Yup. I do a lot of my grocery shopping by bike. It's WAY easier than walking or taking transit--faster too. I'm pretty sure that there are few things in life I hate more than walking with bags of groceries for several blocks. If you've got a couple of panniers (those saddle bag thingies that strap onto a rear or front rack, to the uninitiated) it's pretty doable to bring home half a shopping cart worth of groceries. I also stash things in the child seat on the front--makes for a more balanced load. Sometimes I will strap light but bulky items to my rack too. Today that was a grocery bag full of corn on the cob & a bag of onions. Some days it's a couple of multipacks of toilet paper.
Here's what I bought today:
big jar of jam, 2 jars of peanut butter, honey, 3 cans of beans, 1 kilo of chocolate chips, 2 big jars of pickles, dried dates, 2 cans of soup (I get cravings for the Campbell's stuff, though I know it's horribly high in sodium), mustard, 3 organic romaine lettuce hearts, 3 lbs of organic onions, 1 whole seedless watermelon, 6 ears of corn, 1 lb butter, 3 bottles of Perrier (I just like fizzy drinks & this is the healthiest option. Also: on sale), 2 loaves of bread (I didn't actually buy these, the delivery man from Oliver's Bakery handed them to me as I was loading up my bike. I think they're day-olds, but hey: free bread!)
You might think it's hard work riding back up the hill home, but it's really not. The bike holds the load for you & as long as you go a normal speed--not too slowly--you won't wobble with the weight. Obviously it's a bit more work than riding home unloaded, but you just gear down a bit (I recommend mountain bike gearing if you live in a hilly area) it's fine. I've done Costco trips with my bike before (& Sprout).
Of course, if you have a bike trailer, this whole trip is even easier. Our trailer--without Sprout in it--can carry a huge amount of groceries with the added benefit that we don't have to balance it on the bike. That's my excuse for the crappy photos, by the way--I was holding the loaded bike with one hand & taking a photo with the other.
A basket on the front of your bike would work, or even a big backpack. However, when the groceries are actually strapped to you rather than the bike, it really feels like more work for some reason, so if you can--get them on your bike! However you carry your purchases, grocery shopping by bike is pretty doable if you live within a few kilometres of your grocery store. It's a bit of exercise, a nice way to get outside, enjoy the wind whipping through your hair & the greenest way to travel: no carbon emissions at all!
Do you go grocery shopping by bike? Got any tips to share? Leave tips or questions (I love questions!) in the comments below...
Follow The Sprog here too:
I LOVE grocery shopping with my bike!
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I only started doing it last year and I kicked myself for not starting sooner.
With no car (and no license) I totally relate to your hatred of lugging groceries home.
I was thinking about getting a Costco membership but worried about getting stuff home...but I guess it really wouldn't be anymore difficult than my trip from BuyLow - just a little farther! ;)
Costco--the one downtown--is totally doable. It's probably 4 km from your place--15 minutes there, maybe 20ish back in granny gear? The only time I really noticed the weight of my Costco haul on my panniers was when I came up to bike lights to press the button. I needed to work just a tad harder to keep the bike straight up. However, you've got a trailer still, right? That would make the trip super easy! Just make sure to lock it up with your bike when you're inside. :)
DeleteI honestly can't imagine grocery shopping by bike! Our store is not too far, but it's quite an uphill battle to come home. And I'd have to be pulling a bike trailer with 70 lbs of kids in it too. I pick up 6 jugs of milk each week (there's 60 lbs), plus usually a heaped cart of food. It boggles the mind how much food we go through.
ReplyDeleteYeah for your neighbourhood you'd want a longtail e-bike, I think. That'd have room for all the groceries & be able to get you up the hills with less effort. The cargo capacity of a Yuba el-Mundo is 200lbs, so I'm pretty sure you could get all the groceries & the girls on it, maybe without the trailer. :)
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