Doing more errands on my bike--small town so very doable!

[seekingsimplicity]

I live in a town of about 40,000 people and own a mountain and a road bike. The mountain bike has a canvas carrier on the back for holding things. It is not huge but measures about 14 inches long 10 inches deep and 5 inches wide.

I live in the center of town, close to the bank and library. I would love to do errands on my bike but wonder about my biking shoes. I currently have clip on shoes so street shoes are not an option on my bike.

I guess I could have the pedals changed so that street shoes would work?

What are some tips that those of you who do some errands on your bike would give me!
PS I also wear a helmet and bike shorts. And I live in a climate that has 4 distinct seasons so mid-winter biking is really "iffy".

Would love to hear of others who do this. I like riding my bike a lot so I think it would be fun. I also bike for exercise with a friend.

Thanks!

PS Our town is not really set up for biking (ie no bike paths, very few stores/places have bike racks outside them)

[Zoe Girl]

I used to do more on my bike about 18 years ago. I recall that there were toe clips (like little cages for your toes) that you could use with street shoes. I also had a velcro strag that let me make sure regular pants did not get caught in the chain. I rode to work and dropped my daughter at daycare so that was an issue.

If you are in an area where you do not want to leave the bike outside but there is not a bike rack i would ask a store manager if you can bring it inside and park out of the way. I also was ablt to transport lot of lightweight things just in a backpack which works.

[bicyclist]

I run errands on my bike whenever the weather is not raining hard or when there is ice on the street. For me that means I can ride ten or eleven months of the year. I stay off the main business street of the town due to the large volumes of traffic moving at speeds of 30 miles per hour or more but teh side streets are safe. It is feasible to do my banking or postal patronage using the bike as well as carrying light loads such as caryout meals, clothing, small appliances using my rear rack. One can actually carry fairly heavy things by bike with practice and the right equipment.

Usually, I wear mountain bike shoes to ride because I have toe clips as opposed to clip on and clip pedals. I find that I can get on and off the pedals in case of a quick stop. It is also feasible to wear street shoes with conventional pedals and toe clips but you might have to change your pedals. Often I ride two or three miles in each direction to a deli or a hardward store and back. Yes, it is possible to work out safe routes using more lightly traveled streets to avoid the heavy traffic even if your community doesn't have bike paths or lanes.

Sincerely, Bicyclist

[Madsen]

I put a milk crate on the back of my bike and that was very helpful when I lived in a more urban environment than I do now: I would go to the grocery store, video store, library, etc. The crate on back + a backpack meant I could haul a bunch of stuff!

[junkman]

Our town is not really set up for biking … very few stores/places have bike racks outside them.

Bike racks are convenient, but all it takes to secure a bike outside a store is a street sign, a stop sign, a handicapped parking sign, a skinny tree, etc. Weave your bike cable through your wheels as usual and once around the pole (or whatever), and no one will mess with the bike.

As for hauling purchases home, a backpack works well for many things if the load is small/compact, e.g. a gallon of milk and some veggies. If more weight or bulk needs to be transported, then a book bag hung off the handle bars can serve for a short distance of a couple miles.

[herisf]

May I ask that you wear something bright and visible while you're biking? My pet peeve w/ bicycle commuters is how invisible they are. I'm at work by 7 AM and have almost hit someone in the parking lot at work - he was in dark pants/shirt/jacket with no lights [sigh]. I have a bright yellow windbreaker with pockets that has zip-out sleeves. Something like that would be quite helpful to those of us who aren't biking that day!

[fredx]

An excellent resource for tips is http://www.bikeforums.net/

We ride year-round for transportation here in Colorado (no car), and I personally don't own special bike clothing (shorts/shoes/etc.). I treat my bike as a vehicle, which means it's equipped with bright lights, horn, luggage-carrying capacity, and is maintained well enough to always be reliable. And it's soooo much cheaper than car ownership! :D

Have fun!

- Fred

[davidmcowan]

I ride always. I own a few different bikes based on the weather and the purpose of the ride. (I own a Surly Big Dummy for kid and grocery haulin', google it, it is amazing)

I don't think clip in pedals are necessary, but if biking longer than say, 10 miles, they might be nice. Lights and bright clothing are both important, so is using hand signals and riding like a vehicle. (I'd suggest taking a Traffic Skills 101 class if available nearby) One of the biggest mistakes new riders make is biking the same way they'd drive, but if you stay off main thoroughfares you'll begin to discover the joys of your neighborhood and secret pockets that exist all over while riding safely with other slow moving traffic. Wearing the right clothing for the weather and layering is big for varying temperatures. (In winter, I like to be a little cold for the first mile or so because it gets warmer as you go!) Depending on your neighborhood you can lock up to anything but if your city sees much crime I'd suggest a U-lock instead of a cable lock. Bikeforums.net helped me through the impetus of my commuting and now, about 8 years later, my family is pretty car light, I serve on the board of my local bicycle advocacy organization, and have had a job for years that works towards getting kids walking and bicycling to school like they once did. Bicycles are an amazing invention.

FredX, you in Denver? I ride all over the place here and get up and around the front range every once and awhile.

[fredx]

Hey David, I'm in Boulder, just up the road from you! Small world, eh? :~)

[ctg492]

Things I can not be without riding:
I ride a lot of living in the snowy north. I logged 3,000 miles last year and am hoping for 4,000 this year. I started this 8 years ago and it was only for pleasure riding maybe 800 miles a summer. I wore whatever I had on, no special clothing ( could not stand to see those black spandex type biker pants on people). Last year when I started my real riding I broke down and bought: a rain suit, has come in very handy would not be with out it packed in the cargo box/ the black riding capris, so much nicer then cotton shorts or jeans and well worth the money/ insulated shoes and socks for 20-30 degree weather/ gloves and glove liners, again worth every penny/ a bright orange jersey and shirt. The usual stuff needed Helmet, lights, tools, fix a flat ( had two flats this year already). I love my panniers that fold down, front and back cargo bags too.
I have an extra bike that has a trailer and really big front basket for real grocery shopping. Used that bike today, it was saturday and Farmers Market day :)

[ctg492]

Fredx,
I wish I could be car free, I give myself tests to see how long I can just ride and use no car. Longest a month. I found my world became very small about a 30 mile loop.

[Tammy]

while I flirt with the idea of totally car-free, I find that a middle ground is better for my current life. so we have moved and my commute to work is now 5 minutes instead of 45 minutes. and we use our bikes for almost everything else, so we are using about 10% of the gas that we used before. we still have the costs of insuring and maintaining a car, but our gas cost and environmental impact is much lower. not to mention less of our precious time spent in traffic.

[flowerseverywhere]

I'm a 57 yo woman and bike everywhere 7-9 months out of the year. I have rear panniers, a basket and at times a backpack. It is not unusual for me to do 30 miles a day, and I have done over 50. You figure it out. I know how to get through developments to get where I am going most places I want to go. So far this year over 900 miles so that is not too bad. I am looking for a community somewhere on the east coast (within 100 miles of the ocean is fine) where I can bike 12 months if anyone has any suggestions. It keeps me young and I feel great and don't want to give my fitness level up.

I wear bike shorts under regular shorts until it gets really hot then just light shorts. I always wear a helmet, have lights etc but just wear regular shoes and socks always and bright clothing, but not necessarily bike clothing.