Cycling with loads-sometimes freaking myself out

[Sky King]

What a great thread, that's all I can contribute We own a Bob but it doesn't fit my bike so the DH gets to haul the big stuff.
I concur when loading the bike itself, it is all about balancing the load. I am fortunate to have a front rack as well as a rear, I also own a great
inexpensive Wald Basket I can zip tie to my front rack.

[redeyedtreefr0g]

Hi! I've made my own saddlebag and I love it. I measured a reusable grocery bag which fits 2 gallon milk jugs to be sure it was as big as I wanted, and it has a flap so it roll up very cutely when empty.
Hmm, I don't have the original craft photos uploaded, it seems, so here are just some whole-bike shots to show the bag.

Down


And rolled up.


Originally I had a plastic crate strapped to my rear rack instead. Heavy loads up high in that crate made handling quite odd. Hauling a 5 gallon container of gasoline was downright dangerous- I'm glad I was going only a few blocks with it. When I wanted to haul a bunch of half-gallon containers of chocolate milk and orange juice for bike-to-work day, I put the light muffins in the crate and suspended the heavy beverages to either side by tying the grocery bags through holes in the bottom. The weight being lower alongside the rack was MUCH easier to handle and I actually had no issues at all.

I've had my saddlebag stuffed to the brim and not really had any issues except when coming to a stop- then the weight on one side would pull the bike. Once I'm rolling I don't notice it back there at all.

I've also hauled heavy things like groceries, laundry, and a lawn mower in the bike trailer. It will tend to push you on downslopes, and feel weird such as during dip to cross a street, and take more effort to start rolling. Smaller hills are no trouble, but steeper or sustained upslopes get noticed. Brakes do need to be in good shape or applied early. Planning to coast can slow you down a lot before you actually need to brake- and I tend to go slower dragging a trailer anyway. After the heavy load I noticed that I needed a new chain. It had been a whole year and I think hauling the trailer finally stretched it enough to notice. A new chain solved the erratic slipping just fine.

Now I use the trailer for biking with my Beagle

[shootingstar]

You make yourself comfy when shopping and commuting.

[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