This entry was posted on February 5, 2018 at 7:13 pm and is filed under Albuquerque, Bike stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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There are some trees on this ride. But you gotta work really hard to get to where they are, and then check for bears, buzzworms and mountain lions snoozing in their shade.
Looks like my shopping bike if I swapped the flat bars for drops I think about this now and then but since it’s easier to hang shopping bags from the flat bars, it’s probably a dumb idea, especially when I start thinking about brake levers/shifers, etc. I still need to get a front rack and basket like the wife’s has to make the thing really useful. http://cycleitalia.blogspot.com/2018/01/transportation-but-not-by-car.html
we had a new grocery store open in the neighborhood and everyone was so excited to be able to ride their bikes to get groceries. the first month i saw numerous people riding bikes with grocery bags on the bars. it’s pretty hard to carry a gallon of milk on one side and a loaf of bread on the other. now they just drive.
Basket (and a backpack) make those chores pretty easy – but then again we DO live less than 100 feet from a place I can pop into on foot and buy milk, water, eggs, bread, etc.- so I don’t need the bike for that…only if I want to venture farther than I care to walk, like to a larger supermarket, our favorite bulk-wine shop, the newsstand to get Bicisport, etc.
The other tough thing for ‘Murican’s is they want to shop in bulk and do it less often – so the SUV gets loaded up with enough crap from Costco to last for 6 months! I laugh every time our in-laws drag us out there – those massive shopping carts manage to make the average fat ‘Muricans look pretty normal.
More trips more often, that’s the ticket. Y’gotta work for your vittles.
And Larry’s absolutely right. The big-box bikes should come with a rear rack at the very least. Hardcores could add a front rack, basket or bag of some sort and boom, cheapo SUV for those Costco trips.
Nice bike, Larry. One of the Nitto M12s, a wire basket and some zip ties would round out your carrying capacity quite nicely.
Since I turned my shopping bike (the Voodoo Wazoo) back into a trail bike, I’m thinking about making the old Soma Double Cross my townie. It’s likewise black and anonymous, unlikely to draw a thief’s eye.
But if I wanted to go flat-bar, I’d have to spend some dough.
For starters, I don’t have any MTB bars or stems cluttering up the garage. No MTB brake levers. No thumbshifters.
Hm. Maybe I should just leave it as is, put the racks back on. I can hear my credit card heaving a sigh of relief already.
The wife’s bike came with a great front rack and basket, I just need to get the local guys to slap one on mine too. The headlight will need to be repositioned (the wife’s has a dedicated side-mount bracket to avoid the basket) but I think the rack even has a tab for that.
These kind of bikes should be available at the big-box stores. If they ordered ’em by the boxcar load, they could get the price down to a couple hundred $ so you wouldn’t see so many folks slogging along on those awful, cheapo “dual suspension” MTB’s they sell. Almost useless for what those riders need.
I won this folding bike in a raffle. Its now set up with one basket (and I plan a couple more) as its about a five minute ride from Chez Solana to the food co-cop in Fanta Se.
Yeah, the fat guy was me last spring, recovering from shoulder surgery and having only a few miles in my legs.
Looks like a great shopping bike! Reminds me of one I rented a couple years ago – folding but with (I think) 24″ wheels. I never rode it too far from home and never folded it up, but for shopping it was just fine.
Mad Blog Media 
February 5, 2018 at 7:56 pm |
nice bike, no trees?
February 5, 2018 at 8:27 pm |
Trees in Albuquerque?
February 6, 2018 at 6:40 am |
There are some trees on this ride. But you gotta work really hard to get to where they are, and then check for bears, buzzworms and mountain lions snoozing in their shade.
February 6, 2018 at 4:37 am |
Looks like my shopping bike if I swapped the flat bars for drops I think about this now and then but since it’s easier to hang shopping bags from the flat bars, it’s probably a dumb idea, especially when I start thinking about brake levers/shifers, etc. I still need to get a front rack and basket like the wife’s has to make the thing really useful.
http://cycleitalia.blogspot.com/2018/01/transportation-but-not-by-car.html
February 6, 2018 at 6:30 am |
we had a new grocery store open in the neighborhood and everyone was so excited to be able to ride their bikes to get groceries. the first month i saw numerous people riding bikes with grocery bags on the bars. it’s pretty hard to carry a gallon of milk on one side and a loaf of bread on the other. now they just drive.
February 6, 2018 at 6:44 am |
Basket (and a backpack) make those chores pretty easy – but then again we DO live less than 100 feet from a place I can pop into on foot and buy milk, water, eggs, bread, etc.- so I don’t need the bike for that…only if I want to venture farther than I care to walk, like to a larger supermarket, our favorite bulk-wine shop, the newsstand to get Bicisport, etc.
The other tough thing for ‘Murican’s is they want to shop in bulk and do it less often – so the SUV gets loaded up with enough crap from Costco to last for 6 months! I laugh every time our in-laws drag us out there – those massive shopping carts manage to make the average fat ‘Muricans look pretty normal.
February 6, 2018 at 7:07 am |
More trips more often, that’s the ticket. Y’gotta work for your vittles.
And Larry’s absolutely right. The big-box bikes should come with a rear rack at the very least. Hardcores could add a front rack, basket or bag of some sort and boom, cheapo SUV for those Costco trips.
February 6, 2018 at 6:54 am |
Nice bike, Larry. One of the Nitto M12s, a wire basket and some zip ties would round out your carrying capacity quite nicely.
Since I turned my shopping bike (the Voodoo Wazoo) back into a trail bike, I’m thinking about making the old Soma Double Cross my townie. It’s likewise black and anonymous, unlikely to draw a thief’s eye.
But if I wanted to go flat-bar, I’d have to spend some dough.
For starters, I don’t have any MTB bars or stems cluttering up the garage. No MTB brake levers. No thumbshifters.
Hm. Maybe I should just leave it as is, put the racks back on. I can hear my credit card heaving a sigh of relief already.
February 7, 2018 at 1:00 am |
The wife’s bike came with a great front rack and basket, I just need to get the local guys to slap one on mine too. The headlight will need to be repositioned (the wife’s has a dedicated side-mount bracket to avoid the basket) but I think the rack even has a tab for that.
These kind of bikes should be available at the big-box stores. If they ordered ’em by the boxcar load, they could get the price down to a couple hundred $ so you wouldn’t see so many folks slogging along on those awful, cheapo “dual suspension” MTB’s they sell. Almost useless for what those riders need.
February 6, 2018 at 5:57 am |
Let’s go touring now
Everbody’s learning how
Come on the safari with me
February 6, 2018 at 6:31 am |
i’m ready. the weather here has been not so good for riding and/or camping. except of course during the work week when the weather is perfect.
February 6, 2018 at 6:41 am |
I give…..what’s the blue blanket for?
February 6, 2018 at 6:42 am |
Oh, I get it…..picnic grounds. 🙂
February 6, 2018 at 9:29 am |
It’s hard to tell from the crappy iPhone pic, JD, but that’s a blue handicapped-parking curb that’s in dire need of repainting.
February 6, 2018 at 12:07 pm |
Touche!
February 6, 2018 at 12:06 pm |
I won this folding bike in a raffle. Its now set up with one basket (and I plan a couple more) as its about a five minute ride from Chez Solana to the food co-cop in Fanta Se.
Yeah, the fat guy was me last spring, recovering from shoulder surgery and having only a few miles in my legs.
February 6, 2018 at 12:35 pm |
What fat guy?
February 6, 2018 at 6:46 pm |
Nice prize! And, not fat!
February 7, 2018 at 12:55 am |
Looks like a great shopping bike! Reminds me of one I rented a couple years ago – folding but with (I think) 24″ wheels. I never rode it too far from home and never folded it up, but for shopping it was just fine.