Thinking about a basket bike

[Gooserider]

I am thinking about a basketed bike for use as a townie/grocery bike. I use
a flat bar road bike with rear panniers now, but my capacity is limited. An
Xtracycle would be great but my storage space is limited, so a basket bike
seems good. Being able to carry 2 or three bags of groceries easily would
make shopping easier.

The first thing that comes to mind is to build up a Kogswell P/R with a 3 or
8 speed hub and a big Wald basket on a front rack, but that's a bit
expensive for its intended purpose.

Gary Fisher showed the Simple City at Trek World (
http://arsbars.com/?p=203 ). Looks great, and they claim the geometry makes
it comfortable and easy to ride with a full load. Low trail? Plus the
optional basket looks really strong and is designed for the bike. No price
is set yet, but several sites say $400 for the 3 speed and $800 for the 8
speed, with the basket being optional. Still, even if the basket is a
hundred bucks that's cheaper than the Kogswell. BUT---Fisher showed the
Simple City with a coaster brake at Trek World, and I don't like the idea of
a coaster brake on a bike I ride in traffic. It does have a front caliper
brake, but the coaster makes starting a hassle, b/c you can't just spin the
cranks to get the pedal in a starting position.

Schwinn has introduced the Coffee for the 2008 model year. It's a
re-imagining of classic Schwinn commuter type bikes from the 60s.
http://www.schwinnbikes.com/products/bikes_detail.php?id=1027
Looks sturdy and stylish, plus it will look like an old bike so may keep
thieves from being interested, not that I live in an area with any bike
theft. But I'd have to rig up the big Wald.

I think I'll probably go with the Fisher, even if it has a coaster brake.
I've written the folks at Gary Fisher a letter asking them to spec the
Simple City with two caliper or canti brakes, but we'll see what happens.

 

[Ozark Bicycle]

On Oct 19, 9:38 pm, "Gooserider" <[email protected]> wrote:
> I am thinking about a basketed bike for use as a townie/grocery bike. I use
> a flat bar road bike with rear panniers now, but my capacity is limited. An
> Xtracycle would be great but my storage space is limited, so a basket bike
> seems good. Being able to carry 2 or three bags of groceries easily would
> make shopping easier.
>
> The first thing that comes to mind is to build up a Kogswell P/R with a 3 or
> 8 speed hub and a big Wald basket on a front rack, but that's a bit
> expensive for its intended purpose.
>
> Gary Fisher showed the Simple City at Trek World (http://arsbars.com/?p=203). Looks great, and they claim the geometry makes
> it comfortable and easy to ride with a full load. Low trail? Plus the
> optional basket looks really strong and is designed for the bike. No price
> is set yet, but several sites say $400 for the 3 speed and $800 for the 8
> speed, with the basket being optional. Still, even if the basket is a
> hundred bucks that's cheaper than the Kogswell. BUT---Fisher showed the
> Simple City with a coaster brake at Trek World, and I don't like the idea of
> a coaster brake on a bike I ride in traffic. It does have a front caliper
> brake, but the coaster makes starting a hassle, b/c you can't just spin the
> cranks to get the pedal in a starting position.
>
> Schwinn has introduced the Coffee for the 2008 model year. It's a
> re-imagining of classic Schwinn commuter type bikes from the 60s.http://www.schwinnbikes.com/products/bikes_detail.php?id=1027
> Looks sturdy and stylish, plus it will look like an old bike so may keep
> thieves from being interested, not that I live in an area with any bike
> theft. But I'd have to rig up the big Wald.
>
> I think I'll probably go with the Fisher, even if it has a coaster brake.
> I've written the folks at Gary Fisher a letter asking them to spec the
> Simple City with two caliper or canti brakes, but we'll see what happens.

Have you thought about just putting a basket on the front of your
current townie/grocery bike and splitting the bigger loads front and
rear? I have a front basket and twin rear folding "townie baskets" on
my errand bike (an early 80s Schwinn World Sport fitted with a flat
bar, fenders, kickstand, mirror, etc. etc.) and that works out great.
Two or three grocery bags is handled with ease.

 

[Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 - Global Warming Edition ®]

"Ozark Bicycle" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Oct 19, 9:38 pm, "Gooserider" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> I am thinking about a basketed bike for use as a townie/grocery bike. I
>> use
>> a flat bar road bike with rear panniers now, but my capacity is limited.
>> An
>> Xtracycle would be great but my storage space is limited, so a basket
>> bike
>> seems good. Being able to carry 2 or three bags of groceries easily would
>> make shopping easier.
>>
>> The first thing that comes to mind is to build up a Kogswell P/R with a 3
>> or
>> 8 speed hub and a big Wald basket on a front rack, but that's a bit
>> expensive for its intended purpose.
>>
>> Gary Fisher showed the Simple City at Trek World
>> (http://arsbars.com/?p=203). Looks great, and they claim the geometry
>> makes
>> it comfortable and easy to ride with a full load. Low trail? Plus the
>> optional basket looks really strong and is designed for the bike. No
>> price
>> is set yet, but several sites say $400 for the 3 speed and $800 for the 8
>> speed, with the basket being optional. Still, even if the basket is a
>> hundred bucks that's cheaper than the Kogswell. BUT---Fisher showed the
>> Simple City with a coaster brake at Trek World, and I don't like the idea
>> of
>> a coaster brake on a bike I ride in traffic. It does have a front caliper
>> brake, but the coaster makes starting a hassle, b/c you can't just spin
>> the
>> cranks to get the pedal in a starting position.
>>
>> Schwinn has introduced the Coffee for the 2008 model year. It's a
>> re-imagining of classic Schwinn commuter type bikes from the
>> 60s.http://www.schwinnbikes.com/products/bikes_detail.php?id=1027
>> Looks sturdy and stylish, plus it will look like an old bike so may keep
>> thieves from being interested, not that I live in an area with any bike
>> theft. But I'd have to rig up the big Wald.
>>
>> I think I'll probably go with the Fisher, even if it has a coaster brake.
>> I've written the folks at Gary Fisher a letter asking them to spec the
>> Simple City with two caliper or canti brakes, but we'll see what happens.
>
> Have you thought about just putting a basket on the front of your
> current townie/grocery bike and splitting the bigger loads front and
> rear? I have a front basket and twin rear folding "townie baskets" on
> my errand bike (an early 80s Schwinn World Sport fitted with a flat
> bar, fenders, kickstand, mirror, etc. etc.) and that works out great.
> Two or three grocery bags is handled with ease.
>
>

Which is what I would do also, and have done. Slapped a front basket and a
rear rack with a large plastic milk crate ziptied to the rack on an old
steel Trek hybrid for runs to farmer's market and food co-op. Buying a
whole new bike as a grocer seems a bit lavish, but the new commuters coming
out of the big bike companies do seem very interesting.

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
"Gooserider" <[email protected]> writes:
> I am thinking about a basketed bike for use as a townie/grocery bike. I use
> a flat bar road bike with rear panniers now, but my capacity is limited. An
> Xtracycle would be great but my storage space is limited, so a basket bike
> seems good. Being able to carry 2 or three bags of groceries easily would
> make shopping easier.
>
> The first thing that comes to mind is to build up a Kogswell P/R with a 3 or
> 8 speed hub and a big Wald basket on a front rack, but that's a bit
> expensive for its intended purpose.

This magazine article might be of interest to you:
http://www.momentumplanet.ca/gear/shopping-bike


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

 

[Ron Hardin]

A lot of mass far from the steering axis makes the bike hard
to control, on the front. So it would be pretty unpleasant
if you loaded it up. Low front panniers, more aligned with
the steering axis, would give you a larger front load capability.

Check out the Nashbar wicker bike basket, which works fine, and
carries about all the mass you'd want to put on the front...

Hmm.. I don't see the wicker one any longer. Never mind.
Glad I bought three while they had them.

A Delta Mega Rack on the rear is good for 40 pounds. Put a
milk crate on it (supported when it hangs off the back by
a strip of scrap wood).
--
[email protected]

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

 

[Gooserider]

"Ron Hardin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>A lot of mass far from the steering axis makes the bike hard
> to control, on the front. So it would be pretty unpleasant
> if you loaded it up. Low front panniers, more aligned with
> the steering axis, would give you a larger front load capability.
>

Well, that's why the Simple City and the Kogswell are in my list. The
Kogswell is designed to carry heavy front loads, and all indications are the
Simple City is too. My current townie is a flat bar road bike with tight
road bike geometry, and I know that putting front load on it would make it
squirrely.

The basket appeals to me for its ease of use.

 

[Tom Sherman]

Gooserider wrote:
> I am thinking about a basketed bike for use as a townie/grocery bike. I use
> a flat bar road bike with rear panniers now, but my capacity is limited. An
> Xtracycle would be great but my storage space is limited, so a basket bike
> seems good. Being able to carry 2 or three bags of groceries easily would
> make shopping easier....

How about a genuine English trades bike:
<http://www.pashley.co.uk/products/delibike.html>? You could paint
"Gooserider" on the sign space.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
Beer - It's not just for breakfast anymore!

 

[cmcanulty]

I use 2 townie baskets on rear rack from Nashbar, each hold a paper
grocery bag and they fold flat when empty

 

[Ozark Bicycle]

On Oct 20, 8:39 am, cmcanulty <[email protected]> wrote:
> I use 2 townie baskets on rear rack from Nashbar, each hold a paper
> grocery bag and they fold flat when empty

IMO, that arrangement, in concert with one of those easily detachable
front baskets from Wald, etc. (which can be taken off the bike and
used for shopping in a farmers market, etc.), is just about perfect
for a shopping/errand bike.

 

[landotter]

On Oct 19, 9:38 pm, "Gooserider" <[email protected]> wrote:
> I am thinking about a basketed bike for use as a townie/grocery bike. I use
> a flat bar road bike with rear panniers now, but my capacity is limited. An
> Xtracycle would be great but my storage space is limited, so a basket bike
> seems good. Being able to carry 2 or three bags of groceries easily would
> make shopping easier.
>
> The first thing that comes to mind is to build up a Kogswell P/R with a 3 or
> 8 speed hub and a big Wald basket on a front rack, but that's a bit
> expensive for its intended purpose.
>
> Gary Fisher showed the Simple City at Trek World (http://arsbars.com/?p=203). Looks great, and they claim the geometry makes
> it comfortable and easy to ride with a full load. Low trail? Plus the
> optional basket looks really strong and is designed for the bike. No price
> is set yet, but several sites say $400 for the 3 speed and $800 for the 8
> speed, with the basket being optional. Still, even if the basket is a
> hundred bucks that's cheaper than the Kogswell. BUT---Fisher showed the
> Simple City with a coaster brake at Trek World, and I don't like the idea of
> a coaster brake on a bike I ride in traffic. It does have a front caliper
> brake, but the coaster makes starting a hassle, b/c you can't just spin the
> cranks to get the pedal in a starting position.
>
> Schwinn has introduced the Coffee for the 2008 model year. It's a
> re-imagining of classic Schwinn commuter type bikes from the 60s.http://www.schwinnbikes.com/products/bikes_detail.php?id=1027

Good luck sourcing a "Coffee" or "Cream" till next year. They were two
of the biggest hits at interbike according to Scott and Dave down at
the shop. Which is terribly amusing as though they, yes, look like a
certain era when Schwinn filtered design through Raleigh--they
basically look like any standard north European bike. It's a design
that's been more or less standard for a hundred years--but upon the
introduction of motorbikes in America, and subsequent aping in bicycle
form by the fake tanked 'merican "cruiser" bike--it's a stupidly
obvious design that we only revisited in a small window of time
stateside, when Schwinn decided to do sensible British style.

Yes the "Coffee" is what a standard bike should be shaped like--not
like a pathetic NEXT double boinger that the day laborers pollute my
local vistas with. I guess that's why the Interbike crowd was so
excited--it's like they'd been forced for fifty years to drink Folgers
from a cup with a handle on the bottom--and now somebody reintroduces
the Side-Handle Mug (tm) and the crowd goes wild!

Anyways, if ya wanna haul--get any old bike and put dual Wald paperboy
baskets on the rear. You can put the front basket on as well--but I
find that more than 7-8kg up high like that makes the steering pretty
nasty.

 

[landotter]

On Oct 20, 8:51 am, Ozark Bicycle
<[email protected]> wrote:
> On Oct 20, 8:39 am, cmcanulty <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > I use 2 townie baskets on rear rack from Nashbar, each hold a paper
> > grocery bag and they fold flat when empty
>
> IMO, that arrangement, in concert with one of those easily detachable
> front baskets from Wald, etc. (which can be taken off the bike and
> used for shopping in a farmers market, etc.), is just about perfect
> for a shopping/errand bike.

Sub Wald folding baskets and it's optimum. The cloth baskets are way
too floppy for my tastes.

 

[Ozark Bicycle]

On Oct 20, 9:10 am, landotter <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Oct 19, 9:38 pm, "Gooserider" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
> > I am thinking about a basketed bike for use as a townie/grocery bike. I use
> > a flat bar road bike with rear panniers now, but my capacity is limited. An
> > Xtracycle would be great but my storage space is limited, so a basket bike
> > seems good. Being able to carry 2 or three bags of groceries easily would
> > make shopping easier.
>
> > The first thing that comes to mind is to build up a Kogswell P/R with a 3 or
> > 8 speed hub and a big Wald basket on a front rack, but that's a bit
> > expensive for its intended purpose.
>
> > Gary Fisher showed the Simple City at Trek World (http://arsbars.com/?p=203). Looks great, and they claim the geometry makes
> > it comfortable and easy to ride with a full load. Low trail? Plus the
> > optional basket looks really strong and is designed for the bike. No price
> > is set yet, but several sites say $400 for the 3 speed and $800 for the 8
> > speed, with the basket being optional. Still, even if the basket is a
> > hundred bucks that's cheaper than the Kogswell. BUT---Fisher showed the
> > Simple City with a coaster brake at Trek World, and I don't like the idea of
> > a coaster brake on a bike I ride in traffic. It does have a front caliper
> > brake, but the coaster makes starting a hassle, b/c you can't just spin the
> > cranks to get the pedal in a starting position.
>
> > Schwinn has introduced the Coffee for the 2008 model year. It's a
> > re-imagining of classic Schwinn commuter type bikes from the 60s.http://www.schwinnbikes.com/products/bikes_detail.php?id=1027
>
> Good luck sourcing a "Coffee" or "Cream" till next year. They were two
> of the biggest hits at interbike according to Scott and Dave down at
> the shop. Which is terribly amusing as though they, yes, look like a
> certain era when Schwinn filtered design through Raleigh--they
> basically look like any standard north European bike. It's a design
> that's been more or less standard for a hundred years--but upon the
> introduction of motorbikes in America, and subsequent aping in bicycle
> form by the fake tanked 'merican "cruiser" bike--it's a stupidly
> obvious design that we only revisited in a small window of time
> stateside, when Schwinn decided to do sensible British style.
>
> Yes the "Coffee" is what a standard bike should be shaped like--not
> like a pathetic NEXT double boinger that the day laborers pollute my
> local vistas with. I guess that's why the Interbike crowd was so
> excited--it's like they'd been forced for fifty years to drink Folgers
> from a cup with a handle on the bottom--and now somebody reintroduces
> the Side-Handle Mug (tm) and the crowd goes wild!
>
> Anyways, if ya wanna haul--get any old bike and put dual Wald paperboy
> baskets on the rear. You can put the front basket on as well--but I
> find that more than 7-8kg up high like that makes the steering pretty
> nasty.

IMO, the front basket is useful for the space-consuming yet sorta
lightweight stuff like produce, bread, etc. The heavy stuff goes in
the rear baskets. Also, the front basket is great for those "less than
10 items"quicky trips without having to unfold the rear baskets. A
stretchy net type thing is a big help on a front basket, too.

 

[landotter]

On Oct 20, 9:18 am, Ozark Bicycle
<[email protected]> wrote:
>
> IMO, the front basket is useful for the space-consuming yet sorta
> lightweight stuff like produce, bread, etc. The heavy stuff goes in
> the rear baskets. Also, the front basket is great for those "less than
> 10 items"quicky trips without having to unfold the rear baskets. A
> stretchy net type thing is a big help on a front basket, too.

I'm revisiting the front load concept with that little front Nashbar
rack I got. I keep a folded brown bag under the bungee--which is a
neater way for potential aggregation of accumulated objects than a
basket--and it doesn't invite you to overload it. If your bread gets
crushed by the bungee--you're not buying crusty enough bread!

 

[ilaboo]

what i do is only buy very small amounts of groceries and hang them on both
sides of the handle bars--yes i know it can be dangerous but i am only going
a total of 4 blocks

fwiw

take care
peter

 

[Harry (Lincoln, Nebraska)]

On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:14:19 GMT, "ilaboo" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>what i do is only buy very small amounts of groceries and hang them on both
>sides of the handle bars--yes i know it can be dangerous but i am only going
>a total of 4 blocks
>
>fwiw
>
>take care
>peter
>


I have a small set of saddle bags ((early 80's vintage)) that I use on
short jaunts to the store. On the bigger trips I hook up the BoB and
take that along.

Here's a shot of "The Rig" as that's what folks around here have
dubbed it. I think I am the only one that has something that looks
like this. I have done a lot of customizing and tinkering. If you
have any questions please ask and I'll be happy to answer!!!!

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/1957trike/The Rig/TheRigMeAtAPark-11252007-02-1209200.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/1957trike/The Rig/TheRigMeAtAPark-11252007-05-1209200.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/1957trike/The Rig/THERIGFirstDayOut-11192007-01-12092.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh160/1957trike/The Rig/THERIGFirstDayOut-11192007-03-12092.jpg

 

[John Kane]

On Dec 19, 9:14 am, "ilaboo" <[email protected]> wrote:
> what i do is only buy very small amounts of groceries and hang them on both
> sides of the handle bars--yes i know it can be dangerous but i am only going
> a total of 4 blocks

I knew a girl who did that. Sack caught in the front wheel but
luckily her parent's dental insurance covered the cost of the two
crowns.

You're better off with a backpack or a set of panniers. Personally I
like panniers as they can carry all sorts of things from a lap-top to
a 20 lb bag of flour.

John Kane, Kingston ON Canada

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <%G9aj.4776$Vg1.3211@trndny04>,
"ilaboo" <[email protected]> writes:
> what i do is only buy very small amounts of groceries and hang them on both
> sides of the handle bars--yes i know it can be dangerous but i am only going
> a total of 4 blocks
>
> fwiw

If you've got a dozen eggs in one of those
shopping bags, you'll end up bashing them
to death.

For practical urban errand riding, I find
a milk crate on the rear rack is pretty
tough to beat. It even has advantages
over panniers, such as elbow room for
sprawly fragile stuff like plants, and the
capability of transporting pizzas lying flat.
You don't have to take it in the store with
you, and there's little worry of it getting
stolen when left on the bike. The main
disadvantage is in how high, rearward weight
affects bike handling.


cheers,
Tom


--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

 

[Jay]

"ilaboo" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:%G9aj.4776$Vg1.3211@trndny04...
> what i do is only buy very small amounts of groceries and hang them on
> both sides of the handle bars--yes i know it can be dangerous but i am
> only going a total of 4 blocks
>
> fwiw
>
> take care
> peter
>
>
I do all my grocery shopping (one mile) by bike. I distribute the load
between my Deuter backpack and a trunk bag on my rear rack. Every great once
in awhile, I realize I have bought too much to fit, and I need to carry some
bulky lightweight thing like potato chips off the handle bars. So I ride
home, feeling like a clueless homeless person the whole way, unable to plan
even a simple grocery run.

My feng shui is disrupted for the whole day, but I usually recover after a
good night's sleep.

J.

 

[ilaboo]

> I knew a girl who did that. Sack caught in the front wheel


yes

that has happened to me--i stand corrected

take care
peter

 

[Zoot Katz]

On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:19:37 GMT, "ilaboo" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>> I knew a girl who did that. Sack caught in the front wheel
>
>
>yes
>
>that has happened to me--i stand corrected
>
I was given a bike that had a plastic skirt guard attached to the
front fender and fork. Problem solved.

Perhaps a found shroud off an oscillating or window fan could be
hacked into service if your LBS doesn't stock skirt/coat guards.

Here's some basket bikes (and trikes) to think about:
http://www.dutchbikes.us/cargo.html
--
zk