How to: Get Your Groceries Home on 2 Wheels and in 1 Piece

Well to be honest, I don't know how to get my groceries home on 2 wheels and in 1 piece. You guys are going to learn just as I learn from my own personal experiences. So far this aspect of commuting has given me the most trouble. Since I have a road bike, it is not exactly made for hauling bags of groceries. If only I could trade my road bike in for a bike like this one, or even this one.

 

Handlebar Baskets (streamers not included)

I started off my search with handlebar baskets. Here were a couple baskets that I came across:

City Bike Basket with Handlebar Quick Release
Pros:  Quick release. Has a handle for shopping.
Cons:The bad part is that I would have to take my bike computer off my handlebars to fit the system on. It also costs $30 plus shipping and would not be able to hold that much.

Electra Quick-Release Wire Basket
Pros: Also quick release and has a handle for shopping
Cons: Not compatible with a lot of bikes and only holds 10 lbs. Also costs $40 plus shipping

Seatpost Racks

I quickly figured out that a basket probably was not going to work, so I moved on to looking at bike racks and panniers.

Delta Post Haste Rack
Pros: Attaches only at the seat post. Fits any sized bike. Holds up to 25 lbs. Costs $20 plus shipping.
Cons:Some reviews said that it was cheaply made. Has to be screwed in.

Ascent Seatpost Rack with Quick Release
Pros: Mounts quickly and easily with quick release. $15 plus shipping.
Cons: Says it will hold 20 lbs but it says it can hold a few books or a lunch (not exactly groceries). It is also out of stock currently.

Time for Some Local Advice

Annoyed with the internet search, I decided to take it to a more personable level and visit the 3 bike shops in Bloomington to see if they could help me.

Revolution Bike and Bean
Here they told me about a bike rack that would attach to my seat post but is also quick release, which means I can take it off my bike without having to unscrew anything. This would be the most ideal because I do not want to keep the bike rack on my bike when I am not grocery shopping. This rack costs about $35.

Bicycle Garage
They had regular bike racks here, but no quick release ones. From what the guy said, the process of putting on and taking off the rack could take about an hour. Whether or not that is true, I do not want to spend that much time putting it on and taking it off when I go to the store.

BikeSmiths
I actually rode my bike here in the rain to look at a quick release rack my friend had seen in the store earlier this week. Unlike the others, it could hold up to 30 lbs. and cost $33. Unfortunately, I was made aware that people mostly use this type of rack for small things, like say, a jacket. Thus my only way to carry groceries home would be to bungee cord a milk crate to my bike.Apparently panniers do not work on this type of rack because they would hit the tires due to the lack of side bars to protect them. DUH! Either I am an idiot, or this is just common knowledge all bike commuters know. The milk crate look was definitely something I was trying to avoid.

The Final Verdict

Overall, I had to take price and time into consideration when I made my decision. As I said above, some of the quick release seatpost racks I found online were out of stock, so that helped sway my decision.

The real inhibitor in this situation is my bike itself. I love my bike, and I love it so much that I really really really do not want to bungee cord a milk crate to the back of it. I am sorry, but there has to be another way! If I had a different bike I would be all for bike panniers and all the other tell tale signs of a commuter bike. But this is the bike I have, so I have to make it work. I do already have a milk crate (which is currently holding all my sweatshirts) and I have a bungee cord in the back of my car. So financially, the $33 for the BikeSmiths rack seems like the best way to go. I will keep you posted!


For more tips on grocery shopping via bicycle check out this other blog!