groceries.

[Velox]

One of the most handy things I usually carry with me on the bike is a carribeana (don't think that's how you spell it). I just clip the shopping onto my jacket or backpack.

[Bob]

Buy online...not cause I haven't got a car...just cause I hate shopping and $10 delivery is a small price to pay!

Yup - that's what I do as well. The "Big" shop (once every two months) is online.

If I need a few bits, then a bag of shopping will fit under the cargo net.

If I need some more than that, then I have a quite large coolbag. Strap that to the back with bungees - then put it in the shopping trolley and fill it up as I go round. That way I know I don't buy more than I can carry.

The advantage of the latter being that I can buy frozen/chilled stuff and if it is a large queue at the checkout, it won't start defrosting.

(Don't own a car, btw - cant' drive one, let alone own one!)

[ching_ching]

When I only had the bike I stocked up on heaps of rice.
Then I taught myself "1001 ways to cook with rice" and only ever needed to go out shopping to get a few veges, or meat or drink. Reminded me when I was at polytech.

ching

[vifferman]

Buy one of those fugly Honda PC800 ("Pacific Coast"). Apparently they're quite good (800cc twin) and you can fit 4 or 5 bags of groceries in the 'trunk'.

[rodgerd]

anyone here with only a bike and no car.
was getting our groceries today and thought how do people with no bike get theirs.
do you get a cab?
or just go frequently enough to fit it on your bike.

I have a car, but I do a lot of shopping on the bike in backpack sized bites - a few veggies and milk one night, meat and cat food the next. There's two supermarkets on my route home, so I just got into the habit of picking up anything that was running out on the way.

[MikeL]

It's surprising what you can fit into a back pack. Just be careful with your baguettes though. Two nasty things could happen. They could bend and break in the middle. Or you could get mistaken for a Frenchman...

[Coldkiwi]

Or you could get mistaken for a Frenchman...

Bravo!

The way I see it you have the following options (most of which I utilised while I was flatting before i got married and earned joint ownership of her car!)
a) stuff all manner of things into a backpack. Get one with the bungee net on the back and you'd be amazed at what you can cram in and strap to it.
b) bungee a bag or box etc to your pillion seat
c) sponge a lift to the supermarket with your flat mates
d) borrow one of your flat mates cars and promise to be careful
e) catch a bus if you absolutely have to.

By far the bets options are c and d though. I won't dream of trying to say bikes are great at carrying luggage, its the thing cars are good at so you'd might as well make the most of them for it.. anyway, its a great reminder of how lucky you are to be riding!

[Jess]

Groceries can fit - just bring bungy cords and a backpack with you when you go to shop.
I once fit $70 worth of groceries in, on and around my scooter and my person. that was fun.
I packed a double duvet into it once too - and carried an A2 piece of card between my knees, and an A3 picture frame...that was an interesting ride.

[Milky]

I am of the opinion that anything short of a lounge suite is able to be carried on a bike... Me dad transported a chest of drawers on the back of a BMW R75, and seeing the amount they can carry on rough roads in asia, the only thing that limits you in this country is the law.

[boris]

if i don't take the pushbike i use the sv with a set of thowover panners and the left over is stuck inside my jacket, but not frozen veg.

[Jess]

that is a literally painful thought - my skin is crawling!!
i dont know if we are allowed to say this, but
rocks for nipples!!

[Holy Roller]

used to go shopping regularly with the bike as that is all we had at the time. If a cage was needed the outlaws across the road were always avaliable to borrow theirs. I worked at Pak'n'Save in Rotovegas always packed the shopping into banana boxes and bungeed these to the pack rack. usually carted up to three boxes this way. Worst experience was when I brought a tin of paint (bright pink). bungeed it to the pack rack and headed for home 35 mins away. What I did not know was that the can rubbed on the rack and sprung a leak.
Dripping on the rear wheel completely covered the rear end of the bike. I was horrified to see the mess when I got off What a job cleaning it up.
So don't carry paint tins on the back of the bike.