Utility Cycling - What Utility Rides/Trips/hauls/errands did you do today???

What utillity (by your definition) did you do today? It will be interesting what and how everyone does. Mods: Possibly sticky if it gets good response?

Here goes mine for today

3 utiiliyt trips, 10 miles

1) rode to return late dvd, checkout farmers market and have lunch with my son. Came back with strawberries, cilantro, carrots, hummus, pita bread and grilled shrimp
2) rode to local hardware store to get some solvents and cleaners for a late 70's univega I am cleaning up for my son. (ever see melted gumwall tires adhere to aluminum rims?) came back with 2 can of spray paint, acetone, paint thinner and rust remover jelly
3) Went to get frozen yogurt for my wife. dusk to night...all the lights on. Came back with tart/sour pomegranate frozen yogurt.

I use wald folding baskets to hold stuff...you can serch to see what my bike looks like (it is in utiliyt a couple of times)
a
all in all good day....

grocery run for my grandparents.

A grocery run this morning on the Big Dummy. That was it. It was pouring down rain and high winds most of this afternoon here in the NW.

Ciao,
-o-^o

Using my homebuilt xtracycle, I towed a bike bought of CL six miles home last night. Tomorrow I will begin the move out of my college dorm into my summer apartment using this bike and an old baby stroller stripped and converted to a bike trailer.

sorry to post in two threads, but this was my big one for the day :)

Run to hardware store for seeds and 2 cu ft (57 L) bag of potting soil....lettuce soon

Damn, Bloompedal, how long did it take you to drink all that beer!? :)

More cardboard boxes.

The biggest 37x24x17 filled with guess what? Styrofoam peanuts. Not protecting something, bags of the packaging material. The two heavy boxes and other items carelessly bungeed on top of the blue bin fell forward onto my wheel a half a block from the drop, but nothing was damaged. :o


The heaviest load today, maybe 400lb.


I crossed these guys when a little gap opened a few minutes after taking this shot. I picked up two boxes from the building on the left and when I came out they were still rolling as strong as in this picture.

cool thread. I usually post in the commuter forum and never noticed there was a Utility Forum. My bike, which is fairly utilitarian, is now, as of today, even more so.

I added a Nashbar front rack to the bike ($12), which allows me to attach a front basket (and remove it easily and still have a rack on the front if needed).

Today it's utility purpose was to move me out of my office for the summer. (Due to construction). I loaded the rear milk crate to capacity and then the front basket. A total of about 40 lbs of stuff and then rode home- 10 miles +. Then had to ride back downtown for another gig tonight. Then rode home and hit the grocery store on the way back loaded front and rear again. 40 miles of commuting and a grand total of about 80 lbs of stuff hauled.

I was calling my bike "Uttila The Bike" tonight I was so happy with it.:p

I got home from work yesterday and realized I hadn't stopped at the food co-op and the grocery store like I was supposed to...so I went out and grabbed my bike and pedaled off to shop. It was so nice to take my time (as opposed to my work commute), I slowly went from place to place and made it back home again in under an hour.

Buzzman, that's a long commute. Twice, loaded, bravo.

A tomato plant, trowel, gloves, and Miracle-Gro. I figured the heavy vase would hold it in place for the four block trip. I put the green bag over it to keep the gift card in place, tucked the edge under the vase and rolled slow.


Who needs a $500 trailer when a $5.00 roll of tape will do? Me, but not Tom. Retired Naval officer, Ironman competitor, cancer survivor and year-round sandal wearer, rain, sleet or snow. Undisputed king of the large flat using his patented technique here on a 3-dimensional load. This is not me and it was not today, but...


"This place is lousy with coppers." ~James Cagney.
Police week in DC.

I don't have a trailer (yet), but yesterday I went to the post office to pick up my business mail and then stopped off at the grocery store for a few things. 7 miles RT. My utility bike is a 2003 Jamis Coda Comp with panniers.

Sadly, no ride today, but I made a trip to the bank last night with my Golden Retriever riding his newly created dog hauling trailer. Good times.

Off to the solid waste/garbage place this morning for my weekly trip to the dump.

Then grocery shopping and a stop at a hardware store.

Back home, I loaded up the trailer from the food box at church and off to the food pantry.

This evening my wife asked if I would go and get her a bottle of wine.

total of 18 miles today.

Made a deposit at the bank, picked up a prescription, and stopped by the hardware store. Only 3 miles round trip so I took the long way home. :p

Damn, Bloompedal, how long did it take you to drink all that beer!? :)


4 days, eleven hours and twelve minutes, not including potty breaks.

Commuted to work with a bag and a third of stuff that I can't carry on the bent. Picked up donuts on the way home.

On the weekend....farmers market trip, came back with strawberries, a nice tuscan blend red (Santa Pietra winery), grilled shrimp for Mrs. SD, raspberries and some native plants. Looked a an electric bike that was being marketed (not in market for same....but interestingn to look at the tech)

Nine miles today...

2 to Mcnastys for an eggamuffin.
5 to Wallyworld
2 to Kroger for a grocery run. (the kiddie trailer conversion spanks) :D

Everyday, the first thing I do when I get up in the morning is go and buy a newspaper, then in the evening after work, I go to the grocery store.

It's probably only two or 3 miles a day, but hey it's something! I feel weird if I don't ride my bike first thing in the morning.

quick run to the local polling place to vote in the special election (california) my son rode also

I carried a picture of 1331 L from 1155 Conn to 1776 Mass.
I spent last night on the street. In the bin is a yoga mat, bivy bag, goretex underwear, goretex outerwear, fleece, and quilted slippers; also the bungies, straps, plastic shipping bags and rain jacket that live there, and two small boxes that went with the larger one (which was heavy for it's size, ~75lb). The boxes went to Adams Mill Road. I was relieved when I went to pick up 3 boxes and found out two of them were small. I usually don't have to haul stuff up hills as big as the one to Adams Mill.

Knocked off around lunch time, hauled six Milwaukee's Best Ice and some peanuts back to the shack and am knocking them off now.

This morning, as most mornings, I hauled 230lbs of human to an office building, along with 10lbs of support gear for said human. 10 miles each way. On way home tonight, going to hit the package store for some tasty beverages. Normally will also do about 30-50lbs of groceries on the weekend. I ride a converted MTB as a combination commuter/hauler/roadie/etc bike, since it is my only bike.

I went 15 miles round trip to City Hall to renew our dog's tag.

Grocery run this morning. Two other cyclists were shopping too.

Oh, and I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for their free medium coffee Wednesday.

I have the other panniers on now for the ride to work. A load of library books to return and a bunch of grocery bags for re-use. (When patrons don't have their own book bag, we give them recycled grocery bags.) Even so, I'm taking the long loop. It's a nice day and I have nothing else to do. So I'll take the library books for a nice ride. Air 'em out a little, you know?

400 some gallons of recyclables

Spilled a quart of oil on the concrete portion of the drive way. So, I had to get some kitty litter to clean up the mess. Had to decide between taking the bike or the truck. The truck was definitely overkill, and it was/is a beautiful day... so I took my utility bike. 10 miles, 20lbs of litter. Wonderful ride! :thumb:

Bloompedal, did you have to make another trip with the bottles and cans or did you hide them under the cardboard? I'd be embarrassed to leave my empties for curbside pick-up too, if I drank as much as you do. :)

Juggler, sweet frame. Level up that saddle.

Mostly cardboard boxes and tubs of mail again today. I stopped by the river to at least put a nice background. The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Potomac River.


One unusual load was a plastic tub, an almost empty bottle of rum, and a heavy box that I believe contained full bottles of rum. The tub and bottle carelessly bungeed on top of my bin. I hit that bottle, but not hard, there was only a few shots in it.


Three utility bikes. Long-John. Three speed Puch with fenders, detachable basket, and Landsbury bars. Flat-bar road bike with trailer.


And a fourth.

^^^ :D I love the last one...it reminds me of those old skate car thingys from the seventies that downhillers started getting into. Not much yesterday, just a trip to the vet. for some cat medicine and a trip to kroger. Around 6.5 miles all together.

Soap Box Derby!!!! Interesting. Was this in DC?

Yes, DC. I asked the rider a few questions. There is a power assist, top speed 50, cost 13G.

Well I tried picking up 5 bags of manure for the garden, unfortunately pilled as high as it was it made it extremely awkward with a crosswind. I figure these things probably weighed about 20 lbs or so, which would put the load at about 100lbs... I think if I had the wide loaders and could have put two more on each side and only one on top I would have been okay. Had to call the wife and have her come down in the van. I gave her the three on top and still carried the two on the sides home so it wasn;t a total waste.

Unfortunately I don't have any picks but I finally got my bike tow hitch installed on the back of the XtraCycle and was able to tow my commuter/road bike to the shop for adjustments last week.

One unusual load was a plastic tub, an almost empty bottle of rum, and a heavy box that I believe contained full bottles of rum.

You are confessing to operating a vehicle with an open container of an alcoholic beverage.

Yeah, it's crazy what I get paid to do sometimes. I guess it was too risky to send a car for that job. :)

Weekend before last I rode to the hardware store for a clothesline and dragged the 8 year old with me on the trail a bike. He liked the ride but was ready to leave the store within 30 seconds -> no toys there I guess :)

Last Saturday biked to a nearby shopping center to get a haircut, then did an 8 mile ride for fun. Sunday biked to the store for some bread and chicken nuggets for the kids. Monday (Memorial Day) did a beer run on the bike.

Weekly grocery run today.

Good sales and a bonus 10%-off-your-whole-order coupon, meant we were loaded down with lotsa high-value stuff. The grocery panniers were bulging, the trunk bag was full, and I still had bags bungeed across the top. I forgot potatoes, but I wouldn't have had room anyway, what with all the porterhouse steaks. ;)

9 miles today. A trip to Kroger, wallyworld and as usual...breakfast at Mcpukes. I'm really getting to like that early morning breakfast run. It's nice and cool in the a.m. and gets my blood pumping. Coffee brews while I make the quick 2 miles. :love:

Today's biggest load went up a big hill. The Marilyn mural is a DC landmark located at the intersection of Connecticut and Calvert NW.

Another DC landmark. On board, a letter for each Senator and Representative. Letters to the Senate were not accepted, returned to sender. A check made out to US Treasury is acceptable for mail to the House, while payment for mail to the Senate must be made to US Postmaster, money order, no checks. Who knew? Both go to the same facility. Your government in action.

Final run. Truck free beer in reusable bottles. From Franklins where it is brewed to my house where it is drunk. Armidillo from Arrow Bicycles (conveniently located across the street from the Brewpub) trying to escape from my bin. Debris from yesterday's flooding for a background.

Another look at some of the debris. A lot of the mess has been cleaned up already. This picture taken from the East Coast Greenway.

Well I tried picking up 5 bags of manure for the garden, unfortunately pilled as high as it was it made it extremely awkward with a crosswind. I figure these things probably weighed about 20 lbs or so, which would put the load at about 100lbs... I think if I had the wide loaders and could have put two more on each side and only one on top I would have been okay. Had to call the wife and have her come down in the van. I gave her the three on top and still carried the two on the sides home so it wasn;t a total waste.

Unfortunately I don't have any picks but I finally got my bike tow hitch installed on the back of the XtraCycle and was able to tow my commuter/road bike to the shop for adjustments last week.

I meant to comment on this one earlier. That looks like a lot more than 100lbs. That's some heavy sh*t, man! I think you could have made it. Load 'em crosswise next time. Enjoy the beauty of those mountains, you have some rare views from your neighborhood.

Quick run to the drugstore last evening...... little under 3 miles I love this time of year with the long days.

Biggest load today was six boxes (~215lbs) from Connecticut Ave. to Union Station. I was too rushed to take a picture, had onboard another box going to Maryland Ave. NE and an envelope to the 3800 block of 18th NE, dodging thunderstorms. I know you've come to expect pictures in my posts, so not to disappoint, here's one I took of the Christopher Columbus Memorial and Union Station earlier this year and a couple of nice utility bikes photographed on the same day. No chaincases or IGHs, but these are working bikes, trust me. Note the fender, haha. Actually the gears and brakes make these delivery vehicles much more utilitarian than the fixies typically associated with messengers. The guys who ride these are real, hardcore professionals who can and do ride circles around the fixie kids.

Had to move some Dinosaur eggs today before the pterodactyls took notice.

CD Hope you got away before the pterodactlys noticed.....

Typical weekend....run to farmers market, quick run to conveniece store for milk and cream..for those in the house who can't handle black coffee.

Simple little errands that take no more time on the bike than than car and maybe less depending on parking.

Crackerdog, was that their nest made of old bikes? Is that what happens to bikes left out in the yard that are no longer there the next morning?

14 mile round trip in less than an hour travel time. Went to the store for apples, bananas, grapes, and carrots (who's groceries ARE these!).

I meant to comment on this one earlier. That looks like a lot more than 100lbs. That's some heavy sh*t, man! I think you could have made it. Load 'em crosswise next time. Enjoy the beauty of those mountains, you have some rare views from your neighborhood.

Yeah I think I could have made it if it wasn't for the flexing, just when you start going one way the $hit started going the other... Then with the wind it was not so great... You are correct though if I could have gotten that weight lower I would have been much better off...

Love the mountains.... we have a great view of them from the backyard... it is definitely nice.

And a fourth.


thats a Go One (cubed)
http://www.go-one.us/Pictures_of_go-one3.html

at one point i was seriously thinking about buying one.
they can easily be over $10k

the thing that really but the brakes on for me was
now, suddenly with a Velomobile, you have to find parking

what?

ya... suddenly your bike has become a car
now you have to find a parking space.

also i was very concerned about the "entry angle"
that is the angle at which it can approach an incline before it touches

so for instance i had wondered what it was like to go 20mph across a sidewalk ramp, along a bike path, crossing a road.

or what it was like to cross a drainage.

things like, not being able to go up, over, or down a curb... that kind of bummed me out too.

suddenly, it seems like you'd become very limited to the prescribed, predetermined "traffic flow" patterns.

the one in the pic also has a BionX kit.
its swank!
its almost a car!

sunday did a crit

Today around 1:30 PM, rolling down a secondary arterial I noticed a dead cat by
the side of the road. The cat had a bright red ID necklace,so I stopped.
A big tom named Noah, I called the phone number under his name. A woman answered,
I gave her the bad news,she was at work and gave me directions to her house.
A nearby business gave me a garbage bag. Maybe 25 lbs. this flatted out tom
filled 3/4 of the free radical bag. Her home was a block away from the road in a
nice surprisingly quiet neighborhood. I left the bag on a table beside her driveway.
No, the business did not have any boxes that could fit the cat.
Took another 10 miles before I could get over what I just did.

Again, I'm totally blown away by the nuttiness of the utility bike people yet I can't help admiring your spirit.

For example, why we just can't ride our race bike to the race? Although you do carry a lot of stuff. Is the huge bag on the right your dope kit? :)

Why not call Animal Control and let them inform the pet owner of Noah's untimely demise? Because you care and from the phone call you ascertained that she needed the remains for some kind of closure. My cat died last year, so I know what that's like.

Keep baffling and amazing me utility bike people. No pics, Batty!? Sorry, that's some dark humor.

Some pictures from today. Bins, boxes and a tube going to the National Building Museum.


The huge atrium inside.


Double parked with couple of boxes onboard just to get this shot of a solar car.

I wouldn't take a picture of something like that.
Your pictures are pretty cool. Only passed through
DC once. Spent the afternoon at the Air&Space
Museam.