Food buying on tour

[Moodyman]

I've never toured, but I often go shopping with my bike.

I always take it in and leave it with the customer service desk. All my local supermarkets are fine with this. They, after all, want a happy customer.

Don't ask beforehand. Just walk in and say 'can I leave this here'. It's too late for them to say no.

 

[skudupnorth]

I've never toured, but I often go shopping with my bike.

I always take it in and leave it with the customer service desk. All my local supermarkets are fine with this. They, after all, want a happy customer.

Don't ask beforehand. Just walk in and say 'can I leave this here'. It's too late for them to say no.

Like that idea LOL ! Went to my barber the other night and did the same because i did not have my lock,thankfully it was not busy !

 

[chris__P]

On tour, I tend to get my tent pitched then ditch the panniers in the tent and nip to the shops with one empty pannier to carry the shopping in and a bike lock. But - obviously - this only works if you're reasonably close to a town.

But what if some dodgy character stumbles across your tent while you are away?

 

[skudupnorth]

But what if some dodgy character stumbles across your tent while you are away?

Lets hope they don't stumble too far out of their little world and into the nice countryside where i have my tent

 

[3tyretrackterry]

when i have needed to i have taken my bike into the supermarket and wheeled it round. that was T***os though it i wasnt touring. When i go with my trike i just wheel it in and use the seat as a basket never been told no yet.

 

[stephenjubb]

>>But what if some dodgy character stumbles across your tent while you are away?

this usually only applies if wild camping and leaving your gear (and depends here you are). on campsites rarely happens (if panniers etc are out of site) and if you worry about it (on a camping site with panniers in the tent) you maybe should rethink going touring as you can never relax.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

But what if some dodgy character stumbles across your tent while you are away?

You can't worry about these things all the time. You always take a certain amount on trust whenever you go camping.

 

[jefftala]

Interesting points. Here in Montreal I would never think of leaving anything not nailed down. In small towns around Quebec though, there's no question everything would be safe.

 

[chris__P]

You can't worry about these things all the time. You always take a certain amount on trust whenever you go camping.

Yeah but the same can be said for leaving the bike outside a supermarket. I forgot that a lot of people use campsites, was just thinking about what I would do wild camping, which I would rarely leave things in my tent unattended. i think a lot more people would take things when there is no one around, compared to outside a supermarket there are lots of people about. I feel ok locking my bike up outside a supermarket. I make a big show of taking my valuables out in case anyone is watching me and then tuck the clips away behind the rack. I reckon it would take a thief long enough to figure out how to get into the panniers that I would have finished my shopping by then. Thieves like what they can grab quickly. They don't want to be fiddling with clips and bungee cords when there are dozens of shoppers walking by watching them

 

[onlineamiga]

I was thinking of using those little pad locks to keep the zips shut on panniers whilst out. keeping valuables in a front pannier and then carrying that with me. I was then going to secure the panniers to the rack in some way or another

 

[Anthony]

I've never toured, but I often go shopping with my bike.

I always take it in and leave it with the customer service desk. All my local supermarkets are fine with this. They, after all, want a happy customer.

Don't ask beforehand. Just walk in and say 'can I leave this here'. It's too late for them to say no.

Simple, yet brilliant. I'm definitely trying this on my next tour!

 

[Tedx]

3,500 miles of Europe with no more than a lock around the bike to stop it being ridden off, I had no problems whatsoever. Of course it's best to have all your valubles in a bag that can easily clip off. If you're VERY unlucky and somebody at a busy supermarket is brave enough to stand and fiddle with a pannier they don't know how to get off as well as get the bungy chords out of the way then I guess I'd just have to replace it. This fear will go the more you get used to leaving your bike.