I've been commuting to the supermarket for my groceries bi-monthly, and I usually go back putting 2 plastic bags on either side of the handlebars. A while ago, I almost lost my balance and nearly got into an accident in the intersection, and after that experience it clearly means that I'm not equipped for this.



So, what would be some good gear for doing groceries? Currently looking for panniers in the MEC and REI website but I'm not sure what to choose. Or is there another gear that I should be investing like trailer or something the like?

Thanks in advance.

Should I post my milk crate photo again? Yes? OK then.

The dog is named Bobo.



Last time I had some disadvantages pointed out, mostly that a high aft load makes pushing the bike awkward. But I bet you could zip-tie the crate to the side of the rack instead. And the kickstand I've since added would have helped too.

Trailer

I have a rear rack and a pair of Sunlite Grocery Getter panniers. The Grocery Getters are tough and sized to fit a grocery bag in each.



One thing you will need to learn is to pack your panniers so that each is approximately the same weight, so its balanced. The easiest way is to select two things of equal weight at one time and put one in each pannier. It's not an exact science. And I tend to shop more frequently.

The panniers also provide a base that you can use to bungee extra items to your rack.

I use the milk crate since it holds the 12 packs nicely, but on a mountain bike, it put's a lot of weight high on the back wheel and makes handling dicey at slow speeds. You would be better off with saddle bags or as another poster mentioned, zip tying the milk crate to the side, just make sure it's secure. Sometimes I do both, saddle bags and milk crate. I have a hybrid bike with 700c wheels and on that, it's much more stable with the milk crate on top of the rear rack.

1 x apple: gear 53 x 11
1 x watermelon: gear 39 x 26

Ha ha.

Seriously, for a whole lot of groceries, a trailer or a cargo bike is ideal. Look up "Xtracycle" kit, I have occasionally seen those for sale used, the most recent one was $400 on a mountain bike. For two or three bags, then two panniers and a backpack should work. I'm in the habit of stopping by the market on my commute and toting the makings of dinner home in my messenger bag. It all depends how big a shopping trip you are trying to do.

I use my Ortleibs, I just clip them to the sides of my cart and bag straight into them. I can fit at least three or four bags worth of groceries, and usually get a bag credit for my 're-useable shopping bags'.

Why don't you post the question on Utility Cycling?

^lol wtf

To the op, here's a photo of my old grocery set up. For me panniers worked best, but for some a milk crate is fine (make sure you can swing your leg over it, or get a step-through)





Where are you located, OP? I'm thinking about getting rid of the grocery panniers in the first photo. If you've already got a rack they'd work pretty well. They fit into the grocery bagger's station like a paper bag.

Just what I do too, works great - and the Ortliebs are very hard wearing to boot. If you do get panniers, choose good ones with quick-release mechanisms for the rack. Cheap panniers are (sadly) almost always false economy.

I have 2 of these.

https://banjobrothers.com/products/cu...y-bag-pannier/

Grocery bags fit perfectly, they hold a lot and they have a shoulder strap for carrying. I bring one with me on commute days for quick stops on the way home. and use both for grocery and farmers market runs and for whatever else when I need transport extra stuff on my bike.

The reality is, If you live on two wheels (or try to) you need to have ways to carry stuff safely. Racks, bags, milk crates whatever you can figure out... they are your friend.

https://www.amazon.com/Avenir-Metro-P...eywords=avenir

No good for paper grocery bags, but you can fit quite a bit in these.

The basics are grocery panniers, or cargo bike, or trailer.

Which works best depends on how often you shop and for how many people.

I'm single and shop weekly, plus I have no storage space for a trailer (even a folding one) in my studio apartment. So grocery panniers work best for me.

As with all things, grocery panniers are not created equal. That doesn't mean you should start with the biggest and the best.

I started with a pair of the Nashbar Townie Basket. I used them for four years. They were still going strong when I replaced them. What I didn't like was that they're on the small side for grocery panniers, but until I changed jobs and didn't ride right past the grocery store daily, that wasn't a problem. The big thing was that mounting hardware was fussy, so they had to remain on the bike when I went into the store. It meant that I still had to deal with plastic bags, and that sometimes I overestimated my carrying capacity.

When I upgraded, I looked at every grocery pannier I could find. There are dozens of models and I could have been happy with many of them. What I really, really wanted was something with simple mounting hardware that I could operate easily with one hand when the bags are full to capacity, so I could take the panniers into the store with me and use them as shopping bags, eliminating both the plastic grocery bags and the over-capacity problem.

The Arkel Shopper is breathtakingly expensive, but holey-moley, it's a very nice pannier. It turns out it has many features I didn't know I wanted (the internal pouch for my shopping list, shopper club cards and grocery money is one thing I never even thought of) and nothing that I didn't want (flaps, compartments and excess straps flying around).

The metal frame helps keep it open in my cart. I just plop them in the cart, fill them as I go along, empty them on to the checkout belt, fill them as the cashier scans stuff, and roll them out to the bike in the cart. They drop right on the rack, and off I go. It's easier and faster than if I used a car.

They're also very big and can carry stupid amounts of groceries (or at least for a single person). I typically carry 40-50 pounds in them with no issues whatsoever. The most I've actually weighed was 67 pounds in the pair, but I know I've carried more in them. I now have over three years on the Shoppers and they still look new. They're showing no wear and tear at all. Other cyclists like them a lot, and I'm always having to tell people where I bought them. And cashiers, who see a log of bags, still remark that they're the best they've ever seen.

Comparison photo, Nashbar Townie on the left, Arkel Shopper on the right. The Shopper is bigger, tougher, and far easier to shop and cycle with.

Grocery shopping bi-monthly? Sheesh we go every week and spend at least $100/wk, and we're only a family of 3!

I have a kid chariot and would love to get a plastic bin and do my shopping that way. But my kid always goes with me, and he's not riding yet so we have to take the car.

Patrick, doesn't your trailer have room for both kid and groceries?

After my kids grew too big to ride in the trailer, I gave it away. It wasn't long before I regretted this, so I bought another. I've towed over 100 pounds with it. It's really amazing how easy it is to pull so much weight, and I even live in a hilly area. I just shift down a gear or two, and it's hard to notice the difference until I notice my moving speed. Also, a trailer has no effect on the bike's handling. I have even hitched the trailer to my racing bike and gone around turns at high speeds.

I have even gone to Costco and bought a Costco-sized load, the kind that would fill the trunk of a car. And I towed it with an old heavy three-speed bike!

Backing the bike up is one of the trickiest things. It's the same problem that tractor-trailer drivers have, since you now have an articulated vehicle, so to speak.

Check out the Utility Cycling section of bikeforums. There are people towing much more than I tow. There are also very inventive trailers there.

My trailer is pretty much the same as the one 10 Wheels posted above. Sure it says it has 100 lb. capacity, but I really don't think I can physically fit 3 reusable bags from Aldi plus 6 or 7 plastic bags from Walmart in there along with my kid. We typically buy 2.5 to 3 gallons of milk at a time (5 or 6 1/2 gal cartons of lactose-free and almond milk), so that stuff is VERY heavy and also very bulky.

Plus that advertised weight capacity is supported by the "sling" seat, which hangs from the top cross-tube and is also supported by a strap underneath the front edge of the seat. I wouldn't want a bunch of heavy stuff supported only by the fabric "bottom" of the trailer. The stuff would probably scrape the ground lol. I would have to do a crate like in 10 Wheels' pic, but then no room for kid.

I wondered about those kid trailers for cargo hauling... I nearly touched off WWIII, maybe three months ago when I advised a poster to go for a Bob Yak or Nashbar, single wheel trailer over a kiddie caboose. My point of departure was the frontal area of the kid hauler and the aerodynamic drag but... the fact is, the Bob Yak is rated for 70lbs but since the bed is steel mesh... ... we have never loaded it to its rated weight... its usually closer to 120lbs. I'm pretty certain that if I got into it carefully enough (190lb) I wouldn't damage the trailer even though the weight would be distributed over a very small surface area. No, you don't want your kid in a Bob Yak, you need a kid seat or an X-tracycle. Come to think of it, the X-tracycle is probably a better option for many contemplating grocery hauling with children than a child trailer. JMO.

H

There are so many poorly designed racks and panniers, make sure you get a sound luggage system.
In addition to 2x panniers, I always carry about 2-4m of chord for lashing large items. Chord such as parachord or thicker is better than elastic for big objects. Pick a few useful knots. I always put a loop at one end for a slipknot.
Multipacks of toilet tissue, xl size washing powder etc are too big for panniers so go on the rack top. You can split up multipacks of drinks/cans for easier packing. Take care to avoid hard edges against pannier fabric, use softer shopping or a spare jacket to protect your bags. Obviously, heavy stiff goes first, long stuff (spaghetti) goes vertically along the corner and lighter, more squishy shopping goes on top and your repair kit should not be at the bottom. An extendable collar allows you to overload a pannier beyond the normal closed capacity.

Yup, which is pretty much why I don't go grocery shopping with my kid. Maybe when he gets older and gets on a bike we can do it Saturdays or something.

I was about to add that shopping by bicycle involves a different calculus than shopping by car. By car, it's more efficient to make fewer trips and get more groceries per trip, while by bicycle it's the opposite. I go two or three times a week, to nab a load of groceries that will fill one or two of my el-cheapo M-Wave Double Daytripper panniers. If you can afford good panniers, don't get mine! But for $20, I have no complaints so far. The fun part is figuring out how to properly pack the panniers so that the cookies don't get crumbled and the bananas don't get bruised. Bringing back kitty litter is also a pain in the pannier...

Also, when the weather warms up and sunrise is early enough, I tend to put my grocery run at the end of my pre-breakfast fun/fitness 10-15 mile exercise rides. at 6 or 7 in the morning, the crowds are very light, which makes navigating the store and checkout 30 to 70% easier to do.

Edit: That speedy-cart in the post under mine looks AWESOME! So does their expensiver Shopper Trailer. BYO Shopping cart!

This:
https://www.wicycle.com/cargo_speedy_shopper.php

I bought one of these a year ago. It easily detaches from the bike itself and pulled into the supermarket and therefore no concerns about locking it up outside. Made in Canada too.

+1

worth 5c per store's bag not needed. I favor the roll closure , inside is dry, coming and going ..

I can get anything I want at the grocery store and bring it home with my Yuba Mundo. I do it with my two kids on the back of the bike too. I just have to make sure I have plenty of pressure in the rear tire before leaving the house when I know I am going to have a big load and the kids are with me.

I think that would be a lot more doable if I were a regular commuter and the stores were on my way, but neither is the case. I just tried my first bike commute this week, and hope to do it a couple of times per week. But the stores are not on my way. Plus I really don't want to have to deal with the stores that many times per week, and really don't have time to anyway.

I've been by bike to some stores nearby the grocery stores I frequent (Lowe's, Best Buy etc) with my kid and trailer attached, but it has always been for small stuff that I can just stash in the trailer behind the seat. And the round trip is at least 40 to 50 minutes. It's just not feasible for me to grocery shop by bike with my kid in tow.

BTW I always take my son grocery shopping, because my wife hates grocery shopping and it gives her some time for herself after staying with the kid all week long. If I were to ever go without my son, then I might try the trailer with a big plastic crate attached to it.

*edit* yeah that shopper trailer looks nice. I could only imagine the looks I would be getting pushing that thing around a store. I suppose some people (employees) might also think I was trying to stash stuff in it for stealing.

Grocery shopping with the family


My wife's bike after a grocery trip


We have these bags. https://bontrager.com/model/07721

FYI... Its so rewarding, and frankly, food just tastes better when brought home by bike.