Did some errands by bike today. I had been wanting to test out my new rear basket, but we had thunderstorms yesterday and so I had to be patient.
Today it was windy but no rain/lightning, woohoo - time to test her out.
Errand list:
- dropped off our accumulation of plastic shopping bags for recycling at my local grocery store.
- returned some items at the local hardware store. I had bought this cheapie drill guide that ended up not being worth *squat*, so back to the shelf it went. Glad I saved my receipt on that one.
- rode a few miles to our local Trader Joe's for this week's load of groceries. Eggs, milk, drinks, fruit, lucnhmeat and some killer walnut levain bread they make.
You can see my new basket in the pics ($13 from hardware store + a few zipties)
I had looked over the offerings from Wald, etc. but they were either too small, too large, or too $$.
So far I love the utility it provides: I can drop my extra-large backpack (with laptop inside) and it fits easily. Or if I need to pick up some take-out food, I can just drop them in the back. No need to bring my panniers/etc. and my U-lock + cable both fit in the bottom as well. No need to clamp them to the frame, or figure out a bungie method anymore.
I hung my Jandd grocery pannier on the side since I had some overflow of groceries. It held on very snug, but the bike's balance was a little off kilter. But nothing severe, barely noticeable when under way.
However, I can no longer just throw my leg over the back when getting onto or off the bike. So it's gonna take me some time to hone my "liftover" technique, or work on my flexibility!
Cheers