Slowride79

Nice rig! What kind of trailer?
Do we have a thread somewhere on CV friendly trailers?

nlerner

That’s a Burley Flatbed Cargo trailer. Not necessarily C&V!

LanceRides

Not groceries, but a lot of lumber!
That's my 1980 Trek 412
You can see one piece of wood was first secured to the rack as an extension, then the wood I was buying was dropped into the pannier and tied to the rack extension.

steelbikeguy

... but can you get through a doorway??

I've wondered about similar methods as a means of carting cross-country skis and poles on a bike. Definitely food for thought!

Steve in Peoria (not getting as many good XC skiing days as we used to)

lonesomesteve

Bug Shield

What bag is that in your BOB trailer? I towed a BOB on a long tour years ago and have rarely used the trailer since... but I use the original BOB bag to hold our camping equipment and it gets out regularly.

Bug Shield

I am happy to report that the vast majority of our family groceries arrive by bike these days.

Here's my 1983 Nishiki Seral touring bike with a four-pannier load.




We haul groceries about once a week using our tandem as well but it's not C&V. A few weeks ago after a big spike in fuel prices I was waiting outside with the bike while my wife did the shopping. While waiting two-couples arrived by bike with apparently similar intentions!

Bug Shield

Hi, Steve. Do you lock your bike while parked like this and if so, how? Long cable or chain? I park beside this type of rack so that I can catch the chainstays or seatstays with a u-lock but that leaves the front end floppy which can complicate the loading process unless I secure the front wheel. I anxiously await enlightenment!

52telecaster

I Sometimes use the same type of rack and it's a real balancing act either way for me. Steve and my city... Peoria IL, is not a hotbed of bicycle thieves fortunately.

bwilli88 

Gazelle opafiets.

steelbikeguy

As Russell notes, the theft risk is not too high.
For most errands of this type, I usually bring a thin cable lock that is about 6 feet long.
Sometimes, if I expect to be in the building for a while, I might bring the U lock to use in addition to the cable lock. I've also got a long chain that I used to keep at the bike rack at work, but it's been a while since that's been used.

The issue of the bike tipping while loading is a concern, though. I generally like the idea of putting the rear wheel in the rack, but I've had issues of interference with the bike's rear rack. There are also issues of unintended stress on the fender. Putting the front wheel in the rack avoids those particular problems, but then the wheel can pivot when putting stuff in the panniers. Given a choice, I do like the idea of just leaning the bike against a rack or building.

Steve in Peoria

jamesdak 

Reading some of the earlier comments and questions makes me appreciate my decision to step out of the C&V world and go with a modern omafiets for my "go get stuff" bike. For one it's got a sturdy two legged kickstand so that the bike stays upright and steady as you load it down. On the Azor's they made a genius move and have the front rack mounted to the frames so that it does not effect front handling at all. It's also removable in a few seconds if you don't need it. Steering stabilizer also for the front. Then it's got a bit in wheel lock for the rear that retains the key until you lock it. So no misplacing your key. There's port in the side for a supplied long chain too for even more security. Then on top of that you have a 40+ lb bike that no one is just going to grab quick and run away with. When I hit the store here I just park it by the curb at the front of the store and lock the rear. The step through design means no trying to swing a rear leg high over the rear to clear packages or no leaning the bike way over to mount while stuff falls out of your bags. I'd say other than having a trailer it's the best setup. Wish I had did it years ago.

lonesomesteve

That's something I bought a few years ago while in Kathmandu, Nepal. Unfortunately that's probably the only place you'll find one just like it. It's not really North Face. It's a knock off, probably made by hand in the shop where I bought it.

52telecaster

We need a pic. Sounds awesome.

jamesdak 

There's a full post with detailed info and pic here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...ke-review.html


How I usually run it.

By coincidence I took this over to a friend's place today to help her with a bike trailer issue and flatted the front on the way home. One goathead proved too much for the Stan's Sealant I had in the tire. I do wish I had selected Schwalbe Marathons for this and will be switching some in soon. Second flat on this despite sealant.

Classtime 

Carry Freedom trailer with diy box pulled by 78 GJ with Deore triple and rear derailleur.

jeirvine 

I biked to the farmers market this morning. Should have added a pannier, but the HB bag holds a lot.
-J

79pmooney

I ride 9 miles intown every Sat morning to the farmer's market, usually on my 49 yo Competition (fenders, LowRider and Blackburn rear, small Ortliebs front and rear, U-lock, drop bars and CX levers). 500+' of climbing coming home.

So bike's a mix of very vintage to kinda modern (Tekto levers ...) but I do my best to not bring home any vintage produce.

And the trick to not being mistaken as homeless? The dress. Full cycling gear including a jersey of colors no motorist will ever miss plus riding shoes (modified to be good walkers) and bright helmet. (The hill coming home on a loaded bike rates the appropriate outfit. Jeans and a workshirt just don't cut it.)

RALEIGH_COMP 

prairiepedaler

You can see the bike hitched up beside others at different grocery stores on different days. I usually add photos of noteworthy bikes spotted on grocery runs etc in the Spotted in the Wild thread.

Soody

night run for okonomoyaki and beers

machinist42

I recently finished and pressed into service this 1990 (or maybe 1991) Schwinn Voyageur. It came to me absent a rear axle, with boogered bottom bracket, and rusty and unserviced, but at $60 delivered it was an easy buy. I happened to have the exact axle from a trashed wheel, and the right size UN55 I had bought for another project. I added the racks, a Blackburn from my '64 Paramount, and steel through blade Salsa lowriders. It rides well on Swift Sand Canyons.

When a "bike" showed up on FB Marketplace for $30, which looked to be of quality, and not of my size, I sort of had to buy it. I paid $40 Because he held it for me. It turns out to be likely an '88 Specialized Sirrus which had not been drewed, but was single speeded, powder coat murdered out and in fine shape and two centimeters too small. But I bought it anyway. It was only 95F, and I'd only ridden 7 miles to see it, so what the heck, right? (There's a new member here in ILM who rides that size and might like it for the original $30? I would keep everything but the Headset. (NB: This is NOT an attempt to sell, but rather an attempt at justifying to no one but myself, the purchase of a bike I don't need and that doesn't fit me. <sigh emoji> Progress Not Perfection. One Slip Is Not A Relapse.) There will be further exposition on the Sirrus in the Catch of The Day Thread, maybe? I've lost count of how many bikes I've brought home in this manner. Maybe five or six, or a dozen? Maybe more?

I rode the long way home, and in an effort to balance out the load, filled the front Arkel 24s with groceries from Aldis. Their capacity never ceases to amaze me, and they come off and on so easily I can take them into Aldis as my bags. They also fit neatly in my Arkel 42s, and in the craps sacks held together by duct tape that are on there in the photo.

The Voyageur rides really well with forty pounds on the rear and thirty or so upfront. The 90-91 Voyageur is regarded with some dismissiveness, which is unwarranted in my opinion. It's no Odyssey, but neither is any year of Voyageur, in my experience. Perhaps more on this in the Voyageur thread?

But it was a grocery run? I have not used a motorized vehicle to procure Groceries in almost a decade. On Sunday I typically do a 25 mile loop to pick up Rau Ram, fresh tortilla and churros, and what have you. And it never dropped below 90F the entire ride.

I do try not to die. Really, I do.



Edit: 1964 Paramount P-13 pressed into service as a Grocery Getter, (and why I got me some Fancy Pants Panniers. One night, as I pulled into my driveway, a can got free and wedged into the rear wheel, irreversibly taco-ing it. Panniers rule.)

gaucho777 

Do beer runs count?

52telecaster

They do in my book.

Vintage_Cyclist

The Super Mirage errand schlepper