vja4Him

I need some ideas for packing groceries on my Electra Townie. I would really like to add some kind of rear rack that would allow me to carry about four bags of groceries, then carry another one or two bags in the front and/or middle (?). I would like to try and figure out someway to stop carrying a backpack.

Yesterday, carrying the groceries on my back really hurt my back!!! I have a bad back, and so I need some ideas here on what to do ... Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Sturmcrow

Without investing in an Xtracycle or the like or perhaps a trailer, I think the most you'll be able to fit on a bike is 2 in front and 2 in back. You can get front and rear racks that will hold panniers and there are panniers specifically intended to be used to carry grocery bags.

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...%3A%20Panniers

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...cat%3A%20Racks

Unless you live really far from the grocery store, you're probably better off making more trips than trying to pack the equivalent of a carload onto your bike.

badmother

Do not know the townie (only seen pix) but if you can fit a front and a rear rack you could also put one basket on each side + one on top of each rack, = 6.

Possible buyt not something you want to do more than twice a year.

Xtra or trailer is the way to go if you want to haul this often.

Bionicycle

What about a trailer? Even a used child’s trailer can hold a lot of groceries. Just a thought.

Nightshade

A trailer is by far the best , and safest, solution to grocery shopping on a bike. Most folk's always
buy more than they went in the store for so the trailer solves the carry problem nicely.

PLUS you got a plain bike when you don't need to shop in the deal!!

vja4Him

Thanks for the links! What kind of a rack would I need for the Nashbar Townie bags? You are absolutely correct about making more trips ... I take advantage of every opportunity I have to buy something, anything, even if only one gallon of milk, or a couple loaves of bread ...

Even if I do get a trailer, I will still need some kind of rack with bags and a basket. I need to make trips across town to pick of specialty items, and things that are on sale.

vja4Him

The trailer is starting to look like a must for our needs ... I still need something to allow me to do shoping when I get off work though. And I don't want to be hauling around a trailer to work everyday!! Also, there really is no place to put a trailer at work ...

Trailer would be great for making big hauls from our house to either Cost Less (only 1 1/2 miles each way), or Food 4 Less (3 miles each way). Problem is riding in the street though ... There are numerous stretches where there is no sidewalk, and no shoulder at all!!!

Also, there are many obstacle along the way that would not allow me to pull a trailer through/around, so I'd have to ride out in the street .... Not sure if the trailer would work going to Food 4 Less ... ???

For now, I'd prefer investing in rear rack, with some kind of bags, and either a front basket, or front rack with side bags, and maybe a bag for the top of both front and rear racks?

Sturmcrow

Don't worry too much about riding in the street. You help pay the taxes that built it, after all. I would stick one of those reflective "slow moving vehicle" triangles to the back of it.

Those Townie bags mount to a regular rear rack. https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...cat%3A%20Racks

You can mount them to a front rack too, but I think you would need one with a flat top on it, and those are harder to come by now that the lowriders are so popular. A Cetma rack would be an ideal grocery getter too.

https://cetmaracks.com/
https://www.bikeforums.net//showthread.php?t=469994

wahoonc

There are a lot of different configurations you can use for a grocery getter. One of mine is a European Trekking bike. I also use my Raleigh Superbe with a decent sized saddle bag for beer run, any bike can be used for utility purposes but some are better suited than others. I generally prefer a hard basket over a pannier for grocery runs. I use the reusable bags and they neatly drop into the baskets and away you roll.

I also have a set of the Performance Transit Grocery bags that will work on most bikes with a rack. They get used on the tandem, or any other bike I happen to be on that has racks.

Aaron

10 Wheels

I can carry 100 lbs.

vja4Him

Does anyone use, or have experience with, the TrunkitLarge, from Racktime?

vja4Him

Are your side baskets easy and quick to remove? That might be another good possibility for my Townie. I've noticed lots of people around town using the metal baskets on both sides in the rear, and some with another large basket in front.

I like the idea of being able to simply drop the bags of groceries quickly into the basket and off to a quick run home ... !!! I would still like to add another container to the top of the rear rack though, like maybe the Trunkit Large (or Small?).

vja4Him

What is that cool setup you have behind your seat? Where can I order something like that? And how much?

I've never seen anything like that before! That would be ideal (I think) for me to take my lunch and two water bottles to work. I could carry my (very small) book bag over my shoulder. Would I still be able to wear my fanny pack?

The only thing I would need in addition is some kind of setup for groceries after work ... which is only two or three trips each week.

tsl

For commuting and grocery-getting, you may want to look at a rack like mine.


I use a trunk bag for commuting. But it's a pain to also mount grocery panniers unless your rack has a second set of side rails, like mine.


Here are the Nashbar Townie Basket grocery panniers mounted on the lower side rails. I don't have to fuss with the trunk bag to mount the grocery panniers, and the grocery panniers don't interfere with the side pouches of the trunk bag.

That's a Tubus "New" Cosmo rack in stainless-steel. I got it from Wayne at The Touring Store. It's breathtakingly expensive, but being stainless, it should last forever. It's also rated for 88 pounds--much stronger than bargain racks.

Plus, compared to fussing and cussing to mount the panniers along with the trunk bag on a single set of rails, the convenience of the lower side rails is worth every penny.

crackerdog

You might try looking for a used Bob trailer on Craigslist. It is really nice for hauling groceries and it tracks behind the bike so you won't even notice it is there. Because it only has one wheel, it doesn't work as well for large loads but for compact loads, like groceries, it is great. The big advantage of the Xtracycle is your load is located between your axles so it rides in a VERY stable way. You will notice when you have really heavy loads on regular panniers, you will get a fishtailing type of motion.

vja4Him

Just how much stuff can you really store in the two side panniers, and the top bag? How would books and papers be protected from rain in the panniers? Or the bag you have on top? Would there be any way to attach side metal baskets, or would your rear rack get in the way?

I have to buy food for myself and my two boys, one will be 12 in January, the other 17 in April, and they both eat a lot of food!! Sometimes my youngest son drinks almost a gallon of milk in one day!!!

tsl

I don't know a thing about wire baskets or how they mount. Had 'em as a kid. People could hear me coming for miles with the damned things rattling. Plus they get dented. Some people love 'em though. I'm just not one of them.

Grocery panniers are, by definition, open-top. The Townie Baskets come with a rain cover useful for short distances (<5 miles) in light to moderate rain. How much they hold depends on what you're carrying. TP and boxed, bulky prepared food? Not much. Produce and meats? Quite a bit. Canned goods? Knock yourself out. Each will hold two gallons of milk with room for flat stuff (meats work well.)

The stores in my area all have handbaskets in addition to carts. I use a handbasket because a handbasket plus a handful (bread, milk or something) is how much I can carry in the panniers.

If I were shopping for a family, I could probably do it with these and three or four stops a week. But I'd prefer something with more depth, like the ones from Arkel. Actually, I think I'd do a trailer for once-a-week and grocery panniers for fill-in during the week.

The trunk bag I use is the Arkel Tailrider. I bought it specifically because it's smaller than most. That keeps me traveling light. Still, I can pack my "Noah's Ark" lunch and snacks (2 sandwiches, 2 oranges, 2 apples, 2 granola bars and 2 trail mix bars), plus a hardcover novel and a work shirt inside, with flat repair stuff, sunglasses, keys and crap in the outer pouches. Once a week I roll up a pair of jeans and an tuck them under the top straps, bringing them home at the end of the week. Oh, and my U-lock hangs from the top straps too.

vja4Him

I'm wondering just how much weight will the panniers take? And how much weight will the rear rack handle? I would like to have one pannier on each side for balance ... I'm thinking that I could easily pack 20 pounds of food into each of the extra large panniers. And another 15-20 pounds on the top. And if I put a basket on the front, maybe another 10 pounds of food there ....

vja4Him

I was just thinking ... Which panniers are the most secure? Meaning simply ... which would be the hardest for someone to steal? Which are the easiest to lock down?

AdamD

So somewhere between 60-70lbs. of food? That's a lot of chow. What time will dinner be ready?

I have an Old Man Mountain Red Rock rear rack (that's a mouthful), an Arkel Tailrider, and an Arkel Utillity Basket. The quality of the Tailrider is top notch, but it won't carry a large volume of groceries. Mine is full when I carry a change of socks, underwear, pants, shirt, wallet, keys, tubes/co2 cartridges, and lights. I shop with my Utility Basket all the time. I take the Utility Basket off, and either attach a shoulder strap to carry it, or just throw it in a shopping cart to do my shopping. I've ridden with 40+ lbs. of stuff in there before with no problems. You can tell that the bike weight is lopsided, but it is easily manageable. Two Utility Baskets loaded to capacity would carry a lot of groceries. They work great for me, but I live by myself so don't have a huge volume of stuff to carry.

One thing I've changed about my shopping since switching to doing it by bike is that I shop several times a week rather than just one larger trip. I actually prefer this as it means I have fresher produce and can grab something if I have a hankering mid-week. Good luck!

cyclezealot

Two panniers and a back pack. maybe I can carry three bags of groceries on my commuter bike. I only live two miles from the grocery store. Why not make two trips to the grocery store . that way you can carry 5-6 bags...

wahoonc

The baskets on my Staiger are the folding type from Wald. FWIW I would get the boys on bikes and let them share the load. Make shopping a family affair My wife quite often rides to the store with me, but her bike only has a small wicker basket on the front.

Aaron

tsl

That was in my first post, here:

Bargain racks are rated for considerably less. The one on my other bike is rated for 30 pounds.

barturtle

One thing to note about the Townie Basket: get a good rack with a kicked out rear leg as the bag is a bit flexy when loaded down

A rack like tsl's or something like https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...cat%3A%20Racks

or https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...cat%3A%20Racks

or https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...cat%3A%20Racks

will work best for that bag

barturtle

Ah, found a link I was looking for to add

You wanted to haul six bags of groceries?

https://www.koolstop.com/trailers/mule.html