Originally Posted by
cbike
Personally, I find the shoppingcart feature a gimmick. I would have to worry to much about the bike tipping over. The rack version that I have doesn't turn well either so now you have to lift the frontend as well. I like to have both hands available to pick out groceries and what not. Also I don't think the store would appreciate it if I stuff the non-paid stuff with all my junk in the bag or mix it with things I bought at a different store just prior. What works great is folding it up and placing the bike into the shopping cart. It likes to get a little pampered as well.
It's not a gimmick! I do it every week! Hah.
I understand your qualms though.
1) balance i find to be not too much of an issue if you balance the load properly (ie. do not put all the heavy stuff to one side). Also, you can lean it against the shelf / side of a wall momentarily if you do feel it in danger of tipping over. i find that rarely have i had to hold onto my brompton for support or lean it against a wall to help it stand. Maybe my brompton just balances well... i have even put assymetric loads into the basket and have been able to keep it balanced.
2) Also understand your qualms about being mistaken for shoplifting! i find that more to be the case with a closed type bag such as the S bag or the courier bag. With an open basket, i have never felt like there was any suspicion whatsoever by the stores on me.
if all else fails or if these qualms still exist, certainly you can do the pampering thing and put your brompton in the shopping cart
.