Living Car Free - I did it - shopping at Sam's. The 100+ lb load

This might not seem like much to the dudes that have gone on cross-country rides or the guys who haul piano's by bicycle, but I am pretty stoked.

Last night, I used my new freighter rig to go shopping at Sam's. I asked the wife to give me her WHOLE shopping list.

I took an old Schwinn Continental and added a mountain bike triple chainring up front which added the granny gear and turned the 10 speed into a 15 speed. To that, I added a child carrier trailer - old school type with the molded plastic shell.

The shopping list included:

Two 25 lb bags of flour
Two 5 lb bags of sugar
5 lbs of cheese
two gallons of vegetable oil
Honking case of plastic trashcan liners
Eggs
Bananas
Light Bulbs
A bunch of other stuff too much to mention

You know, shopping at Sam's is like shopping at the Dollar Tree. You always wind up buying more stuff than you intended and more than you need.

The total came to over 100 lbs - slightly exceeding the approved limit of the trailer.

The trailer was absolutely full FULL! I stopped a couple of times to make sure that stuff wasn't falling out.

Despite two big hills I had to climb, and then scream DOOoooooowwn, I didn't have to get off the bike to push/pull it. I managed to do the whole thing by pedaling - although I had the low gearing maxed out and was standing out of the saddle on the hills and was huffing and puffing before I got to the top of the hills.

BUT, I DID IT! It wasn't too bad either. None of the eggs or lighbulbs were broken and the bananas weren't bruised. I can't wait to do it again. As long as you don't have too great of speed expectations, steady Eddie does it and next thing you know there is the lamp light in the home window appearing down the street.

I am having fantasies of bringing the wife and son with baskets on their bikes, adding a basket to my bike, and maybe having each of us with backpacks. You could do some serious shopping as a family if everybody pitched in! Heck, we could even squeeze in a couple gallons of milk and probably twenty boxes of cereal. :)

Great job! One question, though -- did all the eggs survive the trip?

Great job! One question, though -- did all the eggs survive the trip?

Yes, the eggs Did survive, thanks for asking. That is one of the first things I had to check - with great expectations - upon my arrival home. I excitedly tore open the egg box and saw they were all OK.

Upon my arrival, I got my wife and son out of the house to see my accomplishment. They were mildly impressed (or pretended to be) when they saw the full rig, but they were MOST impressed when I made them help me unload the goods and put the stuff away. My son said, "this is as much stuff as when mom goes shopping in the car!"

Pictures... we need pictures.

Also, what kind of hitch does it use? [I say this because I have 2 trailers in my garage... neither of which has a hitch that would haul that load.]

Pictures... we need pictures.

Also, what kind of hitch does it use? [I say this because I have 2 trailers in my garage... neither of which has a hitch that would haul that load.]

I know, I know. I was thinking about that last night when I was unloading. I suppose I could reload the rig and take a pic but....


alas.

I will do it again - next time with lots of beer to make it even more cool looking. How about a pic next time with this shopping list:

25 lb sacks of flour
Cheese
Beer
Beer
Beer
Beer
eggs
frozen pizza
beer
chips
beer
beef jerky
beer
Twizzlers
beer

Am I leaving anything off the list? Maybe some rental videos? Dog food? Smoked pheasant?

I know, I know. I was thinking about that last night when I was unloading. I suppose I could reload the rig and take a pic but....


alas.

I will do it again - next time with lots of beer to make it even more cool looking. How about a pic next time with this shopping list:

25 lb sacks of flour
Cheese
Beer
Beer
Beer
Beer
eggs
frozen pizza
beer
chips
beer
beef jerky
beer
Twizzlers
beer

Am I leaving anything off the list? Maybe some rental videos? Dog food? Smoked pheasant?

Extra beer?

What's up with all of that sugar?

Well done! Great feeling isn't it, to be able to carry so much stuff, you realise that maybe you could do without a car altogether. Well, I could, it may not be practical for everyone.

What's up with all of that sugar?
It's for the banana sauce. He's obviously making the world's largest cheese souffle. But what are the light bulbs for????

What's up with all of that sugar?

Probably brewing beer.

What's up with all of that sugar?

Sounds about right to me. For us, that's about 6 months worth. If you do home baking and have even one person who likes the odd cup of tea or coffee with sugar, it does get used.

The cheese would be used up a *lot* faster. Must have calcium!

What's up with all of that sugar?

The sugar goes with all the flour (50 lbs).

I do a LOT of baking. I bake bread for the local elderly folks every weekend. Kneeded and baked by hand right at home - usually a dozen loaves at a time.

Of course, that is still a lot of sugar, but when you shop at Sam's Club, you are usually buying in 5 lb quantities. So, 5 lbs of brown sugar, 5 lbs of powdered sugar = ten pounds. Probably enough for four months or so.

PLUS....

You can use it to make beer....

It's for the banana sauce. He's obviously making the world's largest cheese souffle. But what are the light bulbs for????

MMMMmmm....cheese souffle with banana sauce....

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:Xg8Vc7tMdyaGFM:http://upload.wikimedia.org

The total came to over 100 lbs - slightly exceeding the approved limit of the trailer.

Despite two big hills I had to climb, and then scream DOOoooooowwn, I didn't have to get off the bike to push/pull it. I managed to do the whole thing by pedaling - although I had the low gearing maxed out and was standing out of the saddle on the hills and was huffing and puffing before I got to the top of the hills.

Often overlooked is the braking limits of the bike being ridden. When loaded, as you were, it is
much, much, MUCH safer to walk your bike DOWNHILL to avoid any possiblity of brake or bike
component failure due to the increased load of a overloaded trailer pushing the bike.

I kid you not,mate. Not one bit...............

wow, congrats on the huge haul!

would definitely like to see pics next time you do it.

We were doing our grocery shopping all summer by bike. We used our camping egg carriers to transport the eggs. We already had the carriers so we didn't need to purchase them.
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=130208

Often overlooked is the braking limits of the bike being ridden. When loaded, as you were, it is
much, much, MUCH safer to walk your bike DOWNHILL to avoid any possiblity of brake or bike
component failure due to the increased load of a overloaded trailer pushing the bike.

I kid you not,mate. Not one bit...............


That is why I just upgraded the front roller brake on my Redline R530 from the stock USA spec'd POS to a much larger EU type (like they use on the Bakfiets) and got a generator hub in the bargain:D

Aaron:)

It's for the banana sauce. He's obviously making the world's largest cheese souffle. But what are the light bulbs for????
easy bake oven:lol:

The sugar goes with all the flour (50 lbs).

I do a LOT of baking. I bake bread for the local elderly folks every weekend. Kneeded and baked by hand right at home - usually a dozen loaves at a time.



When I was growing up, we almost never had store bread; my father baked nearly every week.

When I was growing up, we almost never had store bread; my father baked nearly every week.

In our house, mom was the bread baker...4 loaves every Wednesday for as long as I can remember. I bake bread on occasion, but not nearly enough anymore:(

Aaron:)

In our house, mom was the bread baker...4 loaves every Wednesday for as long as I can remember. I bake bread on occasion, but not nearly enough anymore:(

Aaron:)

Home baked bread is amazing, and when you haul all the ingredients on your bike it really makes you appreciate it that much more.

Home baked bread is amazing, and when you haul all the ingredients on your bike it really makes you appreciate it that much more.

I used to haul the groceries home from my job as a grocery bagger on a Schwinn Heavy Duty that was also used for my paper route:D Miss that old yellow monster...

Aaron:)

When I was growing up, we almost never had store bread; my father baked nearly every week.

I gotta ask - did you kids like Dad's bread at the time, or did you long for WonderBread?

When I was a kid, I had to make all the bread for the family. That was about six big loaves per week. I was the bread maker since I was about eleven years old. As a result, I developed powerful forearms like Popeye.

People tell me that I make truly lovely bread. The Mission Society ladies will sell it at church on occassion and people line up to pay $6.00/loaf. We will sell 120 loaves in 40 minutes or less.

Sometimes I even grind my own grain from wheat that I get straight from the farmer right from the field when he is harvesting.

Despite that, my wife and kids prefer the mushy WonderBread. Ya ya ya... I actually catch them sneaking it into the house.

I believe that one day, the kids will appreciate my home made bread and will talk about it fondly - years after they move away and reflect on it with nostalgia as their families rake margerine over slices of fragile white putty deceptively sold as 'Bread".

In our house, mom was the bread baker...4 loaves every Wednesday for as long as I can remember. I bake bread on occasion, but not nearly enough anymore:(

Aaron:)

Mother was a city girl. Bread came, in her world, from the bakery. Hence, when they were first married and father expressed a hankering for homebaked, she confessed that she hadn't the faintest idea how to go about it. He said, "That's OK; I remember how my mother used to do it."

He made white bread, brown bread, rye bread, all sorts of bread. His real specialty was "country crusty" which was sort of like French. He also learned from a Jewish neighbor how to make challah.

We even had homebaked hamburger and hot dog rolls.

I gotta ask - did you kids like Dad's bread at the time, or did you long for WonderBread?

What is this WonderBread you speak of?

What is this WonderBread you speak of?

If you have to ask, then you have truly been blessed.

What is this WonderBread you speak of?

It is not best used as food. It is best used when crushed into a tight ball and then thrown at ones sibling. ;)

WonderBread - blech! I grew up on my Mom's homemade bread, too. I actually used to eat raw bread dough by the handfuls whenever possible. Mom used to also save some dough to deep fry which we'd eat with butter and sugar, molasses, or maple syrup once in a while.

I'm actually salivating right now.

WonderBread - blech! I grew up on my Mom's homemade bread, too. I actually used to eat raw bread dough by the handfuls whenever possible. Mom used to also save some dough to deep fry which we'd eat with butter and sugar, molasses, or maple syrup once in a while.

I'm actually salivating right now.

Hee hee. Fried bread with butter and sugar?

How is your cholesterol? ;)

How is your cholesterol? ;)

Probably quite tasty. :lol:

Actually, I've been vegan for almost 2 years, so hopefully I've reversed some of the damage from past indulgences. Ah, who am I kidding ... if my mom would make it again, I'd subsitute the butter with vegan margarine and be good to go! Too bad Mom lives a few thousand kms away!

WonderBread - blech! I grew up on my Mom's homemade bread, too. I actually used to eat raw bread dough by the handfuls whenever possible. Mom used to also save some dough to deep fry which we'd eat with butter and sugar, molasses, or maple syrup once in a while.

I'm actually salivating right now.

I made something like this last weekend. Tasty stuff. Everything is better fried (or wrapped in bacon). ;)

I made something like this last weekend. Tasty stuff. Everything is better fried (or wrapped in bacon). ;)

If your cardiologist's kid doesn't go to college, it won't be your fault.

What is this WonderBread you speak of?

Mom made the bread but one time a local shopping center had this live three stooges appearance and each kid got a little package of a slice or two of Wonder Bread with the colored circles. It was a completely different animal from what mom made. Taste, consistency everything. I couldn't figure out how you were supposed to make peanut butter and cherry preserve sandwiches with it since it seemed so fragile. I did NOT ask mom for it. Even the mental association with the three stooges didn't overcome the lack of taste, color and texture.

Near where I work in DC there used to be a wonder bread bakery. The neighborhood smelled like baking bread. You can still see some of the buildings but the smell is gone.

Extra beer?

A recliner to enjoy it all?

Near where I work in DC there used to be a wonder bread bakery. The neighborhood smelled like baking bread. You can still see some of the buildings but the smell is gone.

Where do they make the bread now? Even 20 years ago, every city had a few factory-type bakeries. Now they're all empty and all the bread is made by a couple chicks--Aunt Millie and Sara Lee. I guess they make it in an undisclosed location and truck it every where?

I gotta ask - did you kids like Dad's bread at the time, or did you long for WonderBread?

When I was a kid, I had to make all the bread for the family. That was about six big loaves per week. I was the bread maker since I was about eleven years old. As a result, I developed powerful forearms like Popeye.

People tell me that I make truly lovely bread. The Mission Society ladies will sell it at church on occassion and people line up to pay $6.00/loaf. We will sell 120 loaves in 40 minutes or less.

Sometimes I even grind my own grain from wheat that I get straight from the farmer right from the field when he is harvesting.

Despite that, my wife and kids prefer the mushy WonderBread. Ya ya ya... I actually catch them sneaking it into the house.

I believe that one day, the kids will appreciate my home made bread and will talk about it fondly - years after they move away and reflect on it with nostalgia as their families rake margerine over slices of fragile white putty deceptively sold as 'Bread".

We can dump a bunch of loaves of bread at the local church charity sale too;) the best bread is the stuff right out of the oven, I can totally destroy a 2# loaf by myself:o then you take the stuff that is near the end of it's useful life and make bread pudding:thumb:

Aaron:)

That bike sounds WAY to heavy and not very aero at all. You're not a "REAL" cyclist, are you?

That bike sounds WAY to heavy and not very aero at all. You're not a "REAL" cyclist, are you?

"What is REAL?" asked the rabbit one day.

The trailer was absolutely full FULL! I stopped a couple of times to make sure that stuff wasn't falling out.

Despite two big hills I had to climb, and then scream DOOoooooowwn, I didn't have to get off the bike to push/pull it. I managed to do the whole thing by pedaling - although I had the low gearing maxed out and was standing out of the saddle on the hills and was huffing and puffing before I got to the top of the hills.

BUT, I DID IT!

Good job! Every once in a while I tell myself I'll get a trailer but so far not yet. If I ever begin to sell my excess stuff on eBay it will be time to get one.

Congrats!

I always drew the limit at a Costco run, since I just have one grocery pannier on my Breezer; but I've been wondering about getting one of those Bob trailers and seeing what I might accomplish. I live on a hill too, but having the right gears and a good trailer leaves no excuse. Thanks for the nudge in the right direction.

Nicely done.
I've been car free for a year.
Needed a bag of cement the other day. Went into the store, came out. There's gotta be a way to carry this. It'll tear the pannier right off. 25kg/55lbs.

I placed it on the rear rack of my old Dutch bike. It flopped down a bit on each side of the rack.
Look at that. Done. No straps or bungees. I rode home cautiously.

Now I'm looking to see just how much I can carry.

Too bad I hate shopping for things so much.

Congrats!

I always drew the limit at a Costco run, since I just have one grocery pannier on my Breezer; but I've been wondering about getting one of those Bob trailers and seeing what I might accomplish. I live on a hill too, but having the right gears and a good trailer leaves no excuse. Thanks for the nudge in the right direction.

Do it, man! Put the trailer on you Christmas wish list. That good feeling you get from grocery shopping with your panniers is exponential when you haul really big loads with a trailer and realize that you just did something that you used to think was only do-able by car.

Nicely done.
I've been car free for a year.
Needed a bag of cement the other day. Went into the store, came out. There's gotta be a way to carry this. It'll tear the pannier right off. 25kg/55lbs.

I placed it on the rear rack of my old Dutch bike. It flopped down a bit on each side of the rack.
Look at that. Done. No straps or bungees. I rode home cautiously.

Now I'm looking to see just how much I can carry.

Too bad I hate shopping for things so much.

It sounds like you could really use a trailer, my friend. In the meantime, let me give you a suggestion.

When you have big, heavy stuff to carry like a big bag of dog food, or... cement (your case), Use a bungee cord to lash a big piece of ply-wood or a board across your rear carrier. Then, lash your big bag of stuff to that board. It is better than having that big bag of flour or cement crack in half across your rear carrier and spill out all over the road. When you are in a pinch, you can usually find some kind of board or support somewhere near the store to use.

That is what I did before I finally upgraded to the luxury of a trailer.

Hail hail mighty mighty trailer!

This might not seem like much to the dudes that have gone on cross-country rides or the guys who haul piano's by bicycle, but I am pretty stoked.

Last night, I used my new freighter rig to go shopping at Sam's. I asked the wife to give me her WHOLE shopping list.

I took an old Schwinn Continental and added a mountain bike triple chainring up front which added the granny gear and turned the 10 speed into a 15 speed. To that, I added a child carrier trailer - old school type with the molded plastic shell.

The shopping list included:

Two 25 lb bags of flour
Two 5 lb bags of sugar
5 lbs of cheese
two gallons of vegetable oil
Honking case of plastic trashcan liners
Eggs
Bananas
Light Bulbs
A bunch of other stuff too much to mention

You know, shopping at Sam's is like shopping at the Dollar Tree. You always wind up buying more stuff than you intended and more than you need.

The total came to over 100 lbs - slightly exceeding the approved limit of the trailer.

The trailer was absolutely full FULL! I stopped a couple of times to make sure that stuff wasn't falling out.

Despite two big hills I had to climb, and then scream DOOoooooowwn, I didn't have to get off the bike to push/pull it. I managed to do the whole thing by pedaling - although I had the low gearing maxed out and was standing out of the saddle on the hills and was huffing and puffing before I got to the top of the hills.

BUT, I DID IT! It wasn't too bad either. None of the eggs or lighbulbs were broken and the bananas weren't bruised. I can't wait to do it again. As long as you don't have too great of speed expectations, steady Eddie does it and next thing you know there is the lamp light in the home window appearing down the street.

I am having fantasies of bringing the wife and son with baskets on their bikes, adding a basket to my bike, and maybe having each of us with backpacks. You could do some serious shopping as a family if everybody pitched in! Heck, we could even squeeze in a couple gallons of milk and probably twenty boxes of cereal. :)

Hey, I'm impressed.

Not only with the size of your load but with the fact that you would "scream DOOoooooowwn" the hills.

I KNOW I don't have the cojones to do that. :-)

Hey, I'm impressed.

Not only with the size of your load but with the fact that you would "scream DOOoooooowwn" the hills.

I KNOW I don't have the cojones to do that. :-)

Oh, I'd be screaming all right!

Hey, I'm impressed.

Not only with the size of your load but with the fact that you would "scream DOOoooooowwn" the hills.

I KNOW I don't have the cojones to do that. :-)

I have to admit, the first big downhill run was pretty thrilling - especially on the maiden voyage.

At the bottom of the hill, I had to make a sharp right turn. It was a white knuckle experience. The turn was wide and my eyes were focused in front of me for oncoming cars (because I was in THEIR lane during the turn!). Fortunately, it was in my quiet residential neighborhood with little traffic.

Anyway, YES, it was exciting.