Using your bike to get groceries can be a great way to reduce your car usage. If your grocery store is close by, the bike can save your car the wear and tear that comes from those short trips. There are many ways to haul stuff on a bike. I am in search of the best way to use my bike for this purpose. I have a rear rack with a rear trunk, which of course does not carry much. I just tried one of the grocery pannier that is designed to allow you to place a loaded paper or reusable bag in it. Unfortunately with my setup, the heel of my foot wsa hitting the pannier. There are rear racks made to set the pannier further back than normal to help with this. They are a bit pricey, however. So, I start adding up the cost of the new rear rack, a couple of grocery panniers, and I got to thinking that I am not too far from justifying the money for an Xtracycle. Well, at least the bare bones frame. Custom V racks and freeloader bags could be made at home, at least until some extra cash becomes available to purchase the complete freeloader package.
With the Xtracycle setup, I should easily be able to carry 4 fully loaded paper or reusable grocery bags, maybe more. Not to mention the ability to strap larger goods to the top (with my custom made snapdeck).
This is a fairly expensive solution, at least for me. But, the Xtracycle seems like it would offer so many possibilities on ways to carry stuff. If it can reduce the reliability on a car, it is certainly worth it. And yep, I did return the grocery pannier. Time to start saving the pennies.
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2 comments:
That's exactly the train of thought I followed in 2006. I decided I wanted to do something about the too-frequent "I'd go by bike but I have to bring...." and I know I am going to really *use* things, so getting something that's going to fall apart is a bad idea. I found Xtracycles and went back and forth... I was a little afraid it was a Weird Useless Gadget that People In California With TOo MUch Discretionary Income got To Impress Their So-CallEd Friends. I found the history page and figured, maybe not... and made the plunge.
Ended up selling my car May 2007 just because my brother needed it and I sure didn't. It's in its own category of purchase. I still love peoples' reactions to it, which totally depends on assorted details of their lives... the new-to-the-country lady who instantly saw hte passenger capabilities and asked "You got that for the children?" or the engineer types who start dissecting its elegance... and the road biker who rode by and asked "What's that *for?*" and didn't quite grok the answer, "ANYTHING." The folks who tossed the drinks in the back for back at camp... they grokked :) It makes the bicycle a different vehicle.
Go for it :)
SiouxGeonz, your comments are inspiring. I forgot to mention that I usually have a messenger bag with me, but that is still only good for a few things. Plus, it can be a bit cumbersome and hot at times. A trailer could carry enough for sure, but like you said, that is something you have to bring along, and a trailer would not always be connected to my bike like the Xtracycle would. That's what is really appealing to me right now...the fact that it is always there. You don't have to think about it.
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