Errand bike thread....

[SouthernBelle]

errant bike: Has driven off the straight & narrow path onto side roads. Probably the ones with gin mills, saloons and houses of ill repute.

[xeney]

I use my two single speed mixtes as errand bikes. The Puch (lighter weight, no rack or baskets, bullhorns) is more fun to ride so I use it when I don't need to carry very much, or when I'm just going out to work at a coffee house or something. It is so much fun to ride that my husband uses it as his main errand bike these days, too, even though it's a bit too small for him and is a women's bike to boot.

The Nishiki is also fun to ride but the weight, the balance (it is back-heavy because of the rack and baskets), and the brake set up with the Albatross bars mean that I tend to want to ride it a bit more slowly. I just finally got the baskets back on it after having them off for more than a year so I am looking forward to running more errands now. (We took off the baskets to reduce the weight, because during pregnancy the Nishiki was the only bike I felt comfortable riding.)

I am looking at a front-mounted baby seat for the Nishiki, probably a Bobike Mini. Right now bike errands only happen when someone else is watching Penelope, because there is no good way to lock up the trailer.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

errant bike: Has driven off the straight & narrow path onto side roads. Probably the ones with gin mills, saloons and houses of ill repute.

Well, those side trips could be considered 'errant errands'....

[Crankin]

Lisa, when I told Steve you were outfitting your other bike to go grocery shopping, he said, "Doesn't she live on a big hill?"
I like this thread, too. I am not commuting now, either, but I still do some errands by bike. But, I just can't get into full grocery shopping by bike, because of my hill. I too, often ask why did we move here?
Right now I have one nice pannier on my Jamis Coda. It feels really heavy when I have it loaded, although with the mountain gearing, I do get up the hill and my driveway, very slowly when I have a lot of stuff.
My best story is when I converted my old Voodoo hard tail into a commuter last year. I decided to ride to the library (I go to the library in the next town, for a few reasons, but it's about the same distance as the Concord library). I had 3 books to return and two were heavy, 400 page books. I was amazed at how slow I had to go up the hill to the library; I walked in totally drenched with sweat. Then, on the way back, I have to make a right onto a busy road and immediately get in the lane to make a left and go straight up a hill. Now, I did this route on my old commute, but on my road bike. Well, I had new, lighter books in my pannier, but I felt so awkward, I had a hard time getting into the lane. There was a lot of traffic. I almost fell over and managed to get unclipped right before I stopped, pulled over in the shoulder lane. Then I waited until someone stopped and let me run my bike across the street.
The Jamis doesn't feel quite as awkward, but riding with a load feels really different. I go to this same library at least once a week to sit in the carrells and work on my papers, but I have hesitated to do this ride with my laptop in my pannier.
My favorite errand rides are to West Concord, to go to the natural foods food store, the bakery, the acupuncturist, etc. It's really only 2.5 miles, but because of the highway, I have to make it into a 6 mile ride. By the time I get home, those 12 miles feel like 20 after lugging stuff up the hill.

[KathiCville]

.... I go to this same library at least once a week to sit in the carrells and work on my papers, but I have hesitated to do this ride with my laptop in my pannier.

Great thread! Like Lisa, I work at home, but (like Crankin) I do go up to the university's main library 2x a week on average. I feel so virtuous (and younger!) when I pull up in front of the library on my old Peugeot and lock it up with the "kids'" bikes! The ride is only 2 miles, and if I do after morning traffic has died down, it's a quick and safe trip. Crankin, I tried carrying my laptop in my panniers the first couple of times I rode to the library, but felt too unsteady on the bike and worried the whole time about something happening to it. So I bought a Crumpler backpack with a heavy-duty laptop insert sleeve built in to it. The pack is heavier than I'd like (as is my ancient laptop!) but by carrying the laptop on my back, the weight is distributed evenly. If you haven't already tried a backpack, you might give it a whirl. I stow less-breakable stuff in my panniers, usually just my lunch bag.

The most offbeat errand I've done so far on my bike was dropping a small bag off at the dry cleaners on the way to the library---I got a funny look from the folks at the counter. BUT the guy who was parked next to me when I came out said, "Wow, that's great. I should be doing that!"

This thread is inspiring me to give (small-scale) grocery shopping-by-bike a try, too! Nearest supermarket is only about 1.5 miles away. I need to check out security first---I know there aren't any bike racks, and I can't picture an obvious place to lock my bike......Thanks for the inspiration!

[Crankin]

Kathi,
My husband bought a very small and compact sling back style backpack for his lap top, on the off occasion he needs to bring it home when he rides to work. Usually, he doesn't need to, but he did use it twice this past summer. Now, he hates riding with packs, so I may feel differently, but he said it was really heavy. And, his laptop is very small. I have an I Book, so it definitely is bigger. I might try it, though. I know I won't put the lap top in my pannier, after my heavy library book experience. I am not as nimble on the Jamis to begin with, as opposed to my road bike, and although I love it, I won't do anything else to upset my already precarious balance!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Gee how much does a laptop weigh? (sounds like the opening line of a joke)
Can you balance the weight in the other pannier, like putting jacket or a brick in it?
Also, if you only have one thing to put in your panniers, put it on the bike side that doesn't have the gears and cassette.

I think my heavy cable/U-lock combination weighs about as much as my husband's laptop!

Yes, I see that my folding Novara grocery panniers are no longer available on REI.com....what a shame! Guess I was lucky to get them. But if someone calls REI, maybe we will know if they will be restocked again soon.

[KathiCville]

Don't laugh but I DID try the counterbalance act with the laptop before I caved and bought the backpack. Can't remember what I tried to use to offset the weight of the laptop, but it was something akin to a brick. I remember feeling even MORE dangerous on the road with heavy weight added to an already heavy bike! Even now, with the backpack on, I pedal slowly, try to give everyone and everything wide berth, and heave a sigh of relief when I reach my destination. My next laptop will be significantly lighter!

[Biciclista]

i hate it when you finally find a good thing and then they discontinue it.

[shootingstar]

Since I'm hardly doing any bike to work commuting at all these days, I continue to rely on my weekend fitness rides with errands..usually towards the end of the ride.

After not riding for last 6 days, did only 38 kms. today with 2 longish hills..which later included some food shopping, then along the way home, cycled to train station to pick up tickets for our Christmas snowshoeing vacation getaway and then cycled, stopped over for more groceries and shrimp dim sum takeout.

2 hrs. later...took the bike out to drop it at LBS down the street to have brake pads replaced for front and back. Then walked over to vote for municipal elections during LBS install waiting time. Last few wks. was gettin' scary just braking properly going downhill towards busy intersections..

Got a new "cheap" saddle at a discount to replace my damaged one with chunks that got knocked out when it fell from car rack onto a major highway. We know the LBS owner who was in same car when bike fell off rack...he's a business partner with my sweetie.

Doing errands bike is usually great especially when all interwoven with work commuting and fitness. In other years biking from work, I did do errands more often since total work commute distance, at that time were shorter distances.

But for all I need to do via bike plus cycling for fitness we're lucky to live in an area to do all this without much planning and stress with many choice bike routes.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

It's funny how to people all over the world, carrying all kinds of stuff on their bikes is no big deal at all- second nature.
I on the other hand am such a longtime namby-pamby that I need to go through all these special arrangements, equipment, and elaborate planning just to carry something more than an extra vest, flat kit, and water on my bike.

But I look at it in terms of the alternative- driving all these short distances over and over on my flabby butt in a car year after year. I get inspired too by secret visions of monstrous power quads! (OK I know this is part self delusion but at least I am trying!)
On the bright side- I feel I have achieved a goodly measure of success already, in that I now do 75% of all my errands into town by either bike or on foot. Last year it was about 60%...and four years ago I always took the car for all these trips. I am shooting for 90% for my new year's resolution.

[shootingstar]

On the bright side- I feel I have achieved a goodly measure of success already, in that I now do 75% of all my errands into town by either bike or on foot. Last year it was about 60%...and four years ago I always took the car for all these trips. I am shooting for 90% for my new year's resolution.

I'm sure you'll get to your goal easily barring any major snowstorm in your area. You probably would snowshoe..instead.

I find if I am not hiking out in the forest somewhere, if I have to walk beyond3-4 kms. I get impatient...and think: how slow! I could get there easily by bike.

I don't have my driver's license..so I predict in my old age...if I get to a point I can't bike much, then I will wheel my groceries by walking my bike alongside instead of a buggy. It will be a wonderful illusion

In fact, I just heard from my partner here, that he knew of a guy whose 92 yr. mother in Demark, does this: she walks alongside her bike with panniers and basket full of groceries.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I posted some photos of my new rack and panniers all set up now and ready to go shopping with!
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...137#post381137

Now that the 'project' is done, I'll start posting my more noteworthy bike errands on this thread instead. I'm excited and happy!

[pardes]

Oh but it's lovely and think of the fun you'll have. I can how those brifters are a GREAT addition. I wish there was something as secure-feeling for the upright bar brakes.

So post your first itinerary of a shopping/errand spree.

[xeney]

I guess this is somewhere between an errand and a commute: my husband and I both work at home, but it is hard to get anything done with the baby in the house even though there are two of us and we can trade off. So I am working in coffee houses every other day, with my laptop.

The downside to this is that instead of simply choosing my coffee house by the quality of the coffee and the strength of the free wireless, I have to also consider the quality of the bike rack! There are two great places in my neighborhood with wireless, but man, both of them have crappy bike racks. I don't want to wind up at Starbucks (not local, coffee not as good, have to pay for the wireless) but their bike rack is a lot sturdier.

I will probably say something to the management. In the meantime, I chose the one that gets the most bike traffic, on the theory that there are nicer bikes than mine to steal.