Bicycle trailers:



In article <BmiDc.100294$Hg2.30504@attbi_s04>,
"Peter Cole" <[email protected]> writes:

>> 4. You can stick a backpack in a milk crate more easily
>> than in panniers, which is an advantage for students.
>
> I like this feature the most. When I ride my bike downtown
> for shopping or Dr. visit, etc., I can throw my backpack
> into the crate, then grab it & put helmet, etc. away for
> errands. The pannier easily detaches though, and has
> handles, looks like a square, black, fabric shopping bag,
> not too bad either.

With my pack in the crate, I can stuff a water bottle or two
in the near right corner -- easily accessible, and the
bottles stay upright against the pack.

Milk crates are also better than panniers, I think, for
transporting certain delicate things, like foot-high
potted zinnias.

I've found small pizza boxes fit quite nicely right inside
the crate; large one fits over the top and can be bungee'd
on. But medium-sized pizza boxes want to go in at an angle,
causing a pie-valanche inside the box. Take-out pizzas
carried uninsulated on a bike, and unprotected from the
airflow, get cold very fast.

The only 'stability' problem I've experienced has been
while transporting large sacks of flour. They lean out
over the back of the crate, and cause the bike to tend
to sponaneously wheelie. In fact there's a bit of effort
involved just in holding the front of the bike down
while mounting.

>> I've used both, and prefer panniers. The humble milk
>> crate is not without appeal, however.

> I agree. Another drawback of the crate is that sitting
> directly on the rack as it does, it subjects the contents
> to a harsher ride. I keep a bit of foam in mine, helps
> when delivering things like a 12-pack of bottles.

I haven't yet broken an egg coming home from the
supermarket. But I'll pick the line that traverses the best
pavement. That can be a little slower and somewhat
squirrely. And I'll gingerly negotiate the unavoidable
bumps. It's been good practice for me, for riding light on
the saddle. /Be/ the suspension :) Actually, I don't really
know for sure if unweighting the saddle lessens any jolts
inflicted on things in the milk crate. But it doesn't hurt.

I haven't had the courage to pack bottled beer beyond one or
two bottles at a time. Cans are easier to take back for the
deposit, anyway (we get a 10-cents-per-can- or-bottle
deposit back here.)

cheers, Tom

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Tom Keats wrote:
> In article <BmiDc.100294$Hg2.30504@attbi_s04>, "Peter
> Cole" <[email protected]> writes:
>
>
>>>4. You can stick a backpack in a milk crate more easily
>>> than in panniers, which is an advantage for students.
>>
>>I like this feature the most. When I ride my bike downtown
>>for shopping or Dr. visit, etc., I can throw my backpack
>>into the crate, then grab it & put helmet, etc. away for
>>errands. The pannier easily detaches though, and has
>>handles, looks like a square, black, fabric shopping bag,
>>not too bad either.
>
>
> With my pack in the crate, I can stuff a water bottle or
> two in the near right corner -- easily accessible, and the
> bottles stay upright against the pack.
>
> Milk crates are also better than panniers, I think, for
> transporting certain delicate things, like foot-high
> potted zinnias.
>
> I've found small pizza boxes fit quite nicely right inside
> the crate; large one fits over the top and can be bungee'd
> on. But medium-sized pizza boxes want to go in at an
> angle, causing a pie-valanche inside the box. Take-out
> pizzas carried uninsulated on a bike, and unprotected from
> the airflow, get cold very fast.
>
> The only 'stability' problem I've experienced has been
> while transporting large sacks of flour. They lean out
> over the back of the crate, and cause the bike to tend to
> sponaneously wheelie. In fact there's a bit of effort
> involved just in holding the front of the bike down while
> mounting.
>
>
>>>I've used both, and prefer panniers. The humble milk
>>>crate is not without appeal, however.
>
>
>>I agree. Another drawback of the crate is that sitting
>>directly on the rack as it does, it subjects the contents
>>to a harsher ride. I keep a bit of foam in mine, helps
>>when delivering things like a 12-pack of bottles.
>
>
> I haven't yet broken an egg coming home from the
> supermarket. But I'll pick the line that traverses the
> best pavement. That can be a little slower and somewhat
> squirrely. And I'll gingerly negotiate the unavoidable
> bumps. It's been good practice for me, for riding light on
> the saddle. /Be/ the suspension :) Actually, I don't
> really know for sure if unweighting the saddle lessens any
> jolts inflicted on things in the milk crate. But it
> doesn't hurt.
>
> I haven't had the courage to pack bottled beer beyond one
> or two bottles at a time. Cans are easier to take back for
> the deposit, anyway (we get a 10-cents-per-can- or-bottle
> deposit back here.)
>
>
> cheers, Tom
>

Shopping bag type panniers excel for carrying bottles. Each
holds two sixpacks of bottles perfectly. I haven't bought
cans for a while but you should be able to stack them and
carry twice as many. Sixpacks should be the universal
standard of carrying capacity.

Lorenzo L. Love http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove

"Americans are broad-minded people. They'll accept the fact
that a person can be an alcoholic, a dope fiend, a wife
beater, and even a newspaperman, but if a man doesn't drive
there's something wrong with him." Art Buchwald
 
Tom Keats wrote:
> Milk crates are also better than panniers, I think, for
> transporting certain delicate things, like foot-high
> potted zinnias.

I carried a 8 foot tall maple tree home from Kmart (10
miles) in the shade of my own tree, shade most of the way,
with its pot in the milk crate.

Today it's much bigger. I was hoping to make a shady spot
for my Doberman Susie to lie under, but it was pretty slow-
growing, and even living to 13 and a half she never got a
decent shady spot from it. The successor Doberman Annie
however has a nice shady spot today, and it's turned into a
very shapely Maple.

Every day I transport at least a gallon of water or milk,
sometimes two; weekly 20 pounds of snapple as well; and
monthly 40 pounds of salt, if I haven't trailered it home
from the salt place 160 pounds at a time in time, which I
usually haven't.

It's impossible to overbuy for a milk crate. There's always
some way to pile it all in or on, though you may look like a
bag lady in the end.
--
Ron Hardin [email protected]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.
 
In article <[email protected]>,
Ron Hardin <[email protected]> writes:

> I carried a 8 foot tall maple tree home from Kmart (10
> miles) in the shade of my own tree, shade most of the way,
> with its pot in the milk crate.

That would've made a cool snapshot; especially with you,
your bike and the tree sillhouetted against a sunset. Sort
of haiku-inspiring.

cheers, Tom

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Raoul Duke wrote:
> and monthly 40 pounds of salt, if
> > I haven't trailered it home from the salt place 160
> > pounds at a time in time, which I usually haven't.
>
> What do you do with that much salt?

Salt runs water softeners.
--
Ron Hardin [email protected]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.
 
<[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
>...The idea of a trailer has been going through my
>mind and am
wondering what sort, as in single rear wheel, or twin
wheeled type.
> ---------------

there are pros/cons of single vs double-wheel, so you'll
need to make that decision first. Secondly, the attachment
hardware of the *best* ones is pretty sophisticated in both
cases to allow secure attachment and proper articulation...
so you might want to just buy something rather than attempt
to fabricate.

the single wheel cons are:
- whatever weight you haul adds to the load on YOUR
rear wheel
- when you hit a bump that weight pounds your wheel
- you have to "balance" the weight and will feel
crosswinds pros are:
- it tracks right with your tires... easier to avoid
debris, etc.
- can be much smaller, lighter, and more aero

double-wheel (like Burley) cons are:
- size and shape tend to be BIG for kids
- added width can make it hard to avoid debris/holes pros
are:
- bigger payloads

d
 
dan baker wrote:
>
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
> >...The idea of a trailer has been going through my
> >mind and am
> wondering what sort, as in single rear wheel, or twin
> wheeled type.
> > ---------------
>
> there are pros/cons of single vs double-wheel, so you'll
> need to make that decision first. Secondly, the attachment
> hardware of the *best* ones is pretty sophisticated in
> both cases to allow secure attachment and proper
> articulation... so you might want to just buy something
> rather than attempt to fabricate.

I put a Burley hitch on my Tanjor trailer in fact (same
tongue tube diamater); it was about $25 special order at the
LBS, for 2-wheel.
--
Ron Hardin [email protected]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.