Less Car: More Bike Part Three. Lots of links!

"Let our people travel light and free on their bicycles."- Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire

"Don't buy upgrades; ride up grades."- Eddy Merckx

So, how should you carry things? Let’s think of a grocery store trip as an example. You’re not provisioning a distant outpost, but getting “some” food/supplies for a few days. Don’t get discouraged because you don’t have the perfect rig, just do it.

If you walk, you’ll probably use a backpack. Compared to a month of gas/short trips, a backpack is a good investment. Upside- it’s easy to use and maintain. Downside- Slow and sweaty, maybe heavy. Packed carefully, carrying a few 2-liter soda bottles and some groceries can be very possible.

If you ride, you have more options. We’ve covered the backpack already, but I can’t really suggest it for riding. 

Low dollar/light load/short distance? Think Beach Cruiser with a handlebar basket! If the bike looks horrible, it’s less likely to be stolen. I’ve heard of people covering a nice bike in saran-wrap, and then spray painting the saran-wrap . “Camouflage!” Blend into or below the urban environment.

Mid-price/load/distance? Think of an older or lower dollar value bike with rack mounts, and add a rear rack and panniers. Jandd makes a pannier called the “Grocery Bag Pannier”, click on that name to see it. This is a nice option, but what’s on the other end of the price range? Something Home Made! There are very nice new-bike options available for commuting...

Open Budget/large load/distance unlimited? Get a BOB or similar design trailer. Get a Touring Bike and “Bag it out”. (Only handlebar and rack Bag shown, fully loaded here.) Or for the over do-ers reading this, get an Xtra-Cycle or Surly Big Dummy. That link shows a bike-towed trailer with about 400lb of 4’ x 8’ x 3/4” plywood ready to go. How about a Touring Unicycle, I kid you not! If you need to carry something, it can be done. (Thanks to SurlyBikes for some of the pics!)

As usual, your comments are welcome. Next time let’s look at traffic visibility and security options.