My journey to cycling began with the supermarket. It was a tad to far to walk and too near to take a vehicle so settled on a bike. Still refer to it as my supermarket bikes. First was stolen within days, second stolen from the locked apartment block bike racks and the 3rd lasted long enough to explore cycling.
Shopping on a bike
- Thread starter Oldhippy
- Start date
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redflightuk
Guru
- Location
- going round in circles
Shopping by (recumbent) Trike for a few years now. I usually go to the supermarket twice a week and the horse feed shop about 8 times a year.
I have another trailer for the supermarket trip, it's a bit heavier than the one in the photo but it keeps the shopping dry. I get a good workout each time as I'm in the sticks a bit it's an 11 mile round trip for myself and about 8.5 for the horse feed. Most of the time I make the ride a bit of a loop rather than straight back so it can be anything up to 20 miles.
I have another trailer for the supermarket trip, it's a bit heavier than the one in the photo but it keeps the shopping dry. I get a good workout each time as I'm in the sticks a bit it's an 11 mile round trip for myself and about 8.5 for the horse feed. Most of the time I make the ride a bit of a loop rather than straight back so it can be anything up to 20 miles.
We don't have a car and my partner has mobility issues but (pre-pandemic), she liked to do the shopping so it meant a bus trip (with me in tow to do the lifting) or a taxi (with assistance getting the bags in and out). So before the pandemic, I would make occasional trips to the supermarket by bike as and when required - normally on my touring bike with panniers.
Since the pandemic, we have shopped online and getting it delivered weekly (which works out cheaper than buses and taxis). To make things more awkward for us going out to shop, the direct bus route to our supermarket was scrapped last year.
When we shop online, we get shopping for my partner's father too and so now I deliver his shopping by bike weekly; sometimes I need two rear panniers, sometimes one and sometimes I can manage with just the rack pack.
Since the pandemic, we have shopped online and getting it delivered weekly (which works out cheaper than buses and taxis). To make things more awkward for us going out to shop, the direct bus route to our supermarket was scrapped last year.
When we shop online, we get shopping for my partner's father too and so now I deliver his shopping by bike weekly; sometimes I need two rear panniers, sometimes one and sometimes I can manage with just the rack pack.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
Up until recently I had been shopping at our local Lidl 3 or 4 times a week. It is far enough away to make more sense to cycle there and back rather than walking (I don't drive). I built a singlespeed bike for those little shopping rides on the grounds that (a) it was so cheap that I could afford for it to be stolen and (b) I have a flat route to and from the store.
It turns out that I enjoy riding the bike a lot more than I expected to and can manage to get up short 8-10% climbs on it so I extended my outward ride to take in a hill or two. I carry my shopping back in a 35 litre rucksack. My full rucksack can be quite heavy (sometimes 12-13 kg) and I carry a 1.6 kg D-lock so I come back by the much flatter route!
A new Aldi store has now opened a 5 minute stroll from here so it no longer makes sense to go to Lidl most of the time, and it definitely isn't worth cycling to Aldi. I'll probably walk to Aldi twice a week and cycle to Lidl once a week to buy things that I prefer from there.
It turns out that I enjoy riding the bike a lot more than I expected to and can manage to get up short 8-10% climbs on it so I extended my outward ride to take in a hill or two. I carry my shopping back in a 35 litre rucksack. My full rucksack can be quite heavy (sometimes 12-13 kg) and I carry a 1.6 kg D-lock so I come back by the much flatter route!
A new Aldi store has now opened a 5 minute stroll from here so it no longer makes sense to go to Lidl most of the time, and it definitely isn't worth cycling to Aldi. I'll probably walk to Aldi twice a week and cycle to Lidl once a week to buy things that I prefer from there.
Archie_tect
De Skieven Architek... aka Penfold + Horace
- Location
- Northumberland
Just seen a video for a Converbike 2 in 1 cargo bike... looks a bit heavy but worth a look if you live in a city?
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hJ2se-UiPA
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hJ2se-UiPA
Salad Dodger
Legendary Member
- Location
- Kent Coast
We generally shop about once every 5-6 days, and take the car as there is a fair bit to carry.
In recent weeks we have been ebiking to a local supermarket for odds and ends that we couldn't get in the "main" shop. Like proper digestive biscuits (as opposed to lookalikey but certainly not tastealikey supermarket own brand ones....)
I think we will continue this practice, especially if fuel remains a bit hard to come by
In recent weeks we have been ebiking to a local supermarket for odds and ends that we couldn't get in the "main" shop. Like proper digestive biscuits (as opposed to lookalikey but certainly not tastealikey supermarket own brand ones....)
I think we will continue this practice, especially if fuel remains a bit hard to come by
Archie_tect
De Skieven Architek... aka Penfold + Horace
- Location
- Northumberland
Yorkshire or Tetley?
- Location
- London
you mean the open "shopping bag" that goes on the front?
- Location
- London
If there's no more than two of you, I'd invest in these:
https://www.rutlandcycling.com/acce...roller-pro-plus-ql21-70l-pannier-pair__337921
and do the whole lot by bike.
Yes.
- Location
- London
agree it's great for shopping - takes a lot - i often bag stuff in it, particularly if stacking stuff high to discourage stuff from jumping out.
You'd think that it would do terrible things to the handling wouldn't you? - but it is of course fine.
I remember when looking at stuff in a bike shop once and a helpful assistant recommended it to me.
Wasn't impressed at the time, looked somewhat naff and bucket-like and I well remember saying to him "what do you think I am, Mary Poppins"?
A year or two later I was converted
I find the Brompton rides better with a little bit of weight on the front of it and one of the advantages of any small wheeled bike is that it can be loaded with a lower centre of gravity so loads have less effect on the handling.agree it's great for shopping - takes a lot - i often bag stuff in it, particularly if stacking stuff high to discourage stuff from jumping out.
You'd think that it would do terrible things to the handling wouldn't you? - but it is of course fine.
I remember when looking at stuff in a bike shop once and a helpful assistant recommended it to me.
Wasn't impressed at the time, looked somewhat naff and bucket-like and I well remember saying to him "what do you think I am, Mary Poppins"?
A year or two later I was converted
I think small wheelers should be far more popular.
numbnuts
Squire
- Location
- Gone over the hill and far away
Now that I haven't got a car I bought a trailer.
