Originally Posted by
corrado33
As someone who has had a rack (and used it) for many years, I'll try to answer all of your questions.
Yes, get a rack. Period. They're extremely useful.
Those baskets are VERY heavy. I never realized this until I tried lifting a bike that had 2 mounted to the rack. They add significant weight to the bike. Whether this bothers you or not, I don't know. They are also quite a bit noisy (rattling around and what not.) I say this from bikes I've had come into the shop, not from any of my bikes. So I'm not sure if you could spend a few moments with some fabric tape and fix the rattles.
I personally think the better option is panniers or "grocery getter" panniers.
ROAM: Review: Banjo Brothers Grocery Panniers
They serve the same purpose as the baskets, but are lighter and are easily removable.
If you want something waterproof, obviously the grocery getter panniers aren't great.
Riding with a single pannier isn't a problem. I do it every morning. It makes it slightly more difficult to ride no handed, but that's the only real observation I have about it.
LOL. My commuter setup (for summer, so far) is the
Banjo Brothers Market Pannier. It's essential the Grocery Pannier with an covering flap. In addition, it has a small pocket on the flap, which I use for the garage door opener (and coupons when I use it for shopping), and an internal hanging pocket, which holds my work cell phone, wallet, and badge. It's not waterproof, so I put my computer and change of clothes in 2 gal Ziploc bags. We'll see come winter whether I regret not paying 2 1/2 times as much for real Ortliebs. The most groceries I've had have been 2 gallons of milk and 3-4 small plastic bags of produce.