Who does their shopping on a bike?

[mjr]

creative suggestions for additional space welcomed. Suppose I could also take an ortlieb dry bag and a bungee but I prefer to keep things simple.

A couple of times recently I've put stuff in a shopping bag, tied the handles together (to stop stuff from spilling out) and put it in the basket, despite it being about three times the height of my little basket (visible in my avatar). The trick only works well if most things in there are fairly bulky and light (kitchen rolls, boxes of tissues, that sort of thing), with about 500g of dense items in the bottom to anchor it.

 

[Mr Foldy]

I have 2 front mounted ortliebs on my Tern. I put the Tern in the trolley!

 

[GlenBen]

Nope. Whilst in store I asked what the policy was, which would seem to be made up on the hoof. So I emailed customer services asking for their policy and was told they don't have one that's written down, but they don't allow bikes in their stores. Must remember that when I see their own staff wheeling bikes through the shop...

A shop I used to work in had the "no bikes" policy. I had to fight tooth and nail to convince them to let me keep it in the warehouse after numerous bikes were being stolen from outside. They eventually agreed until a customer complained one day about me wheeling my bike through the store.

Few weeks after that I had to walk home, via the lbs for a new bike.

 

[robjh]

I was out on the carbon 'summer' bike yesterday for the first time in ages, when Mrs rjh rang and asked me to get some milk on the way home. Of course with no bags or rack of any kind I had to say no. I'm so used to being able to do small shopping as and when I please on a ride that I found this most frustrating. I'm now looking for a frame bag (under the top tube) or similar for the summer bike.

 

[Salty seadog]

Sometimes I might go and get a pint of milk on this.

View attachment 334680

You reckless devil may care seat of the pants risk taker......

That's a litre not a pint you crazy fool, anything could have happened.

 

[Blue Hills]

I was out on the carbon 'summer' bike yesterday for the first time in ages, when Mrs rjh rang and asked me to get some milk on the way home. Of course with no bags or rack of any kind I had to say no. I'm so used to being able to do small shopping as and when I please on a ride that I found this most frustrating. I'm now looking for a frame bag (under the top tube) or similar for the summer bike.

Polaris used to do a bum bag that could be folded out to a light rucksack which was great for this sort of thing. I think they discontinued it, not sure why.

 

[marshmella]

I was out on the carbon 'summer' bike yesterday for the first time in ages, when Mrs rjh rang and asked me to get some milk on the way home. Of course with no bags or rack of any kind I had to say no. I'm so used to being able to do small shopping as and when I please on a ride that I found this most frustrating. I'm now looking for a frame bag (under the top tube) or similar for the summer bike.

You could have just hung the carrier bags on each handlebar

 

[EltonFrog]

You reckless devil may care seat of the pants risk taker......

That's a litre not a pint you crazy fool, anything could have happened.

It's the way I roll. Yesterday I walked into Poundland and asked the price.

 

[marshmella]

Supermarkets still sell plastic carrriers you could have used one of them. I've carried loads of bags at the front of the bike.

Just looking at your avatar and was wondering if our cats are siblings?

 

[TheDoctor]

I can vouch that a Carradice Barley saddlebag will go onto a road bike, enabling one to carry shopping or even (very minimalist) touring kit.
It does look a bit daft. I almost felt I should be wearing SPD sandals and a beard.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Tip: Rolls of turf are heavier and harder work to lug behind on a trailer than they look!

Probably not recommended given that the rear QR spindle is what is pulling all the load.

 

[ColinJ]

I have been locking my bike to the metal barriers at the front of the trolley bay at my local Lidl. I have now realised that there is just enough room at the back of the bay to squeeze the bike in and lock it to the metalwork there. It has the twin advantages of keeping the bike largely out of sight and greatly restricting access to it when it is locked up.

The only catch is that about 10% of the times that I use the shop, somebody has tied a dog up in exactly that spot. No harm done then - I just revert to the original position at the front of the bay.

 

[400bhp]

I was out on the carbon 'summer' bike yesterday for the first time in ages, when Mrs rjh rang and asked me to get some milk on the way home. Of course with no bags or rack of any kind I had to say no. I'm so used to being able to do small shopping as and when I please on a ride that I found this most frustrating. I'm now looking for a frame bag (under the top tube) or similar for the summer bike.

Carry the milk in one hand. Done several times in my local waitrose. They haven't minded me wheeling the bike in the shop and leaving it near the tills, then again I don't give them time - usually in and out within 5 minutes.

 

[ColinJ]

Carry the milk in one hand. Done several times in my local waitrose. They haven't minded me wheeling the bike in the shop and leaving it near the tills, then again I don't give them time - usually in and out within 5 minutes.

I carry my tools etc. in a Camelbak bag and there is usually room in there for a bottle of milk or other small items of shopping. I sometimes bungee stuff into my second bottle cage or below the top tube. My singlespeed bike has a rack so even if I don't have panniers with me, I can easily bungee a few items of shopping onto that if I have to.

 

[robjh]

Decathlon do a very lightweight nylon rucksack that folds up into its own pocket to about the size of an apple. Very useful for exactly this kind of situation. Presumably you have a saddle pack or something on the bike, otherwise how do you carry an inner tube etc?

You mean this sort of thing? At £1.99 it looks almost too good to be true - but yes, it could be just what I need for small impromptu purchases when I'm near home, but I might not fancy riding 50 miles with it on. As for the saddle pack, that's already full with tools, repair kit and spare inner tubes.