how much you buy at once, and if you buy things like large bags of petfood or wine/beer by the case that wouldn't fit in the baskets. Personally, I have an Xtracyled hybred (soon to be replaced by a Big Dummy) for that sort of thing.

Hi Cyclokitty! You have inspired me! I live near you, in Guelph, and we have been having the same kind of rain. I am about to give up my car, and live car-free, mainly for financial reasons, but I have had a lot of doubts about the wisdom of this lately, especially with the constant rainy weather. I think I have been spoiled by using a car for so long. I was looking around the web trying to find some support and inspiration, and it looks like this is a good group for that. Thanks!

p.s.: I have ordered a Burley cargo trailer, thinking this would be good for carrying groceries, but now I am thinking baskets might be enough, like on your bike and wahoonc's. I would appreciate anyone's thoughts on this. Thank you.

I have used a trailer in the past, but don't really need to now. The grocery store is about 1.5 miles away, so multiple trips or frequent trips are not a big deal. The roads around here are very narrow country roads with minimal shoulder and a sharp drop off at the edge of the pavement. I have crashed by dropping a trailer wheel off the edge of a road way before. Not fun. I am seriously considering an Xtra Cycle. I already have a couple of bikes that would work with the conversion. I make runs to the store all the time on what ever bike I happen to have out. I normally only use the Staiger for the weekly runs. Small stuff can be fetched with any of my other bikes. All of my bikes have racks and or baskets on them.

Aaron:)

I dont know how you other car-free people feel about it but sometimes, when the weather man swears that there is going to be down pours for the rest of the week and I NEED to do a REALLY BIG shopping run... I use Safeway.com It cost $5.00 for delivery of all your groceries to YOUR KITCHEN, as long as the order is over $50 total. Pretty handy even though i usually do not shop at safeway. They have everything on the website that is in the store. Also, if it just looks like its going to rain all day and you need food, put your order in during the morning before noon and they will have your devlivery there that evening before 8pm! Great service for the car-free if you ask me.

That depends on how much you buy at once, and if you buy things like large bags of petfood or wine/beer by the case that wouldn't fit in the baskets. Personally, I have an Xtracyled hybred (soon to be replaced by a Big Dummy) for that sort of thing.

I think an Extracycle would be great to have for errands. I have my grocery panniers and I tried them out on Wednesday. They worked really well since I was able to divide my usual 25-30 lbs of groceries between the two panniers instead stuffed into one large pannier with squishy stuff in the front basket. I'll take a photo tomorrow of my bike with the panniers.

Now that I have the larger, square open topped panniers I'm thinking the laundromat will be my next adventure. It won't haul as much stuff as my 4 wheeled shopping cart, but that I can only walk with not ride along with (although I did see in a catalogue a doohicky that attaches the cart to a bike).

If you go to the utility thread there is a bit about how to take the tops of grocery cars off their frames and create a low, cargo trailer out of the basket using old BMX wheels. Pretty functional and cool looking!

I dont know how you other car-free people feel about it but sometimes, when the weather man swears that there is going to be down pours for the rest of the week and I NEED to do a REALLY BIG shopping run... I use Safeway.com It cost $5.00 for delivery of all your groceries to YOUR KITCHEN, as long as the order is over $50 total. Pretty handy even though i usually do not shop at safeway. They have everything on the website that is in the store. Also, if it just looks like its going to rain all day and you need food, put your order in during the morning before noon and they will have your devlivery there that evening before 8pm! Great service for the car-free if you ask me.

And they deliver by car, don't they? Doesn't that sort of vitiate the car-free ethos if you "get someone else to do your dirty work for you"? (I sort of feel guilty when my cager friends give me a lift for that reason.)

I arrived home after about 20 minutes of cautious rain riding. Totally soaked. Totally happy.

I've had this experience too. I am worried about whether I can "handle" the rain, whether it's "too wet" or I'll freeze or whatever, and it turns out that after a half-mile or so, I discover I'm grinning ear to ear. It's the greatest feeling. :D

Angela

Now that I have the larger, square open topped panniers I'm thinking the laundromat will be my next adventure. It won't haul as much stuff as my 4 wheeled shopping cart, but that I can only walk with not ride along with (although I did see in a catalogue a doohicky that attaches the cart to a bike).

Why not just get a proper bike cart? They aren't that expensive.

Why not just get a proper bike cart? They aren't that expensive.

I want to get one, but I have no place to store it in my tiny apartment. My place has two closets and neither are big enough to stash the cart, and my bike pretty much has taken over the living room. I am currently looking for a place closer downtown that is roomier.

But once I do, I am adding a bike cart!

I want to get one, but I have no place to store it in my tiny apartment. My place has two closets and neither are big enough to stash the cart,

Have you looked at any of the collapsable carts?

Like this one?
http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/ModernMechanix/7-1935/bike_trailer.jpg
That would be totally awesome!

Probably thinking more of the Burley Flatbed (http://www.burley.com/products/adventure/flatbed.cfm) which can be folded small enough to fit under a bed.

Aaron:)