Bicycle trailers:

In article <BmiDc.100294$Hg2.30504@attbi_s04>,

Peter Cole said:

Quoted message said:

4. You can stick a backpack in a milk crate more easily
than in panniers, which is an advantage for students.

I like this feature the most. When I ride my bike downtown
for shopping or Dr. visit, etc., I can throw my backpack
into the crate, then grab it & put helmet, etc. away for
errands. The pannier easily detaches though, and has
handles, looks like a square, black, fabric shopping bag,
not too bad either.

With my pack in the crate, I can stuff a water bottle or two
in the near right corner -- easily accessible, and the
bottles stay upright against the pack.

Milk crates are also better than panniers, I think, for
transporting certain delicate things, like foot-high
potted zinnias.

I've found small pizza boxes fit quite nicely right inside
the crate; large one fits over the top and can be bungee'd
on. But medium-sized pizza boxes want to go in at an angle,
causing a pie-valanche inside the box. Take-out pizzas
carried uninsulated on a bike, and unprotected from the
airflow, get cold very fast.

The only 'stability' problem I've experienced has been
while transporting large sacks of flour. They lean out
over the back of the crate, and cause the bike to tend
to sponaneously wheelie. In fact there's a bit of effort
involved just in holding the front of the bike down
while mounting.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've used both, and prefer panniers. The humble milk
crate is not without appeal, however.

Quoted message said:

I agree. Another drawback of the crate is that sitting
directly on the rack as it does, it subjects the contents
to a harsher ride. I keep a bit of foam in mine, helps
when delivering things like a 12-pack of bottles.

I haven't yet broken an egg coming home from the
supermarket. But I'll pick the line that traverses the best
pavement. That can be a little slower and somewhat
squirrely. And I'll gingerly negotiate the unavoidable
bumps. It's been good practice for me, for riding light on
the saddle. /Be/ the suspension :-) Actually, I don't really
know for sure if unweighting the saddle lessens any jolts
inflicted on things in the milk crate. But it doesn't hurt.

I haven't had the courage to pack bottled beer beyond one or
two bottles at a time. Cans are easier to take back for the
deposit, anyway (we get a 10-cents-per-can- or-bottle
deposit back here.)

cheers, Tom

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Tom Keats said:

In article <BmiDc.100294$Hg2.30504@attbi_s04>, "Peter

Cole said:

Quoted message said:

4. You can stick a backpack in a milk crate more easily
than in panniers, which is an advantage for students.

I like this feature the most. When I ride my bike downtown
for shopping or Dr. visit, etc., I can throw my backpack
into the crate, then grab it & put helmet, etc. away for
errands. The pannier easily detaches though, and has
handles, looks like a square, black, fabric shopping bag,
not too bad either.

With my pack in the crate, I can stuff a water bottle or
two in the near right corner -- easily accessible, and the
bottles stay upright against the pack.

Milk crates are also better than panniers, I think, for
transporting certain delicate things, like foot-high
potted zinnias.

I've found small pizza boxes fit quite nicely right inside
the crate; large one fits over the top and can be bungee'd
on. But medium-sized pizza boxes want to go in at an
angle, causing a pie-valanche inside the box. Take-out
pizzas carried uninsulated on a bike, and unprotected from
the airflow, get cold very fast.

The only 'stability' problem I've experienced has been
while transporting large sacks of flour. They lean out
over the back of the crate, and cause the bike to tend to
sponaneously wheelie. In fact there's a bit of effort
involved just in holding the front of the bike down while
mounting.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've used both, and prefer panniers. The humble milk
crate is not without appeal, however.

Quoted message said:

I agree. Another drawback of the crate is that sitting
directly on the rack as it does, it subjects the contents
to a harsher ride. I keep a bit of foam in mine, helps
when delivering things like a 12-pack of bottles.

I haven't yet broken an egg coming home from the
supermarket. But I'll pick the line that traverses the
best pavement. That can be a little slower and somewhat
squirrely. And I'll gingerly negotiate the unavoidable
bumps. It's been good practice for me, for riding light on
the saddle. /Be/ the suspension :-) Actually, I don't
really know for sure if unweighting the saddle lessens any
jolts inflicted on things in the milk crate. But it
doesn't hurt.

I haven't had the courage to pack bottled beer beyond one
or two bottles at a time. Cans are easier to take back for
the deposit, anyway (we get a 10-cents-per-can- or-bottle
deposit back here.)

cheers, Tom

Shopping bag type panniers excel for carrying bottles. Each
holds two sixpacks of bottles perfectly. I haven't bought
cans for a while but you should be able to stack them and
carry twice as many. Sixpacks should be the universal
standard of carrying capacity.

Lorenzo L. Love home.thegrid.net~llloveOpen ↗

"Americans are broad-minded people. They'll accept the fact
that a person can be an alcoholic, a dope fiend, a wife
beater, and even a newspaperman, but if a man doesn't drive
there's something wrong with him." Art Buchwald

Tom Keats said:

Milk crates are also better than panniers, I think, for
transporting certain delicate things, like foot-high
potted zinnias.

I carried a 8 foot tall maple tree home from Kmart (10
miles) in the shade of my own tree, shade most of the way,
with its pot in the milk crate.

Today it's much bigger. I was hoping to make a shady spot
for my Doberman Susie to lie under, but it was pretty slow-
growing, and even living to 13 and a half she never got a
decent shady spot from it. The successor Doberman Annie
however has a nice shady spot today, and it's turned into a
very shapely Maple.

Every day I transport at least a gallon of water or milk,
sometimes two; weekly 20 pounds of snapple as well; and
monthly 40 pounds of salt, if I haven't trailered it home
from the salt place 160 pounds at a time in time, which I
usually haven't.

It's impossible to overbuy for a milk crate. There's always
some way to pile it all in or on, though you may look like a
bag lady in the end.
--
Ron Hardin [email hidden]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Ron Hardin said:

I carried a 8 foot tall maple tree home from Kmart (10
miles) in the shade of my own tree, shade most of the way,
with its pot in the milk crate.

That would've made a cool snapshot; especially with you,
your bike and the tree sillhouetted against a sunset. Sort
of haiku-inspiring.

cheers, Tom

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"Ron Hardin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

and monthly 40 pounds of salt, if

Quoted message said:

I haven't trailered it home from the salt place 160 pounds
at a time in time, which I usually haven't.

What do you do with that much salt?

Dave

Raoul Duke said:

and monthly 40 pounds of salt, if

Quoted message said:

I haven't trailered it home from the salt place 160
pounds at a time in time, which I usually haven't.

What do you do with that much salt?

Salt runs water softeners.
--
Ron Hardin [email hidden]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

...The idea of a trailer has been going through my
mind and am

wondering what sort, as in single rear wheel, or twin
wheeled type.

Quoted message said:

---------------

there are pros/cons of single vs double-wheel, so you'll
need to make that decision first. Secondly, the attachment
hardware of the *best* ones is pretty sophisticated in both
cases to allow secure attachment and proper articulation...
so you might want to just buy something rather than attempt
to fabricate.

the single wheel cons are:
- whatever weight you haul adds to the load on YOUR
rear wheel
- when you hit a bump that weight pounds your wheel
- you have to "balance" the weight and will feel
crosswinds pros are:
- it tracks right with your tires... easier to avoid
debris, etc.
- can be much smaller, lighter, and more aero

double-wheel (like Burley) cons are:
- size and shape tend to be BIG for kids
- added width can make it hard to avoid debris/holes pros
are:
- bigger payloads

d

dan baker said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

...The idea of a trailer has been going through my
mind and am

wondering what sort, as in single rear wheel, or twin
wheeled type.

Quoted message said:

---------------

there are pros/cons of single vs double-wheel, so you'll
need to make that decision first. Secondly, the attachment
hardware of the *best* ones is pretty sophisticated in
both cases to allow secure attachment and proper
articulation... so you might want to just buy something
rather than attempt to fabricate.

I put a Burley hitch on my Tanjor trailer in fact (same
tongue tube diamater); it was about $25 special order at the
LBS, for 2-wheel.
--
Ron Hardin [email hidden]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.