Advice for hauling groceries across the city? (2 mile trip)

Posted by mil0wCS@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 25 comments

So I live in a city that has an aldis and Walmart I’m able to go to. Only issue is they’re 2 miles away.

I didn’t even get that much stuff. I got about a weeks worth of groceries and they were a bit heavy and made my bike difficult to steer because it kept throwing off my balance.

I plan on buying a metal bike holder. But I’m not sure how to go about hauling the groceries. Would it be easier getting a small crate to put on the back of the bike. Some saddle bags? Or just a trunk?

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Fair-Discipline-1005@reddit

Panniers are great idea, especialy on both sides, because of balance....👍

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Worried_Document8668@reddit

just get a set of panniers and make sure to load them as evenly possible between the two sides

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mil0wCS@reddit (OP)

Any brand you recommend? I was looking at the saddlebags but the crate option seemed bigger

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LeighofMar@reddit

I just bought this from Walmart and it will hold a decent small haul and I'm considering panniers too.

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Worried_Document8668@reddit

ortlieb or vaude by a country mile

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m2keo@reddit

Exactly what I do. Even out the weight distribution between both sides. It gets to me when I see people just loading up one side for some reason. lol.

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slacknsurf420@reddit

My first rear rack bike I used a milk crate and a $15 set of saddlebags, it had a front crate stock

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DueOwl1149@reddit

Panniers and crate. Load panniers first or with liquids. They have a lower center of gravity.

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YobaiYamete@reddit

I need a way to haul pizza boxes, going on a pizza run would be nice

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DueOwl1149@reddit

Bungees cords. Place pizza box on crate and strap it down on both axises.

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CaterpillarKey6288@reddit

Buy a small trailer. If you put alot of weight on the rear only you may make the steering unstable.

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lee1026@reddit

You need a lot of weight to throw off a heavy ebike.

Like, a lot of weight. The rack will break first, probably

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CaterpillarKey6288@reddit

Depends on the bike, there were some bikes about 2 years ago that had a major problems with front end wobble. Think one was the lectric xpeak. The solution was to add weight to the front end with a basket.

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mil0wCS@reddit (OP)

Wouldn’t a small trailer drain my battery in a hilly area a lot faster since I’m pulling more weight? I’m about 200 pounds and my battery drains a lot because of the hills in the area. Usually dies half way by the time I get there.

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kurokoccheerio@reddit

A trailer puts some of that weight on the wheels of the trailer rather than directly on the bike inside a basket. It'll also maintain momentum from those wheels. It's like the difference between pushing a cart of groceries and carrying them in ur hands. It still takes effort but in my experience w both baskets to start and a trailer later on, I've been able to carry more without much difference. And u don't necessarily have to buy the heaviest stuff possible all at once. I have a p dinky bike that doesn't get much distance ( I do ride it full electric tbf ) but the cart hasn't really made my usually trips drain more and has given me the freedom to buy more at once as someone without a car. The biggest difference I've noticed is I have to be careful w speed and stopping. It holds momentum so a full trailer usually makes me go down hills faster since the whole setup weighs more, it'll hold that cruising speed for a bit longer, cause of the physics of something heavier, and it's much safer to stop slowly cause of those same physics. Be careful on bumps too if u go that route

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BodSmith54321@reddit

Even the cheapest Walmart bike can go 10 miles.

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lee1026@reddit

Rear panniers + front basket.

If that isn't enough, front panniers too, through you will have to install front racks and those are a pain.

Don't buy a trailer. They work, but storing it is a pain in the ass.

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CeeTheWorld2023@reddit

Couple guys round here have trailers, they pull to Walmart.
I got a soft sided cooler I bungee to my oversized rack.

Though, I go to the grocery 2-3 times a week. Keeps the weight, and cost down and saves my battery so I can ride with traffic.
My stores are 4 miles away and decent traffic. I usually go after 9am when all the workers should be at the office.

Ride safe!!

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thetonk@reddit

Trailer would be the best bet. Just know you WILL have to put the extra umph when pulling the extra drag (even unloaded) and can take a bit to get used to.

Pannier bags and rack + double basket (front and back). What we did for a while till it got annoying trying to stuff everything in small spaces.

I finally ended up reconditioning a etrike (I'm running it at 750W) for $200 from FB Marketplace and never looking back.

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Livid_Paramedic_6973@reddit

Pannier bags will limit hie much groceries you can carry. A crate ziptied to the rear bike rack is the best way. I went to Walmart and bought a fairly large sized storage container and zip tied it. It works wonders.

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Moetorcycles@reddit

You can haul a trailer on your bicycle (cost about $100 brand new) and load it up with the goods

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mostlyblots@reddit

I found a crate on top of the back rack of my bike was really easy to use but made my bike a little too top heavy when it was full plus it was harder to get into the saddle with the crate on the back. I switched to collapsible wald wire side panniers and really liked that I could easily haul items that were bulky and already kind of messy (muddy boots etc). It was also nice to be able to collapse them flat when I wasn't using them. After awhile though I found I didn't like how much mud, dirt and road debris got flung onto everything I carried in them so I finally switched to waterproof panniers.

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