Carrying Things by Bike

Most people, when they start biking for commute or errands, start out with the basic backpack. And that is just fine. However, if you want to expand your capacity, there are many options. Add a basket to the handlebars, and a rack to the back for side baskets or your basic bungie-mounted milk crate.

Plusses of a backpack:

• Most mobile of all options (to carry off-bike)
  
• Most people already have one lying around

Minuses of a backpack:

• Sore shoulders
  
• Back sweat
  
• If you are wearing a bright jacket, a backpack obscures most of it on your back.

If you prefer more official-looking options than the retro milk crate or wire baskets, panniers of all sorts are available:



This is a briefcase-style pannier (some people say "pan-EAR", some say "PAN-yer") from Arkel, which also makes lots of other styles for hauling and touring. Many such as this one have protected pockets for laptop computers.

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For a quick trip to pick up some small items, this grocey pannier works great. They are made by a variety of manufacturs, just Google "bicycle grocery pannier", or stop by your local bike shop. Just the right size for two gallons of milk, a Chinese food pickup, or a six-pack!

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This is an "extracycle", a bike with the back structure extended to allow more side carrying capacity, and also a sturdy wooden frame for passengers. They refer to this as a "Sport Utility Bicycle (SUB)".

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If you don't have have curbside recycling, doesn't if feel wrong packing your recycleables in the car to take them a few blocks to the recycling station?

This and the next picture are from a trailer manufacturer and useful site called Bikes at Work.


That looks just fine on a flat surface, but I don't know if I'd like to do it up or down a hill!!

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This picture accompanied an article from Mother Earth News on building your own bicycle trailer. (Plus, the guy looks a lot like me, IMO.)

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The New Amsterdam Project in Cambridge MA seeks to "replace internal-combustion vehicles in North America with human-powered vehicles to build stronger, more resilient, and self-reliant communities." They have a showroom, and are focussing their energies currently on helping businesses replace their light delivery trucks with "TriCycle Trucks". There is an interview with the founder here.