Shop by Bike

From Pedalpushers

A resource page for sustainable shopping

Whatever mode of transport you might use for commuting or leisure, many people feel that the motor car is the only possibility for the weekly shop. So despite the queues of traffic you have to negotiate, the fight for a parking space in the car park, the aggro from other drivers, and the expense, off you go to your nearest hypermart in the motor.

But have you really considered the options? Some of us have been using bikes for our shopping for years, and can't understand why people feel the need to take a motor vehicle just to buy a few veggies.

On this page we offer a few pointers and tips for those who feel they would like to reduce their impact on the environment by using a cycle to go shopping.

Tip 1: Shop local - buy fresh

You might feel that the weekly trip to the out-of-town supermarket saves time and money. But does it really? If you already cycle to work, a detour to your local shops on the way home won't take too long. Instead of piling in all the produce in a single trip, shopping every day will ensure that you always have fresh produce in the house. Of that, say £100 a-week shop, how much do you end up throwing away because it has gone off before you had a chance to eat it? Shopping by bike will limit the amount of food you can carry in one trip, and therefore the amount you end up throwing away. Did you know we throw one third of all the food we produce away? You'll find it so much easier to resist those "Buy one, get one free" offers when you know you can't take it home anyway!

Plus, with all the exercise you've got doing the shopping, you can cancel your subscription to the gym, saving you even more!

Tip 2. - Organise your shopping.

One advantage that the motor car has over the average bike is suspension, which coupled with soft seats tends to mean that your shopping arrives home intact with minimum care.

The key to getting all those soft foods and perishables home intact on your bike is packing. Put the heavy stuff in first, with the soft goods on top. That's way you won't squash everything on the way home. Use the pockets in your panniers for particularly squash-able goods. Don't overload!

If you find you don't have enough time at the check-out to sort out your shopping the way you want it, just pile it all back into the trolley, take it off to a quiet corner and sort it out.

How to carry your shopping

Please don't just hang a few carrier bags off the handlebars and set off merrily towards home - chances are that either you or your shopping won't get home in one piece. Also, our suggestions below will help you to cut down on carrier bag use. Too many of these things are ending up in our rivers and along our cycle routes.

There's not a lot wrong with the good old shopping basket on the front of your bike.

Then again you can get quite a lot of shopping in a rucksack on your back. Don't overload it, and make sure it's on properly before you set off. It might give you the good old "Sweaty-back" syndrome, but it's a small price to pay for the convenience and the load-bearing exercise. Rucksacks or courier bags are best for soft fruits (& laptops) - use your body as suspension!

To carry a bit more, try fitting some panniers. You can fit up to around fifty pounds-worth of shopping in large panniers, if packed carefully. Make sure the load is balanced - for example if you've got a carton of milk and a carton of orange juice, put one on each side, and lighter stuff on top.

To carry even more, try a trailer. If you haven't used one before, you'll be amazed! You will hardly notice it's there, and they are a lot safer than trying to carry heavy weights high up on a bike. Going up hill, you may find it's a bit slower than normal, but with a suitable gear range it's a breeze. Going down hill, you might have to apply the brakes a bit earlier than usual - that's about it. You'll find drivers will keep well clear of a bike with a trailer. Pedal Pushers can loan you one to try out.

With a trailer you can literally take your shopping door-to-door - no need to carry it from the car. You can even use some trailers as a shopping trolley, taking it round the store!

(The load on this bike+trailer combination is as follows:

In Trailer:

Calor Gas Refill -Magimix Coffee Machine

In Panniers

100 CD-R's - Copy of The Who Live at Leeds Special Edition - Wood Filler - Sundry Caravan repair items. Weather conditions - heavy rain turning brighter later. )

We can recommend the following:-

For a high quality trailer that is intended for touring although you can use it for shopping and other around-town jobs, the Bob Yak is excellent.

(Ian says - Was worried that those flat back stools from Argos would be too big for the Yak but no problem. Fuel crisis?)

For a more basic shopping & odd-jobs trailer try the Bykaboose Gecko Folding Trailer.

General opinion is that a two-wheel trailer is best for around-town shopping.

Then again, if you really want to do major shopping by bike you need a Human Powered Freight Carrier. A brand new one will set you back around £1,800 but second user models are coming on the market for around £800.00.

(Tony makes his way home with 4+2 litres of milk, 7 of juice, 4x2 of fizzy water, 1 litre of olive oil, 6x500ml of beer, 4Kg sugar, 1Kg marg- then there are the bulky toilet rolls and a dozen or so smaller odds and ends, and of course the absolute essentials;