RWBlue01

I need some help from those of you who have been there and done that. I am riding more and would like to do more thing on the bike.

What I need help with are the little things like going to the Grocery store. What do you do with your bike? Many places don't have bike racks. I don't really want to leave it and have people mess with it. How do you haul groceries? They are large, panniers are small and I have to carry normal stuff to repair tires and .....



How do you go out to eat? I am a sweaty mess by the time I travel a few miles. Then there is the bike parking.

Thanks.

gerv 

Well, first of all, you need to deal with the possibility that you bike may be stolen. That's a real possibility... but it shouldn't stop you, since you'll likely goes years before it happens and, by then, you bike will have paid for itself many times over.

If there are no racks, I lock up to trees, flagpoles, fences, even just self-lock the bike if nothing else works.

You need to invest in either panniers or get a bicycle trailer. You can get a nice set of panniers for under $100 and you can pick up an old bike trailer for about the same.

Eat out? I eat out wherever I want. I don't worry about being in a sweaty mess. Basically 1) I dress appropriately so that I'm not overheated and 2) if I am slightly sweaty, I don't worry about it. The North American economy wasn't built up by people who were afraid of sweat!!

lasauge 

Gerv already got it right: if there is no rack, find a railing, a tree, a sign, or especially at grocery stores: "cart corrals" - there is always something you can tie a lock around. And sweat is a fact of life, but is mitigated by dressing appropriately (takes practice) and giving yourself ample time so that you don't have to pedal at race pace.

And for hauling groceries, I've carried home a complete Thanksgiving dinner with just a rear rack, bungee cords, an empty box from the store, and two mid-sized panniers. But I don't normally carry that much food, it's easier for me (and better for my cooking) to make 3-4 trips to buy fresh produce and meat during the course of a week rather than to try and stock the pantry once every two weeks.

DX-MAN

I also use cart corrals and a trailer. As far as sweat is concerned -- you surely already know how to dress for normal activity for a temperature range (example: shorts and a T-shirt above, say, 60-65F, jeans and a sweatshirt in the 50's); while this example is the touchy point for me, the general idea is that you can dress for the ride to about 5-8 degrees cooler if you're riding.

RWBlue01

I should clarify something.....I am out of shape. I ride I sweat. My hands are cold, my feet are cold, I can produce a pile of sweat.

Roody

As long as you keep riding every day, you will sweat much much less after just a couple weeks or so. You'll also improve peripheral circulation so your hands and feet will be warmer. Or at least your feet.

Artkansas 

You don't say whether you must be car-free completely immediately, or whether you can work into this gradually. If you can work into it gradually, start with short distances and work your way out.

It's okay to sweat. Many bike commuters deal with this successfully every day. First, relax, ride a little slower. And dress less warmly than you might imagine. It's also fine to wear warm gloves without anything more than a light shirt on to keep your hands warm. I've got some fleece-lined leather driving gloves that I got at a truck stop that I love. You may also want to invest in a jersey or shirt or two made from fiber that wicks sweat from your body.

Shower just before you leave. Any sweat from the journey will be fresh and not smell yet. Bring the shirt you want to wear at your event in your backpack or panniers. Arrive 15 minutes early, that gives you time to cool down and time to find a place to get into your good clothes. Some people like baby wipes for getting any grunge off. Search the commuter forum, they already have a number of threads about dealing with sweat.

As others have said, you develop a multi-level strategy for carrying items. Don't use touring panniers. There are high capacity grocery panniers that take a minimum of a whole grocery bag in each pannier. I use Sunlite Grocery Getters which are very tough. Arkel makes some very large, all weather panniers, though expensive. Carry bungees and you can lash other cargo on top of the rack and over the panniers.

If this is not enough, consider the purchase of a utility bike, like the Kona Ute or the Big Dummy, or buy a trailer. My Bikes at Work trailer is overkill, but I've carried enormous loads with it. Many people use a kiddie trailer, which can also be used for pets and groceries. Ask on the utility bike forum.

And then if you are truly committed to being car-free, assess if you live in the right place. I live about 7 miles from downtown, but I live in a valley that has most of the necessary services except for a hardware store; groceries, bike store, banks, movie theaters, doctors, post office, big box store, restaurants etc. My apartment is across the street from the end of a bus route, so it's easy to get into town. So I was surprised that you talked about having to ride several miles to go to a restaurant, I have a about 20 within a few blocks. I'm about 1 1/2 miles from the city's premier bike route, a 16 mile route along the river. And over the hill in the other direction is a long stretch of shopping malls and big box stores.

Another thing, you will want to consider getting a second bicycle. Perhaps lower quality, but able to do the trips you need to if needed. I have a recumbent bike with a rack for my longer distance riding. My other bike is a late '80s hardtail mountain bike that has been converted for street use with fenders, lights, rack, slick tires, panniers. Its wide gears get me up all the hills I encounter.

RWBlue01

I will probably never be car free. Between cold/snow, meetings requiring suits, and longer trips to see the world....it is an option I don't want to give up any time soon.


This being said, I am in shape enough to commute to work every other day (when it works with the work schedule/meetings...).

I am just not comfortable doing the things you guys consider "normal" from the bike. i.e. I had nothing in the house to eat. I pass a grocery store on the way home from work...You guys would stop and pick up dinner...I just didn't know how I was going to make it happen. So I went home, showered, then got in the vehicle to go to the grocery store.

I have a BOB on the way. (Mainly got it for a trip this summer.) So that may solve some of my issues, but it also creates issues for storage on both ends of my trip. Grocery getter may have been a better option, but I didn't know about them.

What I am thinking about the restaurant may be different than what some people are thinking. I could go to fast food, but I tend to pay a little more and get a little better meal. I would stand out if I walked in with with my bicycle pants and jersey.

Parking the bicycle still is my biggest concern. I don't want it to walk away and I don't want to have someone take my stuff off the bike.

Oh, if it matters. I have two good bikes now. I ride the hard tail mountain bike most of the time. It has a rear rack boot bag and a large pannier, I can set it up with a light. I can stuff everything (including a light jacket for when I stop) I need for a long day trip into this configuration. The second bike is a road bike with handle bar bag and rear rack.

Here is one for you. How do you deal with elevators and narrow hallways? I park my bike in my cube at work and in my apartment. To get there I need to use an elevator (both places). I also need to work around a hall way were my bike handlebar takes up at least 50% of the hall. So far everyone has been nice, but I am waiting for a time when someone else is moving something that takes up 50% of the hall.

It is the normal things you do that you don't even think about that are bugging me. There has to be a book on this subject.

DocsDad

I am car lite, but I will respond. I also don't eat out much, but have been known to ride to the deli and eat on the patio. I am also a regular at the ice cream shoppe. LOL

My wife and I grocery shop a fair amount by bike. We have chosen to go to the nicer stores that are safer for the bikes. We pay slightly more at these stores but its worth not driving. As far as pannier space... we buy less and make more trips during the week. Often these trips are at the tail end of a regular ride. Fun stuff.

Mauriceloridans

You are limiting yourself greatly in the day to day nuts and bolts bike transportation with this fear of theft. Perhaps you live in a very high crime district and it is justified.

However, the restaurant issue is one my wife and I have developed practices you might want to use. We give preference to places with outside dining where our bikes are nearby. Next in line of preference are places with windows overlooking our bike parking spot-- I just ask to be seated where I can keep an eye on the bike. Lastly, park and lock where other folks are outside smoking or at least near a high traffic entrance so the potential thief has to anticipate the owner or a good samaritan emerging at any moment.

I lost a lot of bikes to theft in my college years in a big city. I made some dumb mistakes. It hasn't happened in many years (knock on wood) but my fear of theft keeps me from spending a great deal on my daily rider. Yours seems to keep you from general transportation uses. I would hate not having the versatility I enjoy with my bike transportation.

Cheers

Roody

In one sense, this forum is the book on the subject, and possibly the only one. Scroll through the index, ignore our silly political threads, and you will find good information. Also, start a new thread if you have a particular question. Believe me, nobody will mind. If there's one thing we like better than rants, it's giving advice.

When it comes to advice, I always like to start with the big picture. The type of bicycling we are talking about is transportation cycling or "everyday cycling." Point A to Point B and back again, basically. Millions of people do this all over the world. You don't need special clothes, just wear what you wear every day.

Business suits present a problem, however. I see guys in suits downtown, but I don't suppose they ride very fast or very far, or in very bad weather. Personally, I sometimes wear my "off-duty" clothes to work, then change when I get there.

You might want to get fenders on at least one of your bikes. A chainguard might work nicely to keep your suited legs clean. Otherwise, get an elastic leg band or "just cuff 'em up and go," as my son says.

As for getting food, yes, I would just stop at the store and get the food. Something prevents you from doing this, but I don't know what it is.

Park your bike and lock it, and do your business. When you come back, your bike will still be there, 99.9 % of the time. Maybe you need to buy a third bike that you wouldn't mind losing. It's sweet when people love their road bikes, but if you're a transportation cyclist, your bike is a vehicle, not a beautiful woman. If you lose it, you may have another.

Mauriceloridans

"It's sweet when people love their road bikes, but if you're a transportation cyclist, your bike is a vehicle, not a beautiful woman. If you lose it, you may have another."

Very nicely put.

charbucks

As others have said, it sounds like your bike is reasonably well set up for grocery stops, but the fear of theft is stopping you. Get a good lock (not a cable lock), and chances are your bike will be fine for the 20 minutes you spend picking out dinner.

Where are you located, if you don't mind sharing? Some places are just worse for theft.

I've got all my bikes registered with https://www.bikeshepherd.org. It's certainly not going to prevent theft, but at the very least I've got my serial numbers and photos of my bikes saved in one spot. Unfortunately, I discovered this site *after* my first theft (which occurred, by the way, while I was moving and someone snuck in to my garage - not while it was locked up in public).

With regards to restaurants, I just dress as I want to be dressed at the restaurant. Tuck your pants into your socks and ride casually. Sometimes that means that you might be a bit sweaty when you get there, but honestly, people probably won't notice. The fact that you showered before getting into the car and going to the grocery store suggests to me that you're exceptionally conscientious about being clean in public, and while that is definitely better than the other extreme, you might be surprised at how little your dried sweat offends other people.

Artkansas 

As far as restaurants go, "Cash Talks." If you see nothing wrong, there is nothing wrong. If you are hesitant, start with fast food and work your way up. You'll see. Those who care aren't worth worrying about. And at worst, give yourself a few minutes to cool off and bring a change of shirt.

As long as your bike fits into the elevator or cubicle, go for it. Just give others the right of way as a courtesy. Problem solved. Bikes are smaller if you rear them up on one wheel in the elevator. I've never had a problem. If your bike sticks out of your cubicle then there may be a problem. If that's the case, look around your office building and see if you can't find a little empty spot that is unused. Get permission and claim it. In my last job, there was no room in my office at the top of a winding staircase, so my bike parking space ended up being out in a TV studio, in a small niche by the garage door where they loaded and unloaded sets.

I think the reason there is no book, may be that people encounter such a variety of situations.

I-Like-To-Bike

Good advice, Roody. I knew you had it in you, somewhere. Feels good to let it out once in awhile, doesn't it?

chewybrian 

I can't prove it with a scientific study (sorry ILTB), but I think this is a very effective strategy. Good thieves can beat good locks, but I doubt many want spectators.

Also, about shopping, you can greatly reduce your load by cutting out a lot of water. Don't buy soda or pre-made tea, buy concentrated detergents, etc. Water weighs a lot, and most people buy a lot of it at the grocery store, in one form or another.

wolfchild

If there are no bike racks then I look for a strong railing, a tall sign post or a lamp post and lock my bike to it.

I use panniers or wald baskets and my messenger bag. I do my grocery shopping 3 times per week in small amounts at a time instead of a big load once per week. Bike trailer is not an option for me because I live in a highrise buildying.


Slow down, ride at an easy pace, transportational cycling is not a race, ..and wear clothing made from fabrics that wick moisture away and dry fast.

wolfchild

Invest in a good quality strong lock. Also don't leave personal valubles such as a wallet or a cell phone anything of value on your bike when you lock your bike outside.

I live in a highrise so I use elevators everyday. It's never been a problem. There is enough room for my bike plus 4 people. I always give other people the right of way especially if it a lady with a bunch of kids and a stroller or a senior citizen... I store 3 bikes plus a bunch of wheelsets and spare parts inside my apt.

Artkansas 

fify

RWBlue01

Tell me more. I will learn from your misfortune.


To answer the other question...
I live close to Washington DC. I probably have heightened fear because I have found a stripped bike near the bicycle path.

RWBlue01

BTW1, I am not a clean freak. I am not a perfectly dressed person. I just don't want t be "that guy" that people post about or talk about in the office. You know the one....(Oh my god, has anyone talked to HR about.....)

BTW2, Someone handed me a book today. I haven't had a chance to read it, maybe it will answer some of my fears.

gerv 

What about beer?

chewybrian 

The process varies with your level of dedication:

wahoonc

Done right!

Aaron

wolfchild

I used to have one of my bikes set up with a wald basket in the front just like yours. I took it off because it affected my steering when heavily loaded. From now on I carry heavy stuff on the rear. I love the look of a large basket on the front.