Cycling with loads-sometimes freaking myself out

[emily_in_nc]

We often bike to the farmer's market and grocery stores on our mountain bikes carrying backpacks. So far the heaviest mine has been when I arrived home was 12.5 lbs., and that was plenty on my < 105 lb. self! I could definitely feel it as I rode and had to be careful in turns.

I usually end up carrying just as much weight as my 150+ lb. husband, since my backpack is a bit larger. We just installed seatpost-mounted racks on our MTBs (full-suspension Jamis Dakars) and put our Arkel Tailriders atop them, so that should take a lot of the load off our backs. The racks are rated for up to 22 lbs., but I would not attempt to carry that much weight.

[shootingstar]

The racks are rated for up to 22 lbs., but I would not attempt to carry that much weight.

On the rack, you would be surprised what you are capable of cycling with, weight-wise, at least locally.

[Jolt]

Redeyedtreefrog, that homemade pannier looks cool! I agree, much better than a plastic crate on top of the rack which definitely does mess with the handling of the bike (did this myself for quite a while, carrying groceries and having a few interesting moments). For another DIY carrying project, how about bucket panniers? I think crazyguyonabike has instructions for making these. Cheap, waterproof, and good for groceries when you're trying not to squish the bread. The only downside I have found is that the lids are really hard to get off the buckets when they are on tight.

[emily_in_nc]

I finally got to try out my new rack today on the Jamis on a ride to the Natural Grocer for a few things. (DH is nursing an ITB injury, so it was just me today.) It worked great! In my Arkel Tailrider I had two cartons of coconut milk, a jar of tahini, bottle of tamari, and a large can of garbanzos. Heavy stuff. This left me with much less of a load in my backpack than I usually carry. The bike was heavy but rode well -- glad for the granny gears for a couple of climbs home!

Here is the rack we both got. REALLY like it as it's super sturdy and has many attachment points, unlike some of the others we looked at:

Blackburn SPX-1 Ultimate Seatpost Rack