How to carry stuff by bike
Posted by: MichelleSep 17 2007, 1:00 pm
Do you want to bike to work, to the store, to the farmer's market, but can't figure out how to carry all your stuff?
Here's a run down of different ways to carry different things, in order from the cheapest and quickest to the most expensive and comprehensive.
A Bag
Use what you've got! Somewhere in your closet you have a backpack or a shoulder bag that will work. The upside is that it's cheap, and you already own it. The downside is that your back will get sweaty, and you might not want to have lots of weight high up on your bike (it feels more stable to have it low). I once moved a vacuum cleaner in an internal frame backpack. Worked fine.
Messenger bags are nice if you need regular access to them (that's the point - messengers can easily swing them around and pull things out of them) but some people find them uncomfortable when they are heavily loaded.
Laptops and other electronic equipment should generally go in a bag on your body, because your body absorbs all the little vibrations from the road.
A front basket
Baskets can be pretty cheap. The cheap plastic or straw ones can't take much weight, but more expensive metal ones, installed by a mechanic, can be braced against your bike frame and can take more weight.
It's not a good idea to put heavy things (milk, eggs, squash, all but the tiniest dogs) in a front basket, because then your steering is weighted. Meaning, every time you turn your handlebars, you are also moving that weight around. But light things (lettuce, sweaters, chihuahuas) are fine.
A rear rack
A rack installed on the back of your bike greatly increases your options. You can use it alone and just bungee things to it (and some racks have a jaw-like spring-loaded clamp you can put things under). Or you can attach things to it…
A rear basket
Once you have a rear rack on your bike, get a cheap milk crate and four zip ties, and attach it. Make sure to attach it far enough away from your seat to leave room for your butt. You can put fairly heavy things in this basket, but they will make your bike a little top heavy.
Panniers or saddlebags
I'll tell you a secret: panniers ARE saddlebags. They are just french saddlebags. And they are pronounced "pann-yurs" in English (if you want to sound high falutin, and have noone understand what the hell you're talking about, pronounce them "pann-yay").
The price range for panniers is big. Panniers hang onto the side of your rack, and hook on below to keep from swinging.
At the low end are used cloth or canvas panniers (check Craigslist.org for used bike gear). Cloth panniers can always be waterproofed with the addition of a plastic garbage bag. Also fairly cheap are simple plastic panniers, or plastic Citybikes bike buckets (pictured below, along with an expensive but awesome Ortlieb pannier).
Some desireable features that start to cost more are waterproofness, bright colors, reflective patches, over-the-shoulder straps for easy carrying, bomb-proof attachment pieces, lifetime guarantees, and lots of little cool pockets for commuter supplies.
You can put lots of weight in panniers because they are fairly low on your bike. You can use just one pannier, but the more weight you put in it, the more imbalanced your bike will feel, particularly when you are stepped off of it. It is a little safer to have even weight on both sides, but not essential.
The trailer
There's a great deal of range in trailers too. Few of them are cheap, however, but good deals can be had on used trailers through Craigslist. Cloth trailers can carry LOTS of weight, more groceries than you probably ever buy in one trip, but they are generally not sturdy enough for furniture. And if they are not meant for children, don't put your children in them.
Trailers that are specifically for children are a little more expensive, and often have seats and belts and orange safety flags.
Some trailers include a special hitch attached to your seat post, others can be attached to any bike very quickly, with no tools.
For very very heavy things, there are cargo trailers. These have solid bottoms and are often rated up to hundreds of pounds.
In general, when pulling a trailer, you want a bike with many low gears (like a mountain bike), and you need to remember to leave much more stopping distance.
For specific advice on how to carry YOUR things, contact us or your local bike shop!
September 17th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
I find that a water bottle clip on the frame doubles well as a wine-carrying device (when headed off to a friend's for dinner).
September 17th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
OMG!! I love the picture of the bike and loveseat!!! I've carried a lot odd things myself (eg. 24 pack of toilet paper, 4 boxes of cereal on my bike rack, etc.) but the bike/loveseat picture takes the cake!
September 17th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Has anyone successfully attached a rack to the seat post of a carbon fiber bike?
September 17th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
Michelle is being modest — the loveseat used to be hers, and she hauled it herself to a friend's. Pretty bad-ass. Love the photo.
September 17th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Bungie cords!!! I forgot to talk about bungie cords!!!
Once you have a rear rack, all you need is a bungie cord and you can carry all kinds of things, including bales of toilet paper and cereal boxes, sweaters, rain gear, bags, etc.
Am I spelling "bungie" correctly? Looks weird.
September 20th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Don't forget pizza boxes on bike racks! I live between Hot Lips on Hawthorne and the bike boulevard on Salmon and I see many happy pizza eaters with large pizza boxes bungied to their racks. They leave a trail of yummy smells too.
September 20th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Great article!
One thing I'd add is try using old inner tubes in place of bungies. Why?
1) Extremely cheap, like free.
2) Not only stretchy, but a friction-y surface to hold stuff down
3) No evil metal hooks that always aim for your eye when the cord gets away from you by accident.
Oh, you can also use a cargo trailer for hauling your friends' band. (see link)
September 30th, 2007 at 10:53 am
I'm still looking for the perfect coffee-cup holder for my handlebars.
August 18th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
As a newcomer to bicycling (much less in Portland), this was very helpful (and entertaining). I'll be participating in my first Bike to Work challenge next month which will also be my first bike to work commute and I had questions about this very subject for my co-worker, Jessica.
August 25th, 2008 at 11:56 am
question - where DO you find those old milk crates to strap to the rack? i've been lookin' in all the wrong places it appears…
August 27th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Hello all! I have a Pembroke Welsh Corgi that likes to run along with me as I ride, but his little legs get tired after a while. I'd like to mount something on my mountain bike that he can ride in on those occasions. Any suggestions? He is approximately 24" from his nose to his stubby tail, 10" wide, 12" high, and approximately 30 lbs. Thanks!
August 29th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
I was tying stuff on but it took more time than I wanted to spend to prepare for my commute. I spent $35 on an Axiom trunk bag that is made to sit on top of my rack and it has made my life MUCH easier. The bag has a carrying strap and attaches easily with 4 long velcro strips at the corners. I found that if I drop my U-lock through the bars on my rack and then put my bag on, it holds it in place and keeps it from rattling. If I was doing it again, though…I might get the expandable version of the bag. I keep running out of room.
September 8th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
If you want to really improve the functionality of the recycled tire tube "bungies" get the plastic (Delrin) buckles/clips commonly used on back packs (some sewing stores and REI are good sources). Or steal them off that ratty old back pack you have in the basement.
September 15th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Ditto Lambo - Is there a coffee cup holder available ?
I get a little twitchy when I bike early in the morning before I can get my fix from my local caffeine pusher.
September 17th, 2008 at 3:08 am
My water bottle wire holder works great for my travel coffee cup mug!
September 17th, 2008 at 3:12 am
This got me thinking about having a beverage holder on my motorcycle. I did a quick search for "motorcycle cup holder" and quite a few websites came up with many different solutions. Most attach to the handlebars and could probably be used on a bicycle as well.
September 17th, 2008 at 7:59 am
For Aimee - where to find milk crates. Genuine milk crates used by dairys are heavy and have a steel rod embedded in the top rim to make them sturdy enough to stack five or six high when loaded. Check office supply stores for the baskets used for hanging files. They're big enough for two gallons of milk and a decent sized bag of groceries. Plus you can cut away a portion of the top frame at the front if necessary to fit under the back of your seat.
September 17th, 2008 at 9:41 am
For Lambo and Susan —
I have the coffee cup holder from Soma: http://www.somafab.com/morningrush.html
It works pretty well! (You just have to make sure the bracket is super tight!) I've heard that River City sells them (mine was a gift).
October 8th, 2008 at 7:59 am
For all the caffeine lovers, check out http://bicyclecoffeesystems.com It's a non-commercial site with links to commercial sites for many of the products it depicts.
August 12th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
I find milk crates once in a while in supermarket dumpsters. I also sometimes find 5 gallon pails and lots of good food.