gerv 

I like this blog post, which advocates a Nation Bike to Shop Day.

Why We Need a National Bike to Shop Day | One woman. Many bicycles.



IMHO, while I think commuting is a vital part of cycling transportation, using a bicycle to shop is what separates the poseurs from the hard-core.

Artkansas 

That's an excellent idea.

While I don't endorse the materialistic lifestyle. We need events like this to open up people's eyes to using a bike to go to local places.

Dahon.Steve

Good idea. I also think we should have a bike to train station or bike to bus stop day!

Ramona_W

Maybe they could combine it with Small Business Saturday...

Roody

Yeah, there's Black Friday so they should have Green Saturday...local businesses + bike to shop.

wipekitty

The bike group around here sponsors a Bike to Worship to go along with Bike to Work Week: Bike to Worship : Bike to Work Week

gerv 

I notice you also have a Bike-to-Coffee week as well. Bike to Coffee : Bike to Work Week

These events may not get you in the habit of doing all these destinations, but they are great introductions and could at least get you thinking...

MikeRides

Why do we need a special event? I do all my weekly grocery shopping on the bike. Ten to fifteen miles away, I tend to get everything I need for the week on Sunday or Monday, which fills my backpack and a rack bag. I haven't gone the way of getting a trailer or basket yet since I only have the one bike which I use for fitness and commuting as well. I tried using a milk crate on my rack, but that looked too tacky and didn't seem to increase the space to haul much

It should be interesting to see how I handle a larger trip this weekend, as I need to pick up ingredients for our big family Easter dinner. Two hams, veggies, ingredients for a pie or cake, beverages... I may end up having grocery bags hanging from my handlebars LOL I may just split the list into two trips. I won't have the option of driving my car, I guess I should've shopped earlier this week when my car was running.

enigmaT120

Mike, do you have any big hills in between you and shopping? I live only 10 miles from a town with a Safeway and a Walmart, but with a big ridge in the way I don't know how much I could haul. I do my commute that way but it's never really been easy, just a good workout.

MEversbergII

Worst case, you could always push the bike over the ridge.

M.

HBxRider

I live alone, so I don't normally need to buy a stuffed shopping cart worth of groceries. I bike to the grocery store daily. Gives me an excuse to get a little exercise in every day, and my groceries are always fresh. My backpack can fit 3 grocery bags worth of stuff. 30 pounds or more.

The standard excuse you hear for bicycles being unpopular in America is that our country is too spread out. And I live in a spread out suburb. But they completely overlook the fact that most people still take their car when they run errands that are less than a mile away.

Roody

I think bikes are best in places that are a little spread out. Ride in the suburbs, walk in the city, and take the bus to go between them.

gerv 

Yes... bikes are ideal in older suburbs where things are a little spread out, but traffic isn't too wild (or rather the streets don't act as feeders into large thru-ways).

However, don't forget that a ton of cyclists manage cities like London, Amsterdam and even New York and Chicago.

MEversbergII

Hell, the SO and I managed DC and it was our first time in town as riders.

M.

Roody

I heartily agree. In fact, I do most of my pedaling in the inner city.

Walter S

I usually grocery shop weekly, sometimes every other week. I have this cargo trailer. CROOZER CROOZER Cargo

This is my commute/fun/shop bicycle. The trailer hooks up to the cycle with about 30 seconds of effort. Disconnected, there's just a little trailer hitch on one of my rear axles. Does not impact riding the cycle without the trailer at all.

Every few weeks I make a run to Trader Joes and bring a case of wine home. Putting that anywhere but in a trailer is difficult on a bicycle. I bring home lumber from home depot, and various things that would not work easily with racks and packs and panniers.

enigmaT120

Croozer Cargo Bike Trailer - 2013 Model | Bike Trailer

That doesn't really seem expensive to me, for such a large trailer. Does the bike you use with it have fenders, racks, and rear disk brakes? Because I was wondering if there was room for the wheel's quick release lever. Sometimes that area gets crowded.

gerv 

For what a trailer buys you, even throwing up to $300 on a Burley cargo trailer doesn't seem extravagant to me. You'll have many, many years of service from it.

cyclokitty 

I do the grocery shopping with 2 panniers and a handlebar basket. My big complaint is about the bike racks at some malls. Mostly, there are only a few parking spots for bikes even though they are constantly in use. Or, worse, don't exist. Lucky for me, my favourite grocery stores have plenty of bike parking but the malls tend to have those awful wheel bending ground racks. I hate those.

wipekitty

Investing in a bike trailer changed my life! I got this one: Cargo Bicycle Trailer | Wike Bicycle Trailers - The Walk and Bike Company About $300, including shipping, a storage tote, bungees, and safety lights. Doing large quantity grocery shopping for my household every 2-3 weeks saves us a lot of money and makes me less cranky - I hate grocery shopping, especially after work. I went with this one because there are occasions where I like to haul loads in the 80-90 pound range.

As with the Croozer, there's a hitch that stays attached to the bike and allows the trailer to be connected in about 30 seconds. For now, it goes with a clunky fixed gear with cross tires (upgrade coming, hopefully, toward the end of summer). Obviously you'd need a better setup if you had substantial hills - but the point is that you can haul things without a fancy bike.

Roody

I hate to spend much on a trailer because I would only use it a couple times a year. I think it would be great to buy one cooperatively with a few neighbors or friends.

Ekdog

I agree. I have one, but I live in a small flat and there's nowhere to keep it here, so I have to leave it at our beach cottage. I've heard there are libraries in places like Berkeley, Calif., where you can check out things like lawn mowers, tools and bike trailers. It'd be great have such a library nearby so as not to have to buy and store so much junk.

Roody

We have a tool library but I've never known them to have trailers. Maybe I should suggest it.

Walter S

Yes, Surly Long Haul Disc w/fenders, racks.

To install the hitch you just unscrew the quick release, slide the hitch on, replace the quick release. The literature that came with the trailer says that *some* bicycles will require a longer axle screw but mine did not.

I estimate the hitch uses 1/4" of the axle screw. Mine had plenty of threads to grab after giving that up.

Walter S

fwiw I bought my Croozer about three years ago on Amazon for $150.