Utility Cycling - Me hauling groceries... this already sucks.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/216080_1861035518970_1033398210_2045197_5309487_n.jpg

This sucks because


It's unstable (I lost the cheese, stopped five feet later and went back to get it)
It's not spill resistant (I fall over sometimes; what? I can't ride a bike)
Specific carry capacity/composition (too little, too much, not of certain sizes/densities, etc, and I can lose stuff)


Suggestions?
I'm thinking I'll ditch that basket and find something that can carry milk and eggs and such. I haven't worked out what, though. I wonder how panniers do for carrying groceries; alternately, side baskets:

http://media.rei.com/media/kk/b540c8d5-4d4a-4072-9c04-96d786796287.jpg

Looks to me like I could set the bento box horizontally atop this and bungee cord it down. However, it replaces the entire rear rack, and I don't know if that would preclude panniers. Also I'm wondering if panniers would actually be more convenient.

http://wellnessrounds.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/bicyclesaddlestore-com-bicycle-panniers-rear-2.jpg

(I quite like these at a glance, but I can't find these exact ones to see if they're waterproof or anything... lots of other good ones I like though)

Some of these don't seem to preclude strapping my Bento Box down to it when I'm carrying it with lunch, or a Thermos lunch pail if I could ever get something like that (forget the post-1980 rectangular crap, dome top is better).

Keep the basket and throw a net over it. Always have a pair of panniers to use whenever needed.

I have a Topeak rear basket that I use for errands. I keep a dry bag in it for mail along with a cable lock. When I get groceries I set them on top of or next to that stuff.

I never really thought about it, but I think the dry bag (empty or not) and cable lock cushions and stabilizes the grocery load. I've never had an issue with things bouncing out, but I do take it pretty easy over tracks and such.

I think the net is a good idea too.

Here is a picture of a beer run. I use folding baskets in the back and a regular basket in the front. I also have panniers mounted on a different bike. I love the cargo nets with the baskets and also use them to hold things to the racks when using the bike with panniers. I have had the big saddle baskets in the past and they are great for tossing things like backpacks in and going.

Aaron :)

http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/1658/2826631600066886751S600x600Q85.jpg
http://inlinethumb05.webshots.com/18948/2253513710066886751S600x600Q85.jpg
http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/40814/2683444210066886751S600x600Q85.jpg

bluefoxicy, the most economical option would be for you to keep your baskets and invest in a couple of these insulated shopping bags with zipper closures. They only cost about $3 a piece at most markets and of course have the added advantage of keeping that cheese from going all runny in the summer.

http://images.crateandbarrel.com/is/image/Crate/InsulatedGrcryBagGrnLLOT10?$web_zoom$&extend=110,110,110,110

If you ever decide to go really hard core though, a cargo or shopping trailer might just fit the bill for you. Won't affect the way your bike handles so maybe you wouldn't fall so much. And you could schlepp a whole lot more too.

Keep the basket and throw a net over it. Always have a pair of panniers to use whenever needed.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EMIwW0cZL._SL500_AA300_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WY6ZXA/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000ACAMII&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1MN66MSWTWQ4PN5J3K66)

http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/1658/2826631600066886751S600x600Q85.jpg

Party at your house!!

Wald makes bags that fit their folding baskets:
http://www.waldsports.com/index.cfm/wald582rearfoldingbasket.html

Banjo Brothers makes panniers (open top "Grocery" model, or closet top "Market") that are great for food shopping:
http://www.banjobrothers.com/products/panniers/

In either case, you bring the bag into the store, load it up, put it back on your bike, and go. Couldn't be simpler.

Party at your house!!

Every weekend ;) Just glad the local market A) can now sell beer and B) carries something I will drink!

Aaron :)

Lower centre of gravity is better for stability, so panniers would work better than an over-the-wheel basket. I use a trailer when going grocery shopping, which has an even lower center of gravity, and allows me to haul massive quantities. It also has a cover to keep things from getting wet if it rains.

The Wald folding panniers baskets work well for a lot of people and of course I'm fond of trailers because i make them.

Lower centre of gravity is better for stability

A bike is an inverted pendulum, which means a higher center of gravity makes it easier to keep upright when moving, but harder to keep stable when not moving at a particular speed. Below speed, the bicycle is hard to keep up, i.e for track stands.

Another helpful thing to do is to get the weight as far forward on that basket as you can-- with everything all the way back, you're adding to both instability and the amount of jarring and vibration your cargo undergoes. Keep at it! :)

The Pannier thing seems interesting, any thoughts on how much storage is decent? 24L (= 6.3 gal, = 1465 cu in, = 0.847 cu ft) Timbuk2 Tandem panniers:

http://www.rei.com/product/811081/timbuk2-tandem-panniers-medium

vs 47L (= 12.4 gal, = 2868 cu in, = 1.65 cu ft) Vaude Roadmaster:

http://www.bikebagshop.com/vaude-roadmaster-rear-panniers-p-1118.html

or some other such thing.

The small 24L set doesn't seem to bad, since that's a dozen 2L bottles essentially, which ... is a lot. 47L is a staggering amount of space (I have a 10 gallon brew kettle, that's a lot of storage to carry around!).

EDIT: Hmm, cheaper than Timbuk 2, the Avenir Excursion small (24L)/large (27L) sets...

http://www.amazon.com/Avenir-Excursion-Small-Panniers-Inches/dp/B00165Q4RG/
http://www.amazon.com/Avenir-Excursion-Large-Panniers-Inches/dp/B00165Q4QM/

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EMIwW0cZL._SL500_AA300_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WY6ZXA/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000ACAMII&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1MN66MSWTWQ4PN5J3K66)

net wudve done the trick

My favorites for general shopping, including groceries, are REI's grocery panniers. I also have a set of the big-box-store Schwinn panniers that I use when I'm out riding and *might* pick something up. These are also good for stashing layers as the layers come off.

one word----Xtracycle.

I'd really recommend looking at a "market" type pannier, instead of a touring type, if you really want something easy to use for daily utility cycling. (They are usually cheaper, too.)

Ecovelo has some good posts on this:

http://www.ecovelo.info/2010/06/18/the-grocery-pannier-a-utility-bicyclists-best-friend/

http://www.ecovelo.info/2009/08/05/banjo-brothers-market-pannier/

Most models are square-ish, to better accommodate the shape of grocery bags and boxes that things cone in, and many fold up to stay out of the way when not in use. They are also very easy handle off the bike when loaded - they have top handles, shoulder straps, etc. Touring panniers can be very rounded, which is inefficient to load with groceries. and are optimized to keep stuff secure and dry on long tours, so they may not work so well with a loaf of bread sticking out the top!

As far as capacity, the best way to visiualize it is that market panniers/baskets are usually sized to hold a standard brown paper grocery bag. That is the conventional "unit" of measurement ;) The "# of 2-liter bottles" method can be deceiving...


The Pannier thing seems interesting, any thoughts on how much storage is decent? 24L (= 6.3 gal, = 1465 cu in, = 0.847 cu ft) Timbuk2 Tandem panniers:

http://www.rei.com/product/811081/timbuk2-tandem-panniers-medium

vs 47L (= 12.4 gal, = 2868 cu in, = 1.65 cu ft) Vaude Roadmaster:

http://www.bikebagshop.com/vaude-roadmaster-rear-panniers-p-1118.html

or some other such thing.

The small 24L set doesn't seem to bad, since that's a dozen 2L bottles essentially, which ... is a lot. 47L is a staggering amount of space (I have a 10 gallon brew kettle, that's a lot of storage to carry around!).

EDIT: Hmm, cheaper than Timbuk 2, the Avenir Excursion small (24L)/large (27L) sets...

http://www.amazon.com/Avenir-Excursion-Small-Panniers-Inches/dp/B00165Q4RG/
http://www.amazon.com/Avenir-Excursion-Large-Panniers-Inches/dp/B00165Q4QM/

Touring panniers can be very rounded, which is inefficient to load with groceries. and are optimized to keep stuff secure and dry on long tours, so they may not work so well with a loaf of bread sticking out the top!

Yes but what happens when you have a store 8 miles west of you, 16 miles north, 9 miles east, and you go in a 47 mile circuit from store to store? :)

Hmm, also I need to figure out a way to lock the things, and lock them to my bike... otherwise hobos will steal my groceries. (Hobos are a real problem here; but while you can blame people for stealing food when they're hungry, you can't really expect any better. I mean come on, they're poor and starving! I've had 'em follow me into the store and try to get me to shop for them!)

42Kg, 58KM round trip. You will get the hang of it. Keep trying, keep smiling

Yet another vote for a net. I use one with my rear basket for grocery shopping on way home from work.
It just rocks. I keep it wound around my seatpost when not in use. Saved the day so many times.

Your other problem is that there's no protection from the rain for your groceries. If you don't care about that then the cargo net suggester earlier would do the trick.

I've tried a lot of things over the years and personally I prefer front & rear panniers, and if that's insufficient capacity I hook up one of my trailers. If you keep an eye on ebay you'll pick up panniers pretty cheaply.

42Kg, 58KM round trip. You will get the hang of it. Keep trying, keep smiling

I hope you didn't forget anything.

I've never lost anything out the top of my cheap folding grocery pannier, and have had much larger cargoes, and much smaller ones as well. Your basket is at the top of the "pendulum" where the bike sways back and forth as you pedal or change direction.... you need to get your load down lower, or move it to the front, or strap it in and hope for the best. Folding panniers, either cloth or wire, would work a lot better than a basket on top.

Wald's rigid wire panniers would let you rent out your bike to moving companies. :D

I stabilize loads in a rear basket by putting them in a daypack, & use the pack's compression straps to anchor it if necessary. Wire basket easier to lash to than mesh, of course.

For loads big enough to fill both pack and basket, one can use the pack in place of a cargo net - fill the basket, then strap the pack on on top:
199913

Whether I'm on the bike or in the car, I bring a couple of zip canvas shopping bags like these:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/37037?page=boat-and-tote-bag-zip-top

They go into the store with me, sit in the shopping cart while I fill them up, and are just the right size to fit in my bicycle baskets. Definitely better than dealing with loose plastic bags, or moving items from one vessel to another.

I wonder how panniers do for carrying groceries; alternately, side baskets:

http://media.rei.com/media/kk/b540c8d5-4d4a-4072-9c04-96d786796287.jpg

Looks to me like I could set the bento box horizontally atop this and bungee cord it down. However, it replaces the entire rear rack, and I don't know if that would preclude panniers.I used to hang Grocery Getter panniers on the outside of the baskets. Not much fun in a headwind and you have to put the light stuff in the panniers. Later I went to lowriders on the fork for the panniers and carried the heavier stuff in front. Much better handling. I could carry quite a bit.

However loading up without tipping the bike over was a pain so I'll be building a trailer. In my case distances are relatively short, usually less than 10 miles round trip

I went the, sort of expensive, ultra/over engineered route. Behold the collapsable milk crate/rolling small grocery trolley/bike cart system by topeak!

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/643175-Anyone-try-the-Topeak-TrolleyTote?p=11551448&viewfull=1#post11551448

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4145/5040587394_cd6b2235c5.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5039966463_3ea89f0422.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5039968519_3a92669633.jpg

it's designed only to work with the topeak bike racks though. its perfect for grocery/riteaid/bakery/ect runs.

I always just use the ziptop "cool" bags from the grocery store in my back baskets. I'm setting up a new bike now and am trying to coordinate everything in a nice overall aesthetic. I have a Trek Lime I bought recently and put a back rack on it. I got some "throwover" panniers where the two are one piece and I find them awkward to carry around - easy in the shopping cart though. So I tried separate panniers. I prefer the ziptop cool bags in the baskets like I'm used to. I have a question - if I get the rear folding baskets that I hang from my rack will this scratch anything up and do they flop around or are they secured at the bottom? I was looking at the Topeak folding wheelie cart, too, but I have a Bontrager rack and I don't want to change that. It looks too good on the bike.

I've also been looking at front baskets and can't seem to find what I want. Most of them can't hold one of those shopper bags, and I really don't want a large basket that's always there even when I don't need it. So I was wondering about a front rack. The wide kind like a shelf rather than the one that looks like a shortened back rack. It looks like it would give me more options - strap on a wire basket, a crate, a picnic basket or even just a box if I buy something bigger. Anybody use these? I think it would make it easier than putting the box or crate on the rear rack along with the panniers for my loaded down days.

I looked at the back basket pictured as I like the mesh baskets, but it looked impractical to me. The sides seemed low.

I always just used panniers for groceries or anything else and could haul enough that I couldn't even lift the bike when loaded. Oversized items go on the rack tops:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/lamplightsg/LHT/DSCN0330small.jpg

Lamplight: BTW I like the grey bar tape on your LHT
To the OP: if your basket is of sufficient volume for you, I suggest you try the cargo net idea (cheaper) first before spending money on other ideas. Alternatively I like Panniers

I have a Wald giant delivery basket, which I bolted to my rack on the back of my bike. I use it to get groceries all the time. Usually I take some nylon reusable grocery bags with me, and tie the tops closed before putting them in the basket. If I have more than will comfortably fit in the basket then I will use bungee cords to keep it all in. I LOVE my big-ass basket!

http://www.fluff.ca/photos/4435.jpg

I use a back pack, it is a 4 mile round trip to the store and I have done
three in a row to get all the stuff home. I take my back pack in the store
and load it as I shop to make sure I can get it closed and get home with
it.
It will hold five 2 liter bottles. I buy pickles by the gallon and won't carry
the glass jars this way, get them when I am out with the car.

BTW, the back pack is a school bag, on sale at the beginning of school for $9.
For the buck it does fine.

What about a bike trailer?

I hated a top basket too, destroys the bike handling and stability when loaded with heavy items. Way too high. You want something that is much lower: side baskets, panniers or a trailer. The lower, the better. Axiom and others make shopping specific bags/panniers. That Topeak crate looks neat but it's heavy and it's still a top basket resulting in center of gravity that is way too high and two panniers will be lighters and offer much higher capacity.

The Wald folding rear baskets are designed to hold a full grocery bag, a clear advantage over some other rear baskets, that are tapered at the bottom (such as the one in the original post).

I now use panniers, but I have used the Wald rear folding baskets and was pleased with their utility. They also stay folded and don't rattle.

Here is a " Grocery Getter " I put together . She can ride it to the store, work, etc.202112

I hated a top basket too, destroys the bike handling and stability when loaded with heavy items. Way too high. You want something that is much lower: side baskets, panniers or a trailer. The lower, the better. Axiom and others make shopping specific bags/panniers. That Topeak crate looks neat but it's heavy and it's still a top basket resulting in center of gravity that is way too high and two panniers will be lighters and offer much higher capacity.

^there's nothing scarier than maneuvering around Brooklyn Traffic with 30lbs of groceries in my topeak crate.

on a bright note it is available for 50% off now (around $30) from nashbar I think.

seriously though I only live two blocks away from my grocery store so sometimes I have the crate filled to the brim AND two heavy grocery bags hanging from the ends of the handlebars... its the most sketchy situation... and pretty stupid of me in general because 2 blocks away means I should have just WALKED there with a regular granny cart. http://image.become.com/imageserver/s7/489219357-75-75-5-32/cart-easy-wheel-jumbo-shopping-and-laundry-cart-white.jpg :twitchy::bang: (sometimes I just need to use my bike to justify its existence).

Try a Burley Travoy Urban Bike Trailer they work great!

http://www.rei.com/webservices/rei/DisplayStyle/807561?source=gpla&cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-datafeed-_-product-_-807561&mr:trackingCode=E8BC15C2-B849-E011-AFD7-001517384908&mr:referralID=NA

Try a Burley Travoy Urban Bike Trailer they work great!

The Travoy looks like it'd be good, particularly for city use. I have a Burley Nomad, a 2-wheeled cargo trailer, and I'm able to bring it into the store and use it like a shopping cart. If I lived in a city, it'd be tough maneuvering that through the tighter aisles.

The best setup you can have is a flexible one: Trailer for big shopping trips, pannier(s) for smaller ones or when it's raining and stuff in the basket will get wet. And there's no beating a basket for going to an outdoor farmers' market.

My favorite thing about panniers for shopping: There's no guessing about capacity. You can bring them in with you and hook them to the inside of a standard metal shopping cart.

The store is a half-mile from my house, so I do my shopping with either the trailer or a backpack (or just hanging bags from the handlebars if it's an unexpected trip.) But if I had a long ride to the market regularly, I'd use a trailer all the time.

Keep the basket and throw a net over it. Always have a pair of panniers to use whenever needed.
NASHBAR sells a cargo net,,,works great, I LOVE hauling groceries, and I haul a lot of grocieries.

I went the, sort of expensive, ultra/over engineered route. Behold the collapsable milk crate/rolling small grocery trolley/bike cart system by topeak!

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/643175-Anyone-try-the-Topeak-TrolleyTote?p=11551448&viewfull=1#post11551448

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5039968519_3a92669633.jpg

it's designed only to work with the topeak bike racks though. its perfect for grocery/riteaid/bakery/ect runs.

I gotta ask,,,,,,what the h___ is ,,,it?

I gotta ask,,,,,,what the h___ is ,,,it?

It unfolds into a cube-like carrying case with wheels, like those folding file boxes you see people carting around in offices. The handle extends to a comfortable carrying height.