Did errands on my bike!

[eofelis]

I have a rear rack and panniers. The rack is permanent, and the panniers are easy to take on and off. I bring my panniers into the store with me, so I don't use any plastic bags at all. Best of all, it's fun!

Same here. I usually have a front rack on my commuter bike. I don't at the moment as I'm playing musical forks with another bike for a while for a while.

I've grocery shopped with a bike for quite a few years. If I know I'll get a buncha stuff I'll take the front panniers too. I've never managed to buy more than I can fit into all my panniers! I've had bystanders watch with amazement as all those groceries disappeared into my panniers. I also keep a bungy-net with my bike for strapping large bulky things on top of rear the rack.

It's amazing how much stuff you can carry on a bike.

[alice]

For grocery shopping I take both panniers, and a backpack, and a cargo net to strap stuff on top of the rack. I buy a lot of groceries.

But it's fun!

Also, unlike most of you dedicated people, running errands is pretty much all I do on my bike. I can't motivate myself to get out there unless I'm going somewhere. Which is not to say I don't sometimes make up places I "need" to go, but I always have a purposeful destination when I'm on the bike.

[hebe]

Well done! It really is empowering, good for you, and saves a bundle of gas as short car journeys are the least economical. I drove into town one morning last week as I just had too much to do to get everything done and ride in the time I had, and it felt really strange as the last three weeks I've cycled in.

Depending on how much I have to carry, I use either a clip on basket, panniers on the rear rack, or a trailer. I also have a cargo net that can stretch either over a full basket or over the rack for boxes. A lot of errands don't need a lot of storage space though - dentist, bank, optician, post office... it's quite surprising how rarely need more space than the basket. I do get my big grocery shop delivered.

[Grog]

Good for you! I hope it's the first of many opportunities to use your bike for practical stuff. .... or perhaps you'll get a second bike for running errands?