Singlespeed92

Went to pick up some trash bags,loaf of bread and milk,rent a dvd and just to ride around.

Dylansbob 

Safeway had litter cheaper, so my monthly stock-up run was actually a shorter distance than to petsmart.

100lbs of litter in the trailer, another 30lbs of groceries in the panniers. Should've added a 12pack for the front end.

pick

ahh, yes the need for equalizing ballast does lend to rationalizing almost anything not on the 'list' LOL!! (nice rig, btw!!)

pick

No ride, but did get the original utility/dog trailer of ours out to replace the tubes and wash everything down. With any amount of luck we should be back to doing grocery runs before too long!!

pick

Hmm, realized just now I had been remiss and neglected to post our first trip to recycler dude of 2012...

Fasteryoufool

My wife and I rode down to the flea market this morning. Shopping yielded a 1st edition 1936 engineering text book for my step-son, a CD of classical love music, two big-ass tablecloths we're going to turn into curtains, an extension cord, some molly bolt hooks for hanging houseplants and a desk chair. I love my trailer.

Total trip including a trip to the bank ~9 miles.

hopperja

Another trip to the recycle center. This time, I hauled three kids with me. Total was only about 2.5 miles there with about 220 pounds on the trailer. After dropping off the recycles I picked up a bin (about 100 pounds) full of soil additive, for a total weight on the return trip of 2.5 miles was about 280 pounds. I ran 6 miles this morning, so this was a lot more difficult ride than it should have been.


We stopped by the park on the way home.


Good times!

Fasteryoufool

That's a darn cute pic of your kids on the trailer!

hopperja

Well, I set a new personal record today. I took a load of scrap metal to the recycle yard. Before leaving, my son said, "dad, you can just take the truck." I said, "son, your dad likes to do things the hard way." And, the hard way it was...

Per google tracks:
Trip there:6.57 miles, 5.87 mph average, 987 feet elevation gain, max grade -3.2%, 1 hr 7 min 11 seconds
Trip back: 6.44 miles, 12.35 mph average, 315 feet elevation gain, max grade 8.7%, 30 min 33 seconds

I turned in 467 pounds of metal + ~100 pounds of kid/trailers/buckets = a new PR of ~570 pounds moved by bicycle for about 6.5 miles. Needless to say, it was a lot of work, and it was definitely my heaviest load yet. To put things in perspective, I had a very difficult time off the bike and pushing the load (1 hand on the handlebars, 1 hand pulling on the seat). The only way for me to move it was to be in a very low gear and pedaling. When I came to a stop, I had it in my easiest gear (22 front ring, 32 rear cog) and I would have to stand on the pedals when I started up. Believe it or not, it's actually difficult to mash in that low of a gear!

I'm not sure exactly how the weight was distributed. I believe I had about 325 pounds on the BAW trailer and about 200 pounds on the rear/converted child trailer. Both handled their respective weights perfectly with no ill-effects.

In the end, I earned ~$154 for the scrap metal. In other words, I got paid ~$154 for exercising!

Here are the pics:



The metal consisted of copper tubing from upgrading/changing out some of my indoor pipes, some sheathed copper wire, an old wood stove (circa 1986) with a solid brass front door, and other odds and ends that I've been hanging on to since the last trip.

All in all, this load pushed my limits. I was able to move it effectively, but I wouldn't want to move much more weight or that much for much more of a distance. Fortunately, there was no noticeable grade, or it may have been an entirely different story.

Enjoy!

bugly64

Toured Yuba City for a few hours and then we ended trying to get all the deals we could get at Wallyworld.

Stu In Tokyo

Very impressive indeed, way to go!

Got to love them disk brakes, I too haul heavy stuff on my trailer and without the disk brakes, well it's just dangerous!

hopperja

Thanks for the kudos, Stu! Most people who haul things by bike aren't in the 500+ pounds club, but I know you know what that's like. It's anything but easy, and yes, disc brakes are a requirement. I doubt I'll ever be in Tokyo, but if I am, I'll look you up.

pick

hopperja - heheh, love your set of doubles, very cool indeed!!!

Singlespeed92

Me n the Boy did a grocery run.





(Sorry for the too-big-pics...Photobucket said they'd been resized...)

Underground

You all are giving me excellent ideas for when I pick up my Transport. I'm thinking Rubbermaid container opposite of the bag that comes with it. I have a few spares laying around. You all are a good influence on me...or in my wife's eyes...a bad influence! hahaha

Since you all are seasoned veterans to the utility cycling gig, how many bungee's and straps do you normally keep on hand?

Fasteryoufool

Full-on grocery shopping trip today - 100+ lbs. in the trailer. I LOVE freaking out the straights when they see the bike helmets dangling from the shopping cart.

hopperja

If I had wide-load style platforms, I would first wrap them in a spiral cord wrap. I use it as a chain stay protector, and it is indestructible.

For my trailer hauling, I typically use large Nite-Ize figure 9's. They are fantastic and are generally more useful than tie down straps. They'll hold more weight than you'd want to carry. A couple large (with 12 feet of 3/8" rope each) and 4 of the small Nite Ize figure 9's (they come in a pack for about $10), and I can tie down virtually anything on my trailer. I've also tied a 5 gallon bucket, and even a full-sized garbage can, to a rear rack using these things.

The small figure 9's are rated to 50 lbs. I've tied mine in a loop and picked up ~90 lbs of weight, so the 50lbs is a continual working load. I can't say enough good things about them.

pick

I have a cargo net always in my bag, or on the load I am running to the recycle dude, several bungee cords are in the bags/panniers as well.

efk22

Just started commuting last week.

Also started using the bike for errands. A couple of days ago, I took a 10 mi loop from home to my LBS, then work to pick up a check, pharmacy, bank and then back home. I could really get used to this!

pick

yepper, that's how it starts....LOL!! Welcome to the madness that is utility cycling and BF!! It is cool when you realize your lifestyle is swinging in the direction of more errands on bike than car, very cool indeed when that happens!!

Singlespeed92

The Boy and I rode 7+ miles to the park's far said (from home) just to play and have a sandwich picnic....does that count? I hauled the picnic stuff

Reynolds 

Carried the heaviest load to date on my front rack, 24 kg. 20 km round trip.

hopperja

Took a combined load today - glass/plastic recycles and a trip to Goodwill. I make about a trip a month to Goodwill, so my basement is finally starting to look a little better. After I get all the clutter out of there, the garage is next. It seems it's never ending, but I'm pleased the BAW trailer is getting a good bit of use, I'm getting good workouts with it, and saving gas at the same time!

I don't know how much everything weighed (I'd guess around 200 pounds), but the trip to Goodwill is ~12 miles round trip. On the way back, we stopped by a park, my youngest son played and rode his bike around while I did a TRX/suspension workout (for those who have TRX, it was the original Force program, week 3/4, upper body). I was knackered, as they say in some parts of the world.

Brockster

Rode the Schwinn Cimarron (it's now the $50 beater shopping bike) while I figure out how to make a cargo bike - to Cub Foods for shredded cheese, a dozen eggs, and a small bag of white onions. Here's a little cargo tip - before I put the eggs in my messenger bag, I tied an empty plastic grocery bag around the carton to hold it shut.

I love riding the bikes for these shorter trips. My wife enjoys it and she is increasing her stamina by walking around the block every morning.

Monster Pete

Most recently, I transported a unicycle. Me and my housemates decided to take advantage of the sunshine and ride to the local park, and one of them wanted to bring his unicycle. It's a surprisingly awkward thing to load onto a bike. After a couple of false starts with the idea of towing the thing, we eventually managed to secure it to my rear cargo rack with a couple of bungees and a bike lock, with the saddle pointing out behind the bike. It certainly drew a few odd looks from people driving past.