Grocery Bike

On 2/4/2019 2:26 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Monday, February 4, 2019 at 11:28:16 AM UTC-5, Frank Krygowski wrote:


I don't bother to lock my bike at either place. Security is just a
little wedge thing jammed into my brake lever, to hold my front brake on
tightly.

--
- Frank Krygowski

"Lock it or lose it" is often touted hereabouts. There was a guy bicycling across Canada a couple of years ago. He was headed East from British Columbia and he stopped at a store in Montreal, Quebec. When he came out his bike and all his gear was gone. I don't know what happened after that. I loaned a friend of mine a very nice Fiori Modena 14 gears road bike. He phoned me new years eve to tell me that he stopped at a coffee shop and forgot to lock the bike. It was raining then. When he came out the bike was gone. All it takes is someone to see an unlocked bike and grab it. They usually only ride to near their destination and then dump it. Whatever, the chance of getting a stolen bike back these days is pretty slim.

I hope your luck holds for you when you leave your bike unlocked. Heck even if you see someone stealing your bike when you're in a store, by the time you run out of the store your bike is long gone.

I get groceries in two different towns. Both have made the top-10 list
for "safest communities in Ohio," so I don't worry very much.

But here's what I mean about the wedge thing:
https://randalputnam.files.wordpress...13/05/sb-1.jpg

I was using things like this long before Blackburn ever manufactured
them. A guy at a bike rally showed his to me back in the 1970s and I
copied it. I've made rubber ones that work with STI shifters, and other
designs for other lever types.

It's obviously not foolproof, but it's inconspicuous and would probably
flummox the typical grab-and-run thief enough that he would think better
of the idea. The guy who showed me the first one had that experience,
where he saw a guy try to grab his bike but almost fall over it when it
wouldn't move, then jog away.

For unfamiliar places and longer stops, I do use a cable lock, but even
that is lightweight and home made.

The worst problems I've ever had was to have cyclometers stolen. I guess
anything digital looks cool to a young teenager.

--
- Frank Krygowski

Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Monday, February 4, 2019 at 11:28:16 AM UTC-5, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 2/4/2019 8:46 AM, Duane wrote:


There are advantages and disadvantages to either backpacks or panniers
and it's the individual's needs/wants that will dictate their choice.

I agree. And the purpose of a discussion group like this is to discuss
those advantages and disadvantages.


I use my backpack for commuting and I have a locker and shower at work.
I don't do groceries on my bike.Â* It's not a question of whether I can
carry things or not for me but a question of locking my bike up outside.
I don't leave my bike outside unattended.

One reason for a grocery bike is to have something to park that doesn't
look like it's worth thousands of dollars, or like it's super-fashionable.

Also, it's worth thinking about where you're parking your bike. At our
usual grocery, I park my bike at the exit where it's visible only to
grocery patrons entering and leaving. At the other, I roll my bike
inside and lean it on the wall near the door.

I don't bother to lock my bike at either place. Security is just a
little wedge thing jammed into my brake lever, to hold my front brake on
tightly.

--
- Frank Krygowski

"Lock it or lose it" is often touted hereabouts. There was a guy
bicycling across Canada a couple of years ago. He was headed East from
British Columbia and he stopped at a store in Montreal, Quebec. When he
came out his bike and all his gear was gone. I don't know what happened
after that. I loaned a friend of mine a very nice Fiori Modena 14 gears
road bike. He phoned me new years eve to tell me that he stopped at a
coffee shop and forgot to lock the bike. It was raining then. When he
came out the bike was gone. All it takes is someone to see an unlocked
bike and grab it. They usually only ride to near their destination and
then dump it. Whatever, the chance of getting a stolen bike back these days is pretty slim.

I hope your luck holds for you when you leave your bike unlocked. Heck
even if you see someone stealing your bike when you're in a store, by the
time you run out of the store your bike is long gone.

Cheers


I remember reading about that. Sucks. Didn’t some locals replace the bike?

There are kits for sale here to make a decent bike look like a trash bike.
Most of the local thieves know their products but it stops the spur of the
moment theft I think.

Anyway, if you want to do that I’m sure there are ways around it. I just
don’t enjoy that. That’s not a criticism. I’m happy to see anyone riding.


--
duane

On Mon, 4 Feb 2019 15:41:04 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 2/4/2019 2:26 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Monday, February 4, 2019 at 11:28:16 AM UTC-5, Frank Krygowski wrote:


I don't bother to lock my bike at either place. Security is just a
little wedge thing jammed into my brake lever, to hold my front brake on
tightly.

--
- Frank Krygowski

"Lock it or lose it" is often touted hereabouts. There was a guy bicycling across Canada a couple of years ago. He was headed East from British Columbia and he stopped at a store in Montreal, Quebec. When he came out his bike and all his gear was gone. I don't know what happened after that. I loaned a friend of mine a very nice Fiori Modena 14 gears road bike. He phoned me new years eve to tell me that he stopped at a coffee shop and forgot to lock the bike. It was raining then. When he came out the bike was gone. All it takes is someone to see an unlocked bike and grab it. They usually only ride to near their destination and then dump it. Whatever, the chance of getting a stolen bike back these days is pretty slim.

I hope your luck holds for you when you leave your bike unlocked. Heck even if you see someone stealing your bike when you're in a store, by the time you run out of the store your bike is long gone.

I get groceries in two different towns. Both have made the top-10 list
for "safest communities in Ohio," so I don't worry very much.

But here's what I mean about the wedge thing:
https://randalputnam.files.wordpress...13/05/sb-1.jpg

I was using things like this long before Blackburn ever manufactured
them. A guy at a bike rally showed his to me back in the 1970s and I
copied it. I've made rubber ones that work with STI shifters, and other
designs for other lever types.

Is the "wedge" adjustable in case you adjust the brakes or simply that
the taper is long enough to take care of small variations in brake
lever angle?


--
Cheers,
John B.

On Mon, 4 Feb 2019 23:09:45 -0000 (UTC), Duane wrote:

Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Monday, February 4, 2019 at 11:28:16 AM UTC-5, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 2/4/2019 8:46 AM, Duane wrote:


There are advantages and disadvantages to either backpacks or panniers
and it's the individual's needs/wants that will dictate their choice.

I agree. And the purpose of a discussion group like this is to discuss
those advantages and disadvantages.


I use my backpack for commuting and I have a locker and shower at work.
I don't do groceries on my bike.* It's not a question of whether I can
carry things or not for me but a question of locking my bike up outside.
I don't leave my bike outside unattended.

One reason for a grocery bike is to have something to park that doesn't
look like it's worth thousands of dollars, or like it's super-fashionable.

Also, it's worth thinking about where you're parking your bike. At our
usual grocery, I park my bike at the exit where it's visible only to
grocery patrons entering and leaving. At the other, I roll my bike
inside and lean it on the wall near the door.

I don't bother to lock my bike at either place. Security is just a
little wedge thing jammed into my brake lever, to hold my front brake on
tightly.

--
- Frank Krygowski

"Lock it or lose it" is often touted hereabouts. There was a guy
bicycling across Canada a couple of years ago. He was headed East from
British Columbia and he stopped at a store in Montreal, Quebec. When he
came out his bike and all his gear was gone. I don't know what happened
after that. I loaned a friend of mine a very nice Fiori Modena 14 gears
road bike. He phoned me new years eve to tell me that he stopped at a
coffee shop and forgot to lock the bike. It was raining then. When he
came out the bike was gone. All it takes is someone to see an unlocked
bike and grab it. They usually only ride to near their destination and
then dump it. Whatever, the chance of getting a stolen bike back these days is pretty slim.

I hope your luck holds for you when you leave your bike unlocked. Heck
even if you see someone stealing your bike when you're in a store, by the
time you run out of the store your bike is long gone.

Cheers


I remember reading about that. Sucks. Didn’t some locals replace the bike?

There are kits for sale here to make a decent bike look like a trash bike.
Most of the local thieves know their products but it stops the spur of the
moment theft I think.

Anyway, if you want to do that I’m sure there are ways around it. I just
don’t enjoy that. That’s not a criticism. I’m happy to see anyone riding.

The perfect method of prevent bike thefts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPHJqZr_ljg

--
Cheers,
John B.

On 2/4/2019 6:46 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Mon, 4 Feb 2019 15:41:04 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 2/4/2019 2:26 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Monday, February 4, 2019 at 11:28:16 AM UTC-5, Frank Krygowski wrote:


I don't bother to lock my bike at either place. Security is just a
little wedge thing jammed into my brake lever, to hold my front brake on
tightly.

--
- Frank Krygowski

"Lock it or lose it" is often touted hereabouts. There was a guy bicycling across Canada a couple of years ago. He was headed East from British Columbia and he stopped at a store in Montreal, Quebec. When he came out his bike and all his gear was gone. I don't know what happened after that. I loaned a friend of mine a very nice Fiori Modena 14 gears road bike. He phoned me new years eve to tell me that he stopped at a coffee shop and forgot to lock the bike. It was raining then. When he came out the bike was gone. All it takes is someone to see an unlocked bike and grab it. They usually only ride to near their destination and then dump it. Whatever, the chance of getting a stolen bike back these days is pretty slim.

I hope your luck holds for you when you leave your bike unlocked. Heck even if you see someone stealing your bike when you're in a store, by the time you run out of the store your bike is long gone.

I get groceries in two different towns. Both have made the top-10 list
for "safest communities in Ohio," so I don't worry very much.

But here's what I mean about the wedge thing:
https://randalputnam.files.wordpress...13/05/sb-1.jpg

I was using things like this long before Blackburn ever manufactured
them. A guy at a bike rally showed his to me back in the 1970s and I
copied it. I've made rubber ones that work with STI shifters, and other
designs for other lever types.

Is the "wedge" adjustable in case you adjust the brakes or simply that
the taper is long enough to take care of small variations in brake
lever angle?

Both the original showed to me and Blackburn's commercial version have
steps, as visible in that image. In practice, there's enough flexibility
in the brake system so I can squeeze until one of the steps is the right
size to hold the brake firmly enough.

When I copied the original, I made it out of 1/4" Plexiglass. A loop of
fishing line let it hang from the exposed brake cables of the day.
Blackburn's was a little fancier in that its big end sort of snaps onto
the cable housing for storage while riding. I've copied that concept on
the more modern ones I've made.

If things get to the point where the gizmo doesn't squeeze the brake
hard enough, I use the brake adjuster to tighten things up a bit.


--
- Frank Krygowski

On Mon, 4 Feb 2019 19:53:48 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 2/4/2019 6:46 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Mon, 4 Feb 2019 15:41:04 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 2/4/2019 2:26 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Monday, February 4, 2019 at 11:28:16 AM UTC-5, Frank Krygowski wrote:


I don't bother to lock my bike at either place. Security is just a
little wedge thing jammed into my brake lever, to hold my front brake on
tightly.

--
- Frank Krygowski

"Lock it or lose it" is often touted hereabouts. There was a guy bicycling across Canada a couple of years ago. He was headed East from British Columbia and he stopped at a store in Montreal, Quebec. When he came out his bike and all his gear was gone. I don't know what happened after that. I loaned a friend of mine a very nice Fiori Modena 14 gears road bike. He phoned me new years eve to tell me that he stopped at a coffee shop and forgot to lock the bike. It was raining then. When he came out the bike was gone. All it takes is someone to see an unlocked bike and grab it. They usually only ride to near their destination and then dump it. Whatever, the chance of getting a stolen bike back these days is pretty slim.

I hope your luck holds for you when you leave your bike unlocked. Heck even if you see someone stealing your bike when you're in a store, by the time you run out of the store your bike is long gone.

I get groceries in two different towns. Both have made the top-10 list
for "safest communities in Ohio," so I don't worry very much.

But here's what I mean about the wedge thing:
https://randalputnam.files.wordpress...13/05/sb-1.jpg

I was using things like this long before Blackburn ever manufactured
them. A guy at a bike rally showed his to me back in the 1970s and I
copied it. I've made rubber ones that work with STI shifters, and other
designs for other lever types.

Is the "wedge" adjustable in case you adjust the brakes or simply that
the taper is long enough to take care of small variations in brake
lever angle?

Both the original showed to me and Blackburn's commercial version have
steps, as visible in that image. In practice, there's enough flexibility
in the brake system so I can squeeze until one of the steps is the right
size to hold the brake firmly enough.

When I copied the original, I made it out of 1/4" Plexiglass. A loop of
fishing line let it hang from the exposed brake cables of the day.
Blackburn's was a little fancier in that its big end sort of snaps onto
the cable housing for storage while riding. I've copied that concept on
the more modern ones I've made.

If things get to the point where the gizmo doesn't squeeze the brake
hard enough, I use the brake adjuster to tighten things up a bit.

Somewhere I've got some 1/2" thick rubber that I can cut a wedge out
of. I'll try it. Thanks.

--
Cheers,
John B.

On Mon, 4 Feb 2019 15:41:04 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

For unfamiliar places and longer stops, I do use a cable lock, but even
that is lightweight and home made.

When I first moved here, I was paranoid about never leaving my bike
unlocked. Nowadays, the only place I lock it is the library, which is
noted as a place where a thief can find parked bicycles.

Uh, I also lock it at doctor's offices. I did that a lot last year,
but I'm hoping this series of steroids will last a couple of years
like the last one.

My dentist put in a bike rack just for me. A style that actually
works, by good luck.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

Am 30.01.2019 um 01:38 schrieb James:
I don't like having to start a car for a short trip I could easily make
by bike.Â* While I was living in Brisbane I bought a Bob-Yak trailer, and
with that I could tow at least 20 kg of groceries behind a mountain
bike.Â* I also hitched it to the road bike a couple of times to go to
shops much further away when there was something not very heavy to bring
back.

I would say my $5000 recumbent bike with a massively cool carbon tail
box does not really qualify as a "grocery bike" even though it visits
the superstore 1 mile away from home once a week (towing a child trailer
when I need to get large quantities of shopping); occasionally I carry a
laptop and change of clothing inside the tail box when using it as a
'commuter bike'.

Yesterday the wife calls me at work "The drinking water in our city is
potentially polluted; you can't buy bottled water in the stores any more".

So on the way back from work I stop in a small town half way, buy 18l of
bottled water and put it into my tail box together with the change of
clothing. The laptop bag doesn't fit in any more so I have to hang it
over my shoulder and have to hang it over my shoulder. So (even or
especially) a sports recumbent can double up as an emergency grocery
bike...