I'm thinking of using my old hybrid (Giant Cypress) for grocery shopping. At the moment, it's equipped with nothing. I think I'd like to add a folding rear basket (like this one) and a front basket. I would like to haul at least 3 bags of groceries at a time.

What's the easiest and/or best way to accomplish this? Thanks!

What you mention is fine. I prefer the rack and pannier system. I find them more versatile. Another benefit is that I carry the panniers into the store so I know exactly how much I can carry. The other option is a trailer, but kind of overkill for only three bags.

Easy two wald folding baskets in the back (rack is separate). Each will hold a large grocery bag. I reccomend gettng the heavy duty reusable bag (I like the trader joe's one.

thats 2 down.

Now for the third bag two options......
1) put less squishy stuff in bag 3 and use bungee cords and/or bungee net to put on rack.
2) reserve rack for beer using said bungee net and add a basket up front (assuming you do not have suspension)

You've got the right idea. A basic rear rack from Blackburn, Axiom, Topeak, etc will hold your folding baskets, and anything you want to strap to the top. A Wald basket on the front will hold another bag pretty well, or you can strap it to the rack as mentioned above. For the rear, folding baskets are very useful, but usually stay attached to the bike all time, which you may or may not want. Panniers can go on-and-off, which can be handy. An in-between solution is grocery panniers, which work like a basket - big, square, open top - yet remove easily: https://www.banjobrothers.com/product...y-bag-pannier/

For the front, if your bike has a suspension fork, you'll need a basket like this: https://www.waldsports.com/index.cfm/wald133basket.html
that doesn't mount to the dropouts or axle.

There's also a lot of quick release front baskets. This can be nice to carry your items off the bike. Really, it doesn't matter how you do it. Just find what you think you will like. I've had customers with permanently attached baskets, removable baskets and some like me that use panniers. Everyone of my customers that I've asked said that their system was great, and were enjoying the new capability to carry things.

I recommend a small soft cooler and the refreezable thingys to fit in your basket/pannier/rack. And have plenty of bungie cords if you get a rack.

I would advise against folding baskets. I had those exact ones on a giant boulder bicycle and after about 1 months of use the bottom of the baskets kept popping out. I would go either with rigid baskets or bags like these
https://www.modernbike.com/itemgroup.asp?IGPK=2126177632

I have that exact set and LOVE them!

Diffr'ent strokes.

My wife's bike has a pair of the wald folding baskets. They have served her well for occasional trips to the grocery store/farmers markets. We use canvas shopping bags which fit nicely in the baskets.

I use panniers which clip on my rack. When I get to the store, I unclip them from the bike, and clip them onto the shopping cart - makes it easier to not buy more than I can haul. I am a big fan of Arkel Panniers, and they have some grocery specific bags which I don't use, but wouldn't mind trying if the existing bags that I have will ever wear out.

For larger shopping (which I tend not to do very much, I tend to buy small quantites often) I have a trailer which can carry many grocery bags, as well as full cases of beer etc...

I use panniers or baskets. Here are pictures of my two bikes that I primarily use for shopping. The third bike is one my daughter has, FWIW she has taken the folding baskets off and uses some form of shopper panniers.

Aaron

Wow. Thanks for all the great suggestions.

A couple questions though:
* If I get shopper panniers do I need to get a rear rack? (I'm assuming that's where they attach.)
* Even if I don't have to, do I still want want one?
* Do the folding baskets get annoying to ride around with if you're not hauling stuff?
* How hard is steering with a loaded front basket?

Yes you will need a rear rack, personally I think it should be against the law to sell a bicycle without one

The folding baskets don't annoy me, others will not agree. FWIW I mount mine with the clips and zipties. I have not had a problem with the factory clips holding them closed, but also use a velcro strap around them.

Steering is affected some, but it is typically weight dependent. The bike pictures with the case of beer is an old Raleigh 3 speed and it will take more weight up front than some other bikes I have owned. As a general rule I would try and keep the front basket loads under 20#, YMMV.

Aaron

I put my Ortlieb back rollers on the checkout conveyor belt first, then my stuff.
the store gives me a nickel credit for the plastic/paper bag I dont use. .

Dry bag is also dry empty , which helps.

otherwise , If you bring a Canvas bag for the stuff, and bring it in
the same credit thing can work in your benefit.

best recycle is not using a new it in the 1st place..

I'm sorry, but I have no idea what that means. Could you explain it to me?

As you can see, after a little experimentation people find what works for them. There is no one answer, and every different system has it's +'s and -'s. Luckily, none of these options are very expensive, so it's not a disaster if you try baskets, then end up going with panniers later on, for example.
You should get a decent rear rack no matter what. It's the basis of any bike hauling system. And a bungee net, a few bungee cords, and a couple of tie-down straps that are not stretchy.
The baskets have the advantage, and disadvantage, that they are always there. If you ride around town and stop here and there, and maybe pick up stuff you didn't plan to, that may be good for you. But, if you use the same bike for 30 mile "sporty" rides on weekends, you may prefer something you can remove, like a pannier. An enclosed pannier, either a roll-top, zipper, flap, has the advantage of keeping things dry and contained. If you have a long ride, or a bumpy one, that's good. The flip side is that they dont like to be over-stuffed, or hold odd size things. It's hard to close a roll-top pannier with a baguette or a bunch of flowers sticking out the top!

Hardly anyone gets it right on the first try. I'd say relax and jump in. You'll soon figure out what works for you.

What is the advantage of a non stretchy strap?
I disagree with the over stuffed and odd size. I think the soft cloth conforms better than the hard wire basket.

water proof bag with a leaky opening at the top, will have a puddle in the bottom.

roll closure of the type river dry bags, and Ortlieb roll closed pannier ,
use, .. wont do that.

I often find that my bugee cords are either a bit too long, or a bit too short! A camping type lashing strap can be whatver size you need, and you can get them pretty tight when you need to keep a dense, heavy thing from moving around on your rack. Just an idea from my experience. YMMV of course.
Regarding the panniers, yes, I agree that for some things a soft bag is preferable. I guess I was thinking mostly about long stuff that prevents you from closing the top of the bag. I should have just left it at "everything has +'s and -'s" !

The perfectionist in me needs to get it right the first time.

I think I'm going to try the grocery panniers first. Is online the best place to get them? I didn't see them the last time I was at the bike shop, but I wasn't looking for them either.

Your LBS can order most things for you, but it helps if they are commuter/utility savvy. Some shop guys will look at you like you have 2 heads if you say you want to go grocery shopping with your bike!
The internet offers a wider selection, of course, and you can usually find reviews and opinions of whatever bag you are thinking about.
The first page of google results for "grocery panniers" has bags by Sunlite, Arkel, Jandd, Minehaha, Axiom, Performance, Bontrager, even LL Bean! I know Ortlieb, Inertia, and Banjo Brothers also make them. I think the Sunlite are the cheapest you'll find at $25/pr, and I've seen some for $200/pr, though most are $40 - 80.
Here's a review of some: https://www.ecovelo.info/2010/06/18/t...s-best-friend/

Happy shopping!

I have some adjustable bungie cords...
I also use nets and velcro straps with the hard loop that allows you to wrap them around things.

Aaron

One caution on the Giant Cypress.

My first bike was a Cypress. When we added a run-of-the-mill rack to the back, I had heel strike issues with the panniers. And at the time, I was using the itty-bitty Nashbar Townie Basket panniers.

Had to replace the rack to resolve the matter. The Jandd Expedition rack worked well. It's three inches longer than most racks, allowing me to mount the panniers further back and away from my heels.

The Cypress also doesn't have upper mounts for the rack. I mounted the rack through the seatpost clamp instead.



Regarding grocery panniers, they fall into two broad categories: Those that stay mounted on the bike at the store, where you drop grocery bags into them after shopping, and those that function as shopping bags where you carry them right into the store.

You can tell the difference between the two types by the mounting hardware (and the presence of handles). My old grocery panniers had the traditional hook and bungee mounting system, and only one handle, on the bike side of the bag. They were impossible to mount when loaded.

My new grocery panniers have two carrying handles and a third handle to operate the mounting clamps on the back. Holding the fully-loaded bag with one hand, with the other hand I pull the handle which opens the clamps, then just drop the pannier on the rails and release the clamping handle. It takes me less time to do that than it does for car people to put their bags in the trunk.

I used the first type for many years. When I started shopping where I needed to bring my own bags, so I got the second type. Being able to carry your panniers into the store and load them while shopping is far, far easier, especially when it comes to figuring out how much to buy and how much to leave on the shelf for the next trip. I don't know how I put up with the uncertainty of "Will it fit?" before.

Now I can load the panniers while I shop. When they're full, I'm done. At the checkout I empty them on to the belt, then the cashier and I fill them up again. Roll the cart out to the bike, drop them on the rack, unlock and ride away.

Further, there's no need for nets, bungees, straps or other fussing around. It really makes shopping a pleasure.

That makes sense. I guess I never thought of the bungee cords length as being an issue. I have always been able to hook the bungee in a different location and/or loop it around the rack braces or struts.

I also don't see not being able to close the panniers as a negative, the baskets aren't closed either. I haven't carried flowers or a baguette but I have carried items that stuck out, like handlebars, tennis racquet, fenders, etc. I like panniers, but like I said, they all work and I haven't had a customer not be happy with the way they carry items.

My first bike was a Cypress too. But I haven't ridden it at all since I got a new road bike earlier in the year. Hence why I'm trying to convert it. I really appreciate the advise specific to the Cypress. That will make my job a lot easier. When you say you mounted it "through" the seatpost clamp, does that imply that there was drilling involved? Or do it just attach to the clamp? It's hard to tell from the picture.

I removed the bolt in the seatpost clamp, stuck the upper brackets in there, and ran the bolt back through the clamp and brackets. Since then I've learned that not all brackets are the same, so this may not work universally. There are, however, seatpost clamps with threaded eyelets on the back specifically for mounting racks. But on my Cypress with the Jandd rack, it worked perfectly.

I tried to buy a Wald front basket (14 x9 x ?) but they don't export out of the U.S. They are afraid of a foreign power getting hold of the technology.