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How far to the grocery store?

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Living Car Free Do you live car free or car light? Do you prefer to use alternative transportation (bicycles, walking, other human-powered or public transportation) for everyday activities whenever possible? Discuss your lifestyle here.

How far to the grocery store?

Old 10-22-16, 04:05 PM
  #76  
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
I've used icepacks in my bags during hot weather when carrying fresh meat from a grocery store. How is that for a useful practical advice ??
Frozen meat can last for well over an hour in warm weather, too. Wrapped in thick layers of newspaper, for well over a day (I did that on a tour once).

But I wasn't referring to you. At all.
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Old 10-22-16, 04:24 PM
  #77  
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Originally Posted by Rowan
Frozen meat can last for well over an hour in warm weather, too. Wrapped in thick layers of newspaper, for well over a day (I did that on a tour once).

That's true, a deep frozen meat is just a solid block of ice. I just never buy frozen meat. I prefer fresh cuts which would spoil quickly in hot weather so that's the reason for ice packs.

Originally Posted by Rowan
But I wasn't referring to you. At all.

I know, no offence...I just thought that posting some practical advice would encourage some of the "LCF regulars" to post their experiences on how they transport perishable foodstuffs on a bicycle in hot weather.
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Old 10-22-16, 06:57 PM
  #78  
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When I was car free in Winnipeg, my grocery store was 1 km away. I walked there 2 or 3 times a week with a backpack. I filled my shopping basket with as much as I knew I could carry on a 1 km walk home, put it in the backpack and sturdy shopping bags, and walked home.

As I had 3 cats at the time, they got priority with cat food and litter. So I was limited what I could carry for me which made me very selective.
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Old 10-22-16, 06:59 PM
  #79  
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I did try to encourage the participants here to take a photo of their bicycles on a car light or car free trip ... like a shopping trip or something.

https://www.bikeforums.net/living-car...e-journey.html
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Old 10-22-16, 07:13 PM
  #80  
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Originally Posted by Machka
I did try to encourage the participants here to take a photo of their bicycles on a car light or car free trip ... like a shopping trip or something.

https://www.bikeforums.net/living-car...e-journey.html
Perhaps several of our car free/car lite public transit enthusiasts will post an informative picture of them enjoying toting several bags of the family's groceries home on a crowded bus.
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Old 10-22-16, 07:19 PM
  #81  
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Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
Perhaps several of our car free/car lite public transit enthusiasts will post an informative picture of them enjoying toting several bags of the family's groceries home on a crowded bus.
Well now, that would be nice. Let's see people actually doing thing like that!
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Old 10-22-16, 07:36 PM
  #82  
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Originally Posted by Machka
Well now, that would be nice. Let's see people actually doing thing like that!
Oh in the past I have seen it being done in Philadelphia, even with several children in tow.
1. It certainly didn't appear that the women (and it was always a woman) were enjoying this kind of shopping experience.
2. I seriously doubt that any of the LCF proselytizers/regulars have a clue or any experience as to how difficult it is to live that way by necessity.
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Old 10-22-16, 08:12 PM
  #83  
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Originally Posted by Machka
Well now, that would be nice. Let's see people actually doing thing like that!


I doubt most LCF'ers who opt for simple life even go shopping for groceries, because it's too much of hassle. I assume that most just opt for simplicity of living on fast food take outs and simple non perishable foodstuffs like soda pop, potato chips and cookies.
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Old 10-22-16, 08:14 PM
  #84  
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
I doubt most LCF'ers who opt for simple life even go shopping for groceries, because it's too much of hassle. I assume that most just opt for simplicity of living on fast food take outs and simple non perishable foodstuffs like soda pop, potato chips and cookies.
One would hope they all had gardens and a flock of chickens out back ... maybe a goat or two.
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Old 10-22-16, 08:15 PM
  #85  
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Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
Perhaps several of our car free/car lite public transit enthusiasts will post an informative picture of them enjoying toting several bags of the family's groceries home on a crowded bus.

Not fun at all. That's why I never used public transit for shopping.
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Old 10-22-16, 08:20 PM
  #86  
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Originally Posted by Machka
One would hope they all had gardens and a flock of chickens out back ... maybe a goat or two.

Now we're talking, that's real sustainable living ...But you'll have to move into rural country area to do that. Here in the suburbs it's illegal for homeowners to keep any kind of food producing farm animals such as chickens or goats in their backyards.
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Old 10-22-16, 09:55 PM
  #87  
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At the risk of incurring the sneers of certain fundamenalists for posting practical stuff, I thought this a good spot to show some progress on a long-planned project, as well as a project that was completed quite a while ago, but has been waiting for the other one to eventuate:

First the long-bike. My intention is the have something that can increase the load space from a normal bike with rear panniers. I have been wanting to build one for a while, but couldn't source a cheap rear suspension unit from a junk MTB. The main frame cost nothing, picked up from a rubbish dump back when I lived in Victoria, Australia. The suspension unit I found about 12 months ago, although the donor bike cost $20.

The way I have joined the two isn't entirely satisfactory, but good enough for the moment. I need a centre strut which is the next step, after determining the BB height from the ground.

The rest of the components will come from my stock of spares parts, so essentially will cost me nothing but time. Even the tyres have been hanging on hooks for several years, and the wheels came from an old tandem that I had over a decade ago. The fork is a new Surly one I have had for several years, too.

The trailer of was a renovation project from another dump find in Victoria. It obviously was a child's trailer-pusher. I replaced the plastic floor with a plywood one, and kept but slightly rearranged the framing. The wheels are the originals but repainted.

Next step is to braze a fitting on to the left chainstay of the extension so I can conveniently attach the trailer. The idea will be similar to that used by Bike Friday on their bikes to tow the suitcases converted to trailers.

Then we will see how it all tows up and down hills with the long bike... both unloaded and loaded.
The long-bike at stage one:




The union between the main frame and salvaged rear suspension unit that will be the extension:



And the renovated trailer, that needs a large plastic bin bolted to the bottom:



Finally, a mock-up of the intended rig:



And if anyone thinks the set-up looks vaguely familiar, I am indeed basing it on Sixty-Fiver's "Stretch", which I have admired for a long time. Whether this one turns out similar is anyone's guess, but it's a start.
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Old 10-22-16, 10:34 PM
  #88  
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Fancy supermarket 2.5 km
Less fancy supermarket, and discount grocer, both 1.5 km
Ritzy boutique grocer closed due to fire, opening Novembe 17, 650 m
Drug store chain with limited groceries, 600 m
Convenience store, 550 m
Can't complain - it's certainly not a food desert!
Most household shopping is done by other family members by car, but if I do any I bike or walk.

Last edited by cooker; 10-22-16 at 10:40 PM.
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Old 10-22-16, 10:41 PM
  #89  
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Originally Posted by Rowan
At the risk of incurring the sneers of certain fundamenalists for posting practical stuff,
Oh, no, you didn't! Now you're in for it!
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Old 10-23-16, 02:44 AM
  #90  
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
I doubt most LCF'ers who opt for simple life even go shopping for groceries, because it's too much of hassle. I assume that most just opt for simplicity of living on fast food take outs and simple non perishable foodstuffs like soda pop, potato chips and cookies.
Not me. I eat out a couple times a week or so. Otherwise I make food at home. About every ten days I make a trip with my cargo trailer to the farmer's market about five miles from home. Then I usually make a couple of smaller trips using panniers and/or bike racks to supplement with fresh produce as needed. With the right setup for your bicycle it's just not difficult to manage at all.
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Old 10-23-16, 02:49 AM
  #91  
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Originally Posted by Walter S
Not me. I eat out a couple times a week or so. Otherwise I make food at home. About every ten days I make a trip with my cargo trailer to the farmer's market about five miles from home. Then I usually make a couple of smaller trips using panniers and/or bike racks to supplement with fresh produce as needed. With the right setup for your bicycle it's just not difficult to manage at all.
Share a photo of your setup here:

https://www.bikeforums.net/living-car...e-journey.html
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Old 10-27-16, 08:31 AM
  #92  
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Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
Which brings up an associated topic/question in relationship to shopping, especially food shopping - for how many people are our LCF posters buying and carting the food home? Might make a difference as to how practical a typical bicycle is for such tasks, at least without buying all sorts of trailers, and/or other bulky accessories for a bicycle. Might be hard to find space to put the extra cargo hauling equipment.
You quoted me but talked about something different than what I mean. I don't have a place to put groceries at home. Don't have a home. No kitchen to cook, no freezer to put food, no fridge, no cabinets.... I have a bedroom to sleep in and that's about it. It's not a home.
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Old 10-27-16, 09:48 AM
  #93  
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Originally Posted by mrodgers
You quoted me but talked about something different than what I mean. I don't have a place to put groceries at home. Don't have a home. No kitchen to cook, no freezer to put food, no fridge, no cabinets.... I have a bedroom to sleep in and that's about it. It's not a home.
Your circumstances fit exactly into the issue I brought up. How many car free people have sufficient space/equipment/time to either cart home a typical family's groceries by bicycle, or conversely make daily trips to the grocery for each day's meals.

The time element is even more relevant now that daylight hours are shorter, and as pointed out in another recent thread, cycling in darkness before/after work to shop for each meal or eat at a restaurant may not be desirable.
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Old 10-27-16, 10:00 AM
  #94  
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I don't do the main shopping for my household but I have certainly brought food home on the bus at times, and I see it all the time. Those of you who don't see it probably just aren't riding the bus. In my middle class neighbourhood you also see an occasional person shopping with a wire or nylon "bundle buggy" - basically a two wheeled cart with a handle, similar to a wheeled suitcase. One time I was at the discount grocery store and a staff from my office was there with her girlfriend and they had come by bus for a bulk run and were debating whether to bus or cab it home. I would have offered a ride home but I was on foot myself.
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Old 10-27-16, 10:10 AM
  #95  
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Rowan, am I missing something? I don't see how the attachment at the rear dropout is going to work. 1) what prevents the extension just rotating up, ie the back end folding with the dropout sagging to the road? Don't you need a brace from the extension "seatstay" to the bike's seat cluster to keep that from happening? (Even if the bolt through the dropouts was tightened that securely, I would expect it to twist or break. Plus, I would expect the bolt to bend as it is considerably smaller effective diameter than an axle. (For bending, the threads don't count except as crack starters.)

I'm not trying to get down on your bike. I just feel like I am looking at a suspension bridge with the middle one foot of cable missing and hoping that it will be installed before they open the bridge for traffic.

Ben
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Old 10-27-16, 10:26 AM
  #96  
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And back to on-topic. I don't live car free now but did for many years, usually with a supermarket within a mile or so. Now I go to a downtown farmer's market weekly. Parking there is expensive and a hassle, especially in the spring and summer and I usually ride. 9 miles. 500' of climbing. When the bikes are dialed in, I use any of three, my workhorse winter/rain/city fix gear, my geared equivalent or my Peter Mooney. The fix gear has only LowRiders on it so two front panniers is the limit (though last Sat's trip, the bags weighed in at 33 pounds. (It's apples. pears and roots at this time of year. Easy to get a lot into small bags.) The two geared bikes have rear racks also. I run the same small Ortleibs front and rear, not liking heavy loads in back.

Ortleibs have the additional plus of the very good seals. If I shop ~10am and close the bags tightly, I can do other things leaving the bike outdoors and get home early afternoon and the veggies will still be in decent shape even on warm days. They also clean really easily so food messes are not a big deal at all. (Pour in some warm water, a little detergent, sponge a little, rinse in the bath or shower and hang upside down. Done. Bags are so watertight you can carry them over good wood floors full of soapy water.)
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Old 10-27-16, 01:01 PM
  #97  
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Originally Posted by 79pmooney
And back to on-topic. I don't live car free now but did for many years
Care to share why you stopped living car free? Anything to do with shopping requirements/needs?
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Old 10-27-16, 02:12 PM
  #98  
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Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
Care to share why you stopped living car free? Anything to do with shopping requirements/needs?
No, it was big life changes. Returning to school in Michigan from California, then driving the country to find work. Ended up in Seattle where I could have sold my car but didn't. First year bought a boat I could cartop but not bike trail. 6 years later, bought a house and found cars are quite useful as a homeowner. (I will never own a car that cannot handle a sheet of plywood. Haven't tried plywood with a bike and have no immediate plans to.)

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Old 10-27-16, 02:43 PM
  #99  
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Originally Posted by 79pmooney
No, it was big life changes. Returning to school in Michigan from California, then driving the country to find work. Ended up in Seattle where I could have sold my car but didn't. First year bought a boat I could cartop but not bike trail. 6 years later, bought a house and found cars are quite useful as a homeowner. (I will never own a car that cannot handle a sheet of plywood. Haven't tried plywood with a bike and have no immediate plans to.)

Ben
Thanks for answering. It would be useful for some car free proselytizers to consider your response.
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Old 10-27-16, 02:49 PM
  #100  
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Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
Thanks for answering. It would be useful for some car free proselytizers to consider your response.
Every single person here is well aware of these issues.
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