Interest in shopping by bike

[Brian G]

At the supermarket this morning I was approached by three separate
drivers who asked serious and sensible questions about the
practicalities of doing the weekly or twice weekly shop with a bicycle
and trailer. This has never happened before. Interestingly, each one
mentioned the rising cost of petrol as the reason for the enquiries.

So it seems that while neither improving physical fitness nor concern
for environmental matters has prompted them to consider leaving the car
in the driveway, a good kick in the wallet is doing the trick.

--
Brian G
www.wetwo.co.uk

 

[Nat]

On 20 Jun, 11:54, "PoB" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Brian G" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:[email protected]...
>
> | So it seems that while neither improving physical fitness nor concern
> | for environmental matters has prompted them to consider leaving the car
> | in the driveway, a good kick in the wallet is doing the trick.
> |
> I've been saying round work for the last month or so that the roads were
> quieter on my commute.
>
> Ah well, 'bout time
>
> pOB

There are visibly more cyclists on my commute now. The new people
don't say hello or smile yet, but I'm sure they will.
Sadly though, I have noticed drivers getting a bit more aggressive
towards cyclists. Not sure if it is because there are more of us to
annoy them or they resent our lack of need to buy petrol more. Maybe
I'm just going through a bad patch and just happen to have a few more
cars cutting it close and pulling out in front.

 

[Paul Boyd]

PoB said the following on 20/06/2008 11:54:

> I've been saying round work for the last month or so that the roads were
> quieter on my commute.

I haven't noticed the roads being quieter especially, but now I have to
do some motorway driving to get to work (I actually miss riding in the
wind and rain!!) I have noticed that generally people are driving much
slower than they used to even when the motorway isn't particularly busy.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

 

[POHB]

"Nat" <[email protected]> wrote
> There are visibly more cyclists on my commute now

Compared with when? The number of cyclists always goes up in the summer,
the real test is how many will still be cycling in December.

 

[Nat]

On 20 Jun, 13:07, "POHB" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Nat" <[email protected]> wrote
>
> > There are visibly more cyclists on my commute now
>
> Compared with when?  The number of cyclists always goes up in the summer,
> the real test is how many will still be cycling in December.

Compared with this time last year. Sorry. Forgot to add that. Yea, I
pass about five cyclists who ride through the year and about four more
appeared last year. I can't keep track this year! I must pass twenty
in the first ten miles!

 

[bornfree]

On 20 Jun, 12:55, Nat <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 20 Jun, 11:54, "PoB" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > "Brian G" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> >news:[email protected]...
>
> > | So it seems that while neither improving physical fitness nor concern
> > | for environmental matters has prompted them to consider leaving the car
> > | in the driveway, a good kick in the wallet is doing the trick.
> > |
> > I've been saying round work for the last month or so that the roads were
> > quieter on my commute.
>
> > Ah well, 'bout time
>
> > pOB
>
> There are visibly more cyclists on my commute now. The new people
> don't say hello or smile yet, but I'm sure they will.
> Sadly though, I have noticed drivers getting a bit more aggressive
> towards cyclists. Not sure if it is because there are more of us to
> annoy them or they resent our lack of need to buy petrol more. Maybe
> I'm just going through a bad patch and just happen to have a few more
> cars cutting it close and pulling out in front.

Drivers in Central London (West) surprised and impressed me over the
past 8 months with their consideration to cyclists.

 

[congokid]

In article
<7de1b93e-062c-4f03-b26b-d7f40145eba8@k37g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>, Nat
<[email protected]> writes

>There are visibly more cyclists on my commute now.

The numbers cycling to the West End along the King's Road have certainly
increased. Some mornings it feels like a bikeathon heading into town.

Still loads of cars (at UKP8 a time!!), though.
--
congokid
Eating out in London? Read my tips...
http://congokid.com

 

[naked_draughtsman]

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:36:09 +0100, Brian G wrote:

> At the supermarket this morning I was approached by three separate
> drivers who asked serious and sensible questions about the
> practicalities of doing the weekly or twice weekly shop with a bicycle
> and trailer. This has never happened before. Interestingly, each one
> mentioned the rising cost of petrol as the reason for the enquiries.
>
> So it seems that while neither improving physical fitness nor concern
> for environmental matters has prompted them to consider leaving the car
> in the driveway, a good kick in the wallet is doing the trick.

There's a lot more cycling to the local Tesco (maybe just because it's
summer) despite them providing no usable 'offical' cycle parking.

peter

 

[Dervin]

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:36:09 +0100, Brian G wrote:

> At the supermarket this morning I was approached by three separate
> drivers who asked serious and sensible questions about the
> practicalities of doing the weekly or twice weekly shop with a bicycle
> and trailer. This has never happened before. Interestingly, each one
> mentioned the rising cost of petrol as the reason for the enquiries.

How easy is it? I only own a road bike so I could only buy what I could
comfortably fit in a bag. What kind of bike do you ride to go shopping?

 

[Chris Malcolm]

Dervin <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:36:09 +0100, Brian G wrote:

>> At the supermarket this morning I was approached by three separate
>> drivers who asked serious and sensible questions about the
>> practicalities of doing the weekly or twice weekly shop with a bicycle
>> and trailer. This has never happened before. Interestingly, each one
>> mentioned the rising cost of petrol as the reason for the enquiries.

> How easy is it? I only own a road bike so I could only buy what I could
> comfortably fit in a bag. What kind of bike do you ride to go shopping?

I strapped an old milk crate of the small square kind to my rear
carrier. It would comfortably take five supermarket bags, two inside
and one hanging off each side and one off the rear. For a bigger
shopping I'd get another one or two in a rucksack on my back.

--
Chris Malcolm [email protected] DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

 

[Colin McKenzie]

Dervin wrote:
> How easy is it? I only own a road bike so I could only buy what I could
> comfortably fit in a bag. What kind of bike do you ride to go shopping?

Depends on a lot of factors. For a serious monthly shop, you probably
need a trailer - but you can wheel that into the shop instead of a
trolley. A couple of times I've wheeled my bike into a supermarket
because there was nowhere to lock it outside, and no-one stopped me.

Rucksacks and courier bags work fine if you aren't going far. For me
the best compromise is a strong rack and panniers - if I'm not buying
much I leave one pannier off.

Shopping by bike encourages you to shop locally and more often, both
of which are generally Good Things.

I ride a hybrid.

Colin McKenzis

--
No-one has ever proved that cycle helmets make cycling any safer at
the population level, and anyway cycling is about as safe per mile as
walking.
Make an informed choice - visit www.cyclehelmets.org.

 

[naked_draughtsman]

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:56:07 +0000, Dervin wrote:

> How easy is it? I only own a road bike so I could only buy what I could
> comfortably fit in a bag. What kind of bike do you ride to go shopping?

I only shop for myself, but can comfortably get enough stuff in a
medium sized rucksack by going 2-3 times a week on my MTB. I find it
really easy, you just need to get into a routine and plan your shopping
trips. It's a good habit from student days and made easier by only living
half a mile from the supermarkets.

I'll take the car if I need to get something humongous which I can't manage
on foot or on the bike but I've only done that once.

peter

 

[Paul Boyd]

On 20/06/2008 21:56, Dervin said,

> How easy is it? I only own a road bike so I could only buy what I could
> comfortably fit in a bag. What kind of bike do you ride to go shopping?

Easy! I have a touring bike with a standard rack on the back and
lo-riders on the front, so my once-weekly shopping for one (not that I
use the bike for shopping too often!) easily fits into the four
panniers. That includes six pints of milk. I buy things like washing
powder and bog roll in bulk though, so the car gets used for that.

The only "difficult" bit is arranging the weight fairly evenly,
especially as I use the front panniers for things like bread and rolls
(light weight!) to avoid them getting squashed. And then there's
threading a loaded bike out of what passes for a bike parking area,
through a grid-locked car park and out to the very useful cycle lane.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

 

[David Hansen]

On Sat, 21 Jun 2008 03:35:52 -0500 someone who may be
naked_draughtsman <[email protected]> wrote this:-

>I only shop for myself, but can comfortably get enough stuff in a
>medium sized rucksack by going 2-3 times a week on my MTB.

Sounds like a lot of shopping to me

How much is packaging?



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

 

[Brian G]

Dervin wrote:
> On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:36:09 +0100, Brian G wrote:
>
>> At the supermarket this morning I was approached by three separate
>> drivers who asked serious and sensible questions about the
>> practicalities of doing the weekly or twice weekly shop with a bicycle
>> and trailer. This has never happened before. Interestingly, each one
>> mentioned the rising cost of petrol as the reason for the enquiries.
>
> How easy is it? I only own a road bike so I could only buy what I could
> comfortably fit in a bag. What kind of bike do you ride to go shopping?

I use a Burley flatbed trailer, which will attach easily to any bike
with a quick release rear wheel. Two plastic crates on the flatbed and
a couple of bungee cords to keep the contents of the Tesco bags from
bouncing out. I live on top of a fairly steep but shortish hill so the
final part of the trip involves a bit of leg work if the crates are
full, but other that it's very easy and not unpleasant.

The main problem is that Tesco don't provide bike parking so I have to
lock the rig to a trolley shelter which doesn't please everyone. Other
shops obviously vary in terms of how convenient it is to park a bike and
trailer close by.

--
Brian G
www.wetwo.co.uk

 

[Doki]

"Dervin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:36:09 +0100, Brian G wrote:
>
>> At the supermarket this morning I was approached by three separate
>> drivers who asked serious and sensible questions about the
>> practicalities of doing the weekly or twice weekly shop with a bicycle
>> and trailer. This has never happened before. Interestingly, each one
>> mentioned the rising cost of petrol as the reason for the enquiries.
>
> How easy is it? I only own a road bike so I could only buy what I could
> comfortably fit in a bag. What kind of bike do you ride to go shopping?

I used to use my rucksack. IIRC it expands out to 28 litres or so - it's an
EBC one.

 

[John Kane]

On Jun 20, 6:36 am, Brian G <[email protected]> wrote:
> At the supermarket this morning I was approached by three separate
> drivers who asked serious and sensible questions about the
> practicalities of doing the weekly or twice weekly shop with a bicycle
> and trailer.  This has never happened before.  Interestingly, each one
> mentioned the rising cost of petrol as the reason for the enquiries.
>
> So it seems that while neither improving physical fitness nor concern
> for environmental matters has prompted them to consider leaving the car
> in the driveway, a good kick in the wallet is doing the trick.

I have not had that happen here in Canada but CBC Radio had a short
spot about more people looking into buying trailors for shopping and
moving goods.

John Kane Kingston ON Canada

 

[John Kane]

On Jun 20, 4:56 pm, Dervin <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:36:09 +0100, Brian G wrote:
> > At the supermarket this morning I was approached by three separate
> > drivers who asked serious and sensible questions about the
> > practicalities of doing the weekly or twice weekly shop with a bicycle
> > and trailer.  This has never happened before.  Interestingly, each one
> > mentioned the rising cost of petrol as the reason for the enquiries.
>
> How easy is it? I only own a road bike so I could only buy what I could
> comfortably fit in a bag. What kind of bike do you ride to go shopping?

With a rear rack and a decent set of pannier you can probably carry
about 20-30 lb fairly comfortably. Unless the road bike is for real
high performance work it is pretty easy to get a rack fitted.

When shopping bulk is usually the problem. However if you're commuting
by bike it is often much easier to stop and shop a bit more often than
if you were driving a car or taking transit.


John Kane Kingston ON Canada

 

[Danny Colyer]

On 21/06/2008 17:07, John Kane wrote:
>> So it seems that while neither improving physical fitness nor concern
>> for environmental matters has prompted them to consider leaving the car
>> in the driveway, a good kick in the wallet is doing the trick.
>
> I have not had that happen here in Canada ...

Yebbut from what I've read North Americans are still only paying about
half of what British motorists pay for petrol, so even with less
efficient cars the kick in the wallet isn't quite so hard.

--
Danny Colyer <http://www.redpedals.co.uk>
Reply address is valid, but that on my website is checked more often
"The plural of anecdote is not data" - Frank Kotsonis

 

[JB]

My local Waitrose now offers a free loan of a Bike Hod
(www.bikehod.com) to customers to get their shopping home. It can be
returned up to 3 days later, and they have more than one.