ezdoesit

Hello,
I have a question on doing your grocery shopping and laundry ?
I have definitely turned the corner into car light and wanting to do my chores with my bicycle.
I have a 2008 Fuji Touring Bicycle and my question is what do all of you recommend for the bike and chores I have listed .
A)-Trailer-?
B)-Panniers-?

Right now I only have a rear rack and would have to get a front rack if I go with full on Panniers.
The reason I ask now is that REI is having a great 20% off sale so I Can get Ortlieb Panniers for $120. versus their original price of $169.00 or a Burley Nomad for the 20% off a savings of app. $70.00.
Right now I have no Panniers or Trailer so it's a start in the right direction.
So what say you to my questions?

Thank you for all your help and have a great day.

I really want to use my car as little as possible but can't give up completely because of where I live I am on top of a mountain and do need the car from time to time especially in the winter and bad weather so any help you can give me would be much, much appreciated.

Late entry I will also start somewhere in the near future to do touring so I don't know if this helps with my above questions.

tsl

It depends.

Are you single? Panniers will be fine. Family? You'll need a trailer.

I'm single and use only panniers. I don't have storage space for a trailer, and it would be overkill for my needs anyway.

For utility cycling, I find open-top grocery panniers to be more useful than touring panniers. I can carry them right into the store, do my shopping, then carry them out filled and mount them on the bike. I just upgraded to Arkel's Shopper grocery panniers. They have everything I've wanted and needed in a grocery pannier. See my review in this thread. You can probably find something similar at your REI.

I have no suggestions for laundry. One of my requirements when apartment hunting is that there's laundry in the building.

grandjeanius

This might be overkill... but I recently bought an XTRA Cycle Free Radical... It's great, and has plenty of room for all that stuff. Last weekend I had @50 lbs of dog and cat food, a week's worth of groceries and my girlfriend on the back. You can't do that with a trailer or regular panniers..
Downsides - It won't fit on roof rack of a car. The bike now weighs a ton. That extra 15" the radical adds really make it hard to find a place to stick the bike in the house.
(It's not my only ride, so it works out well for me to have as a weekender/grocery getter... I'm not sure I'd want to have that as my permanent ride)
Just a thought.. good luck!

cyclokitty 

I use open top grocery panniers for grocery shopping but for laundry I'd need a trailer to bring all of it to the laundromat. I'm looking around my neighbourhood for a cheap, used kids trailer sold at a garage sale.

Wait.... REI is having a 20% off sale? Where's my email letting me know!! *grumbles*

ezdoesit

tsl
Thanks for the quick reply and your write up was a good one. I was also thinking along the lines of getting Panniers because I also live in a small apartment and keep my bike in the apt. so a trailer would take up more room.
Thanks for your help and send anymore this way if you think of it.

ezdoesit

got my catalog in the mail yesterday and it states 20% off sale from 5/21 to 5/31 and didn't get an email hope this helps you out.

Torrilin

For laundry... there'd better be something in the building. Doesn't matter if I have a car or not. I am never living in a place where I have to haul clothes in -10F weather further than about 100 yards. Never never never again. Actually scratch that. 40F weather. I'm a wimp.

For groceries... you need less pannier space than you think. I have 40L panniers, which is large enough to haul 20-25lb bags of rice. One bag per side. I can also fit in manymany wine bottles, half cases of beer, baguettes, 5lb bags of fruit, an entire CSA share, and a lot of other big bulky things. Not all at once obviously, but 99% of the time, you're not gonna buy huge amounts. I stagger my bulk purchases. These are big panniers, but they're not the biggest available. I could definitely do groceries for a family of four with 'em, tho not for a family with 2 teenagers. My previous panniers were 26L, which turned out to be too small for us. This is about the same size as many sets of front panniers.

I also make extensive use of my front basket, which is about 10L, and my messenger bag, also about 10L. 10L is about the same volume as a grocery store shopping basket. For little trips or running small errands or going out on a joy ride, 10L is plenty of space. I try to arrange things so most trips are just with the basket.

You're going to want your gear to fit how you shop. I buy giant bags of rice, so it is a lot nicer if I can fit them in a pannier. A lot of other posters here aren't such huge rice fans, so they use different strategies.

powers2b

Trailer I bought at a garage sale for $15.
If you swing by Tx I'll let you have it for $10

Enjoy

wahoonc

The Bob trailer is one of the more compact ones to store. I use panniers almost exclusively to shop for a four adults. The store is only 1.5 miles from the house so if I have to double up on a shopping trip one week or another it is no problem. The panniers I use are on the large side at 45l, I also have another bike that uses Wald folding baskets on the rear and a medium sized basket on the front. Laundry? Dunno haven't had to drag laundry out for years, but a large front basket would probably work.

Aaron

gerv 

An example of what I can carry with a 30 litre pair of panniers (but note the squish in the cereal box...):

travelmama

A cargo bike is great when you want to carry larger items with you and not use a trailer. Excellent for a few loads of laundry. The drawback to it is having a wildly unbalance load that will take a while to get the momentum going.
Panniers are something that you can't go wrong with. They limit how much you can carry at one time. I am a shopper so when I go out with my small panniers I am limited to how much I will end up bringing home.
A trailer is excellent for hauling heavier and touring items providing you don't experience a flat tire. If I am out to pick up items in bulk, I use my trailer because I can carry the larger items behind me and the smaller items go in the panniers.
I think it all depends on your present and future needs. I don't use my trailer often but when I do, it is my best friend.
As for the REI coupon, it can be used multiple times if you buy online and pick up in the store. I may use mine to buy more bike gear.

Roody

I carry groceries in my backpack, but that's for one adult and I shop 3 or 4 times a week. I only had to go to the laundromat for a few months. I put the clothes in a navy-style laundry bag with a shoulder strap and walked to the laundromat. It was only about 10 minutes away. If it had been further, I could have gone by bike, but I wouldn't want to carry such a bulky load on any busy streets.

ezdoesit

Hey thank you for all your replies so far.
Keep them coming.
I will go with a set of Pannier's now I have to decide which ones to get. I do have the back rack so I can start with a good size rear Pannier's.
I am retired and want to watch my pennies but at the same time I only want to spend my money once since I don't have that much to go around.
I live in an apartment and will search out their laundry room so that takes care of the laundry now all I have to do is get the groceries.


Here is my little saying:

It's mind over matter
If you don't mind it doesn't matter.

Cosmoline

I'm single but the BOB has been invaluable. I load mass quantities to make freezer food and save LOTS of money. The BOB will haul 75 lbs from Costco or the farmer's market. That's a lot of rutabaga.

For money savings in the long run, I'd say invest in the trailer. Panniers are for daily shopping runs, where you buy more prepared items. I used to have some, but they busted off along with the back rack due to the sheer volume of food packed in them. That's when I decided to go with the trailer for such hauling ;-)

This Costco haul

--20 lbs stew beef
--2 big boxes of freezer bags
--1 winter's worth coco
--1 jumbo container dishwashing detergent
--2 big loaves of bread
--10 lbs onion
--10 lbs apples
--Jumbo container cleaning solution
--1 roll of shelf liners for the root pantry
--Big brick o' Tillamook Cheese
--2x green goop drinks
--Various frozen veges buried in the cart




loads as this:



Seven miles each way, but the stew that came from the beef lasted all winter.

I also use the cart for farmer's market runs, when I'm never sure if I'll be coming home with a few things or huge bags of veges.

serra

Dang, that's amazing! I'm in a similar financial situation, poor college student, not a lot to spread around. I've been getting by with panniers pretty well, but then, I don't buy 20 lbs of beef! That would last all year!

Artkansas 

I use a Jansport Big Student backpack, Sunlite Grocery Getter panniers and a Bikes At Work trailer. That and a few bungee cords seem to get me where I'm going. I'm also contemplating getting a center rack for my recumbent so I can attach the panniers to it and keep the Center of Gravity low and in the center of the bike.

Usually grocery shopping is just the Grocery Getters on my old Specialized Hard Rock. That gets a weeks worth handily.

Laundry, well I really haven't had to ride somewhere to do laundry in 20 years, but when I did, I used to use a large old boy scout backpack. Soft and capacious. I used powdered soap because it's easier to transport and not as messy. Though back then, I think I allowed myself the luxury of buying the soap from the dispenser.

Torrilin

*shrug* I buy mostly in bulk, and I use panniers. I tend to pick my purchases based on how little packaging there is, so there are not so many odd corners and weird shapes... which is why it's pretty rare for me to buy traditional American bread. Baguettes hold up ok, flour holds up even better. American style bread is squishy and would be ruined. For a winter of cocoa and brownies, I buy a couple pounds of cocoa powder from Penzey's, and a 5 or 10lb bag of sugar from a regular grocery store. Works out to much less packaging than even a can of Swiss Miss .

Shopping style matters a lot.

(20lbs of beef is one pannier for me at the butcher shop, unless I'm buying big roasts...)

Roody

This is kind of funny to me, looking back to when this forum first started. We used to get constant posts here about "I can't be carfree because I wouldn't be able to get the dog food home on my bike." Really, the eveyday cycling movement has come a long way in a short time!

crazybikerchick

It really depends on a number of factors. How far away is the grocery store? Do you like to shop once a week or more often? Do you need to buy anything large and bulky? (cat litter, dog food, copious amounts of soda)

Personally I like food nice and fresh so never buy more than a basket full at a time which easily fits in a backpack or in panniers. I have a trailer but tend to haul it out only when I need to restock on cat supplies. The grocery stores are super close though so its not inconvenient to shop often.

For laundry, how far away is the laundromat? I have laundry on site (and previously it was directly across the street so I walked it). But I've seen people cycle with a huge front basket and a big laundry bag. A trailer would no doubt be easier.

As for touring you can go either BoB trailer or panniers for that. My only recommendation to consider when buying panniers if you plan on using them for touring too go for waterproof! (where water resistant may work fine because of limited time exposure when grocery shopping) - Ortleibs would be great!

Two rear Ortleibs plus space on the rack should give you lots of room for grocery shopping (unless you are doing it for a larger family) For touring if not going the BoB route you'll probably want to add a front rack and panniers if you are planning on camping and cooking.

ironwood

Since my washing machine broke, I have been using my BOB for laundry. The laundromat is only a short ride away. I also use the BOB to tansport beer and wine. Cans are lighter than glass, maybe I'll try one of those little kegs that fit in the fridge. I also transport my trash to the recycling place with the trailer.

One of my bikes is a little up front with the trailer, so maybe front panniers, along with the trailer would help the handling.

I think the next issue of Bicycling times will have a review of some trailers.

I haven't toured with the trailer, but it might be a good way to go, especially if you go with a group and have a tent and pad that might be easier to carry on a trailer.

wahoonc

We used to refer to the American bread as "square air" I have seen hikers squash a loaf down so it would fit in their pack, didn't hurt what nutrients (if any) were in it, not sure how good it would taste though.

I grew up on homemade bread, mom always! baked 6 loaves of bread on Wednesdays, that was enough to keep our family in bread for a week. I still bake when I have the chance.

Aaron

spinninwheels

My vote is for Ortliebs (or any pannier similar to a Back-Roller Classic).

I lived in an apartment for 5 years that didn't have laundry facilities, thus I cycled to the laundromat. Ortliebs work great because you can just stuff it full and go. And that works great for groceries too. As others have mentioned you can just sling them around your shoulders and away you go.

As for touring, it took me a while to get used to having no compartments or pockets (Ortliebs). But after living on the wet coast for six years, having stuff that is dry becomes the number one priority.

But I also have a BOB, so if the load became too big (laundry or touring gear), I would just hook it up. I've hauled lots of different stuff with the BOB. I never regret getting it. I've toured with panniers even after I got the BOB, but that was because of touring logistics.

Down the road, you can always get a trailer if you like. But it is important to understand the pros and cons of both, because both have their limitations.

karateka

wahoo, is your bike as light as it looks?

gerv 

Unfortunately I would think the answer is yes.

Rowan

Having spent more than 10 years car free, I have used all sorts of methods to get stuff home.

A lightweight backpack is useful for pick-up trips on the way home on a commute, and quite a lot can go in one -- provided you don't put too many cans or liquid stuff in there.


A moderately sized pair of panniers and rear rack did me for almost all of that decade. And I hauled a large amount of groceries and other large boxed (and unboxed) items over distances up to 25km (things like entire bicycles, bike workstand, and other stuff).

I've had two trailers -- a large one for carrying two or three bicycles, or equipment for bicycle training courses, and furniture (including virutally an entire move from my unit to storage); and a small one, a TW Bents that quite usefully folds flat for storage. It's been used for carrying things like potting mix, and other handyperson hardware.

The OP's question really comes down to how much stuff is intended to be carried. The assumption is that the OP is single, but as others have stated, how close are the nearest shops/supermarkets, how much laundry is generated each week, what are the year-round weather conditions, is there a desire to shop and launder at the same time?

Because of the long-term desire to tour, I would suggest panniers. While I know many people have toured with a trailer, I have seen no need to. A trailer just complicates what should be very simple. Apart from anything else, a trailer opens up the desire to overload with stuff -- some of which is not needed but sure takes some energy to pedal uphill.