Christmas Shopping

by John Beverly, CBC President 2000

Colleen and I would like to run more errands on our bikes and use them for more utilitarian purposes. However, it is not easy to pull off when you need to carry a lot of stuff. We have stopped by the grocery store many times and filled our pockets and shirts and even carried a bag in our hands as we rode, but this is precarious at best and definitely dangerous. We have hybrid bikes with racks and bungee cords and this method seems to work well, but we are still limited by the size of an item or its bulkiness. We have squished at least one loaf of bread with a bungee cord.

One day last summer, while riding around town, we happened upon a good buy on a trailer. We took turns pulling it around town. We were both pleased. It was easy to pull and didn't adversely affect the bike’s handling. Being the impulsive type, we bought it on the spot and pulled it home.

We were eager to make real use our new cargo conveyance so we stopped by the grocery store. We can always use some milk and bread and various staples. "I hope it doesn't shake up the beer too bad." I considered this important, since I wanted one as soon as we got home.

After that first day it collected dust in the garage for a couple of months, until we had the brilliant idea to hook it to the tandem bike and do some Christmas shopping. We finally have the opportunity to use our bikes for something more than just pleasure riding. It's fun to break out the ole tandem once in a while and this is especially adventurous, with the new trailer and the mission to save gas and keep in shape, all the while running much needed errands.

We struck out early, toward Northgate, on Dayton Blvd. from Mountain Creek Rd. My concern for how the tandem would handle was quickly put to rest. It worked fine. We could barely tell it was there.

We must have been quite a sight. A 9-ft bike pulling a 5-ft trailer with a bright fluorescent lime green cloth top. We were stopping traffic.

After the trek through Red Bank we arrived at the hill on 153 near the 27 overpass. Normally that short climb is no sweat, but on the tandem we have to grunt a little. I started thinking about the trip back, "This could be a tough climb if we load this trailer full…..!"

We made our rounds. First at the hobby shop, then Target and finally Radio Shack and Staples. Everywhere we went we were a spectacle. We could have sold advertising on the trailer if we would have known we would draw so much attention.

We stopped and got something to eat and made our final purchases at Bi-Lo before heading back. The trailer was fully loaded. We had a large boom box and various other gifts for the family and of course a few groceries. We had about 80 - 90 lbs of payload in (continued on page 12)the trailer. I dreaded climbing that hill again! It was getting hot and I knew we were going to feel that load behind us.

And we did!!! Whew! We finally made it back and home. We were proud of our accomplishment to utilize our bike as a working vehicle, but we haven't done it again. Sometimes we get what we wish for and find it's not all it's cracked up to be. It's one thing to take a bike ride and buzz along at 15-20 mph enjoying the quickly passing scenery, but pulling a load like that, at 8 mph, can be a little more work than we want on our hard earned day off. Nevertheless, we still do wish to increase the utilization of our bikes and the trailer. Watch for us! We might not be moving very fast, but we'll get there, and the bread won't be squashed.

Call me anytime at 510-9593 or e-mail ChattBike@aol.com.

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