<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Umbra on hauling goods by bike]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by Kelt http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/ Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:40:42 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/1 Rack and Forth

Umbra, did you miss the Xtracycle in your research? The extended wheelbase makes for smoother riding and the pannier/snapdeck combination provide ample room for both  cargo and a passenger!
Their website is here: Xtracycle
and their pretty lively forum is here:
Rootradicals
Try one, you might like it
Kelt.






]]> Rack and Forth

Umbra, did you miss the Xtracycle in your research? The extended wheelbase makes for smoother riding and the pannier/snapdeck combination provide ample room for both  cargo and a passenger!
Their website is here: Xtracycle
and their pretty lively forum is here:
Rootradicals
Try one, you might like it
Kelt.






]]> Comment #2 by mihan http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/ Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:00:34 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/2 flexibility

Indeed, the XtraCycle is great. One of the reasons is that the load is relatively low to the ground. If you regularly carry heavyish items, low is the way to go.

I'm really happy with my setup, which I got before I knew about XtraCycle. I have a rack and two collapsible wire baskets on the rear wheel. The baskets are good for my (canvas) shopping bags. If I need to haul a wide object (like taking a box to the P.O.), I open up both baskets so that they form a wide, flat surface and bungee the box to the resultant platform. I've hauled up to 11 boxes to the P.O. by putting smaller boxes in the baskets and in my backpack and stacking larger boxes on the rack. But if I had to do it again I'd go XtraCycle, because my baskets are relatively short.

]]> flexibility

Indeed, the XtraCycle is great. One of the reasons is that the load is relatively low to the ground. If you regularly carry heavyish items, low is the way to go.

I'm really happy with my setup, which I got before I knew about XtraCycle. I have a rack and two collapsible wire baskets on the rear wheel. The baskets are good for my (canvas) shopping bags. If I need to haul a wide object (like taking a box to the P.O.), I open up both baskets so that they form a wide, flat surface and bungee the box to the resultant platform. I've hauled up to 11 boxes to the P.O. by putting smaller boxes in the baskets and in my backpack and stacking larger boxes on the rack. But if I had to do it again I'd go XtraCycle, because my baskets are relatively short.

]]> Comment #3 by sfrikken http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/ Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:20:41 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/3 panniers

I have the Topeak Pannier Dry Bags.

http://newhorizonsbikes.com/itemdetails.cfm?catalogId=39& ...

They are amazing. I tote textbooks and notebooks daily, as well as other stuff, and they are perfect for all weather: they roll down and cinch shut. Large capacity, too.

They are also strong, and come with a quick shoulder strap that you can clip on for transitioning.
They also clip from the top and sides of the rack so there's no bouncing.

I use mine for school, groceries, the gym, and for any other errand.

This was my year to switch to primarily cycling as commuting, and I was able to do it in a record snowfall winter, too! Go, cycles!  


]]> panniers

I have the Topeak Pannier Dry Bags.

http://newhorizonsbikes.com/itemdetails.cfm?catalogId=39& ...

They are amazing. I tote textbooks and notebooks daily, as well as other stuff, and they are perfect for all weather: they roll down and cinch shut. Large capacity, too.

They are also strong, and come with a quick shoulder strap that you can clip on for transitioning.
They also clip from the top and sides of the rack so there's no bouncing.

I use mine for school, groceries, the gym, and for any other errand.

This was my year to switch to primarily cycling as commuting, and I was able to do it in a record snowfall winter, too! Go, cycles!  


]]> Comment #4 by tucsonbiker http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/ Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:38:02 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/4 Changing the world with Xtracycle

I second the comment above about the Xtracycle. The Xtracyle is the best thing that ever happened to bike commuting (in my humble opinion) and I've got panniers and a trailer to compare it to. The Xtracycle combines the convenience of panniers with the carrying capacity of a trailer. Why just the other day I rode home from the feed store with 80 pounds of dog food on my bike and then headed off to deliver a counter-top oven to a friend's house. Check out the Xtracycle webpage (http://www.xtracycle.com) for all sorts of inspiring photos of people getting the most out of their 'sport utility bicycle'. By owning an Xtracycle and a bike trailer, I no longer have a need for a car and was able to go car-free several months ago. I'm still loving every minute of it.

]]> Changing the world with Xtracycle

I second the comment above about the Xtracycle. The Xtracyle is the best thing that ever happened to bike commuting (in my humble opinion) and I've got panniers and a trailer to compare it to. The Xtracycle combines the convenience of panniers with the carrying capacity of a trailer. Why just the other day I rode home from the feed store with 80 pounds of dog food on my bike and then headed off to deliver a counter-top oven to a friend's house. Check out the Xtracycle webpage (http://www.xtracycle.com) for all sorts of inspiring photos of people getting the most out of their 'sport utility bicycle'. By owning an Xtracycle and a bike trailer, I no longer have a need for a car and was able to go car-free several months ago. I'm still loving every minute of it.

]]> Comment #5 by sindark http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/ Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:08:13 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/5 Good panniers

If you can find them, Arkel-brand panniers are well-built, tough, and very weather resistant. I have been using them to carry all my groceries for about a year now.

]]> Good panniers

If you can find them, Arkel-brand panniers are well-built, tough, and very weather resistant. I have been using them to carry all my groceries for about a year now.

]]> Comment #6 by JMG http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/ Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:31:27 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/6 Xtracycle rocks

I recently added an xtracycle "Free Radical" attachment to my front-wheel drive recumbent (cruzbike) and now I look for opportunities to haul stuff around without a car.  It's great.

I returned an entire mid-size office's worth of styrofoam to the styrofoam recycling event -- it was wonderful.  I got there and there was another cyclist carrying styrofoam, and we breezed past the long, long, long line of cars, all sitting with their motors idling, up to the trailer.  Our office had a huge mattress bag full of saved styrofoam, and I carried most of it on my bike in just two trips.

]]> Xtracycle rocks

I recently added an xtracycle "Free Radical" attachment to my front-wheel drive recumbent (cruzbike) and now I look for opportunities to haul stuff around without a car.  It's great.

I returned an entire mid-size office's worth of styrofoam to the styrofoam recycling event -- it was wonderful.  I got there and there was another cyclist carrying styrofoam, and we breezed past the long, long, long line of cars, all sitting with their motors idling, up to the trailer.  Our office had a huge mattress bag full of saved styrofoam, and I carried most of it on my bike in just two trips.

]]> Comment #7 by kdrex http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/ Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:43:58 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/7 commuting on bike

I am car-free as of January 1st.  If you have the right gear, it is possible to ride in any weather.

Some days I felt like yehuda moon's character.
http://yehudamoon.com/ for true commuting comics

Check out http://www.mapmyride.com/ to map your route.

TONS of info on commuting on the web.  
http://www.bicyclinglife.com/PracticalCycling/index.html is only one example.


]]> commuting on bike

I am car-free as of January 1st.  If you have the right gear, it is possible to ride in any weather.

Some days I felt like yehuda moon's character.
http://yehudamoon.com/ for true commuting comics

Check out http://www.mapmyride.com/ to map your route.

TONS of info on commuting on the web.  
http://www.bicyclinglife.com/PracticalCycling/index.html is only one example.


]]> Comment #8 by vyzl http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/ Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:39:53 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/8 milk crates!

I'm a bike commuter and grocery shopper on a beater bike. I found an abandoned milk crate that I have been happily using. Don't steal them from the back of the grocery store, you can get fined. But sometimes you see them in alleys or roadsides. This is a great way to save a load of cash, AND make use of existing materials instead of getting something brand new that took fossil fuels to produce.

A good blog article on how to attach it: http://www.chicagobikeblog.com/2007/08/milk-crate.html

You can also take 2 3' bungee cords and hook them down and around the crates, perpendicular to each other. You would want the hooks to go at the very top of the crate to provide enough stability.

]]> milk crates!

I'm a bike commuter and grocery shopper on a beater bike. I found an abandoned milk crate that I have been happily using. Don't steal them from the back of the grocery store, you can get fined. But sometimes you see them in alleys or roadsides. This is a great way to save a load of cash, AND make use of existing materials instead of getting something brand new that took fossil fuels to produce.

A good blog article on how to attach it: http://www.chicagobikeblog.com/2007/08/milk-crate.html

You can also take 2 3' bungee cords and hook them down and around the crates, perpendicular to each other. You would want the hooks to go at the very top of the crate to provide enough stability.

]]> Comment #9 by Oceanfreaky http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/ Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:27:35 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/9 Backpacks work great too

I live 2 miles from the nearest grocery store and use my big backpacking rucksack. I can fit a ton of groceries in it, don't have to worry about remembering to grab enough canvas bags, and it has two straps to give me support around my chest and hips, more than I can say about most messenger bags.

Also, careful with the front baskets. If you put too much weight there it makes it harder to control your bike. It's easier to ride if the weight is on you and not the bike.

]]> Backpacks work great too

I live 2 miles from the nearest grocery store and use my big backpacking rucksack. I can fit a ton of groceries in it, don't have to worry about remembering to grab enough canvas bags, and it has two straps to give me support around my chest and hips, more than I can say about most messenger bags.

Also, careful with the front baskets. If you put too much weight there it makes it harder to control your bike. It's easier to ride if the weight is on you and not the bike.

]]> Comment #10 by ballroom16 http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/ Wed, 07 May 2008 23:31:17 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/10 Hurk?

Umbra referred to people who "don't know how to easily hurk all their stuff around." I don't know the word "hurk." A Google search showed up mostly proper names. Dictionary.com doesn't list it. Urban Dictionary gives definitions that are--well--unsavory. "Hurk" in Umbra's sense sounds like a marvelously vigorous word. Is anybody using it this way?

]]> Hurk?

Umbra referred to people who "don't know how to easily hurk all their stuff around." I don't know the word "hurk." A Google search showed up mostly proper names. Dictionary.com doesn't list it. Urban Dictionary gives definitions that are--well--unsavory. "Hurk" in Umbra's sense sounds like a marvelously vigorous word. Is anybody using it this way?

]]> Comment #11 by aok http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/ Thu, 08 May 2008 01:43:55 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/rack-and-forth/11 Trailers are the way to go for bigger loads

I do my grocery shopping with a BOB trailer hooked on to the back of my old mountain bike (http://www.bobgear.com/trailers/index.php).  It requires a special skewer, which I keep permanently in the back wheel.  While generally too clunky to deal with for regular work commutes, it's fabulous for a big grocery trip -- it can hold TONS, and is super stable.  It's meant for touring -- works great on dirt -- when you need to hold weeks worth of gear.  Highly recommended!

]]> Trailers are the way to go for bigger loads

I do my grocery shopping with a BOB trailer hooked on to the back of my old mountain bike (http://www.bobgear.com/trailers/index.php).  It requires a special skewer, which I keep permanently in the back wheel.  While generally too clunky to deal with for regular work commutes, it's fabulous for a big grocery trip -- it can hold TONS, and is super stable.  It's meant for touring -- works great on dirt -- when you need to hold weeks worth of gear.  Highly recommended!

]]>