Q: I retired my 24-year-old car last week, and am looking to transform my mid-90s Giant road bike into a "grocery-getter" — you know, for those trips to Fairway. I'm looking for suggestions on both how to transform the bike, as well as for where to get parts secondhand. Trying to be green, or at least conscious, so it seems a bit crazy to fix it up with new parts. And though I want it to function well, I also want it to look good, especially as it will be stored in my living room.
Sent by Whitney
Editor: Whitney, we're so happy to hear that you're ditching the driving and hopping on a bike! We just took on a bike beautification and repurposing project (1970s road bike into a commuter/grocery-getter), and learned some good lessons that we're happy to pass on to you.
You can take this to any level--there's the basic clean-and-get-a-basket level...and then there's the complete renovation level. Choose the steps that you're comfortable with, and pop over to a local bike shop to find a friendly mechanic who will give you tips without talking you into buying a new bike.
In any case, the first step is to give your bike a good cleaning. If it's rusty in places, take a rust brush to it. If it needs a little extra help, you can remove it by sprinkling a little salt on the rust, then squeezing a lime over the salt until it's soaked through. Add tequila...just kidding. Leave the salt and lime mixture on for a couple of hours, and use the lime rind to scrub it off. Or, you can purchase a non-toxic rust remover like biodegradable Evapo-Rust or Rust Doctor.
You can find cleaning kits at most big-box stores, or head to a bike shop for a more narrow search. At the shop, ask the mechanics where you can score some gently-used parts to spruce up your ride. Generally, they're happy to help a fellow cyclist and might even have used parts on hand!
The chains can also be cleaned, which will make the bike easier to ride and easier on the eyes (not to mention, better for storing in the living room). Sheldon Brown's website is a great resource for general bicycle maintenance, especially for beginners.
Once the bike is clean, the beautification is in your hands. You can remove the wheels and cover up all moving parts, and paint the frame with a metal-safe, non-toxic/low-VOC paint. You can choose a high gloss or matte finish--both will look great on a bike frame and will seriously bump up the eye candy value. Check out snazzy bikes online for some inspiration. (Just for kicks, here's one of our favorites...)
Since you've got a road bike, your pedals may have clips. We'd recommend swapping those out for some used platform pedals, because if you've got to stop frequently and you've got a grocery-laden cycle, it'll be easier to catch your balance.
You'll probably want to replace the tubes in your tires with brand-new ones--but don't throw the old ones out. You can use your old tubes to update your grips by wrapping them around your handlebars. Just tape the ends down with black electrical tape, and be sure to go under, not over, the brake cables.
For the groceries, you can install a removable basket on your handlebars, or a rear rack for saddlebags (or a recycled milk crate). Scour Craigslist and secondhand bike shops for these common items before looking to buy them new. Think outside of the wire baskets, too: look at thrift or antique shops for an old wicker basket that can be secured to the front for added charm and eco-friendliness.
Add a vintage bell or horn for a nice little neighborhood affect! And of course, make sure you've got adequate reflectors and lights. With a headlight like this, you can power your own lights by pedaling, and avoid battery-powered LEDs altogether.
Finally, look for a nonprofit in your area that can help you with some basic bike mechanics. In Austin, for instance, there's a volunteer-based program called The Austin Yellow Bike Project. You can learn all about bikes, as well as purchase (or earn with volunteer hours) used parts--and learn how to shape them up. You may be able to find something like this through your city's website, or ask those ever-helpful bike shop people.
Hope this helps! Good luck with your bike, and be sure to let us know how the project goes.
Related Posts:
• How To: Carry Just About Anything on a Bike
• Inspiration: Beautiful Bikes for Living Car-Free
• De Fietsfabriek: Dutch Cargo Bicycles
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Comments (26)
for the rear rack, look for "panniers". you can install yourself. and some are removable would be great for bringing in and doing your shopping.
I recently saw a kids burley trailer converted to grocery cart. The guy had taken the burley off the axel/base and installed a large old wooden fruit crate on top. It was both attractive and a clever re-use of his old burley that his kids had out grown!
rack w/ panniers or a 'trunk' and a solid backpack from REI will do the trick.
Panniers that fold are wonderful in case you have to park someplace tight. Do not hang things from your handlebars or place heavy things in a front basket. You'll lose a lot of control with all that weight pulling your handlebars around and it'll make crashing a LOT easier. Trust me, I've done it.
Buy a good headlight and tail-light. I know it's the law in California that you have at least the headlight, but for your own safety, do both regardless of the law where you live. And USE THEM.
If you think you might end up biking in or soon after it rains, get fenders. Road gunk and water do not feel good going down your back. Cardboard or plastic zip-tied to rack will solve the problem in back, the same zip tied to the slanted front bar will take care of the back. I personally prefer fenders, but that's the cheap/free way.
Good luck and have fun!
I agree with Tiamat, you're much better off with panniers or a milk crate than a basket. I was also told by the guys at the shop that a basket can mess with your gear shifting. I'm not entirely convinced of that, but I DO know that it's a real pain to be biking with a heavy basket. Save yourself the agony!
Re: Montana Girl and Tiamat... And a word to anyone using a basket on the front: My boyfriend just installed one on our converted mountain bike, and YES--it does make steering harder. The basket we bought says to limit your load to 4lbs. I tried carrying 2lbs of blueberries and a half-gallon of milk home, and the load definitely had an impact on steering.
So, use the front basket for very light things (maybe the eggs, or tortilla chips...but not the boxed wine!) and a rear basket for heavier things.
Burley makes a flat bed trailer that is great for larger shopping trips or going to the garden store. I've hauled planters and multiple bags of soil. The cargo straps make it simple to secure the load. The wheels come off and the sides fold down for easy storage.
I started riding my bike to the grocery store too not long ago. I learned that a front basket is just not going to cut it. Unless you only shop for one day's groceries at a time. Anything more than that is really heavy on your handlebars. I don't know about messing with shifting or anything, but it made it much harder to keep the bike balanced, especially if there was any kind of breeze. I recommend getting the rack and baskets for the back. You can also put a few things in a backpack on your back, but again - not too much or you'll have a hard time staying balanced.
One of those insulated bags for cold things can be helpful too. It takes longer to get your groceries home in the heat on a bike than it does in your air conditioned car.
Also, you may want to ride to and from the store without groceries a time or too before you try it with groceries. What seems like a really short distance in a car can seem twice as long on a bike, especially if it's hot out.
I just started riding to the grocery store this spring, and a friend gifted me with a set of folding wire panniers for the back of my bike. You do need to have a rear carrier to attach them to, but I have been very happy with the wire baskets. Each one is the right size to hold a (paper) grocery sack. I am not a super strong or experienced rider, and I find that having the full grocery bags lower down and behind me has much less effect on my riding and steering than either the backpack or the "strapped to the rear carrier" that I tried before. Even better, the wire baskets fold up flat when not needed, so storing the bike isn't made more difficult.
I'd ask around in bike shops , and they are also available on-line (for example:
http://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Rear-Grocery-Baskets-Folding/dp/B000BPNK7O)
welp, given that the original poster wants it to look good and live in the apartment, cleaning is a good idea - tho' painting could mess up that living room :) However, I'd figure out the carrying stuff first and start USING it!
Front basket?
Think *really* green. Xtracycle. (Drawback: makes bike bigger. Good stuff: makes bike able to haul just about *everything.*)
I'm going to second the Xtracycle - it rocks. I think it offers the best versatility. Our Burley flatbed is also handy, though. You can get a giant Rubbermaid tub that fits on it perfectly. Load your groceries into the tub, close the lid, then strap it down with the cargo ties.
A rack with removable fabric panniers. Carry the panniers into the store with you and load groceries directly into them. And always leave two bungee cords in your bag or wrapped around your rack - I use mine all the time to strap down 6 or 12 packs of beer, and crates of peaches or apples from the farmers market. The rack will hold anything oversized that won't fit conveniently in a pannier, and centering heavy items (like that 12 pack), rather than leaving them on the side of your frame, will make it easier for you to maneuver.
OK... As much as I understand how great it is not to always buy something new, I MUST mention the Taga. We have one and it is amazing. I plan to use it with out child(ren) and then as a shopping trike.
To see a picture of the different options, including Taga as a shopping trike, go here:
http://www.taga.nl/options.asp
Hi there. Welcome to the bike commuter world!! Here are my thoughts.
Get a rear carrier rack and use fabric panniers. I've got these and I love them. I like them cuz I can bring them straight into the store and fill 'em up. They also are easy to store when not using them.
http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FGBP
I used to have the metal grocery cages but they (and the rear rack) were stolen. I hope whoever took them is actually using them.
Bungee cords are always helpful. I leave a couple on my bike just in case.
Gonna echo the anti-front basket. Try to keep extra weight on the back of the bike. Less chance of biffing it.
Also gonna echo switching out cage/clip pedals for platforms. I've got cages and strained a foot tendon during a fall the other week cuz I couldn't get out of them fast enough. I don't really need cages for urban biking so I'll be switching mine out.
my husband made this bike out of old bikes we had around. The whole thing cost about $70 to make. Now it hauls chicken feed, kids, groceries and more.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/freakstorm/3186363648/in/set-72157605413091048
we have 3 of them right now and they are wonderfully easy to ride.
I'm not familiar with the specific bike the original person was asking about. If there aren't braze-ons, it will be difficult to attach a rear rack, and may make one less usable (able to hold heavier loads). My suggestion (for safety's sake) is to ask at your local bike shop, if the changes can be done safely, and to make certain the bike is in working order. Check your local bike co-op and second hand shops for the correct equipment - but get some advice first. Most wrenches in a shop will be helpful, and would love to assist with a conversion. Just be sure to purchase something at your local shop - if you end up asking a lot of questions and taking up their time - its only fair. At the very least, get a minor tune-up done. You will eventually need to work with them in the future to keep things running smoothly - parts wear out and need replacing, just like a car :)
There is a place like the Austin one in Seattle called Bike Works http://www.bikeworks.org/ that does non profit teaching and builds bikes. I got my bike there when I had a hard time finding a not-super-$$ hybrid with the right size frame.
I have the same folding baskets as fjorlief; they hold an amazing amount of stuff (a FULL grocery bag each), plus you can strap another big bag onto the rear rack. But the folding baskets are a bit heavy, and they're not meant to be clip on, clip off. If you're going to be using your bike a lot for commuting or pleasure riding, consider getting fabric panniers instead as they are lighter.
I just invested in a collapsible panier for my bike rack and LOVE it. ($17 on sale at Bike Gallery in Portland.) Normally I also have used a milk crate, which is somewhat handy, and have packed groceries in a backpack or a messenger bag. Be careful how much heavy stuff you stuff in those. My messenger bag ripped from too many heavy cans from my trip to the Asian grocery. I've also strapped folded-over canvas grocery bags to my rack with bungees.
My favorite grocery-by-bike trip involved stringing rolls of TP on a bungee and hanging them off my bike rack because I ran out of room in my backpack and milk crate.
Like Learnbydesign, I wondered if the bike has braze-ons for a rack. Many road bikes don't. You know, cause God forbid a road bike weigh even a hundreth of an ounce more than it has to....
If the road bike has braze-ons for a back rack, great. Get panniers and you're set. We like the Ortlieb back roller panniers. They're kind of expensive, but ours have lasted for years and years, plus you can get replacement parts for when the plastic parts inevitably break.
http://www.rei.com/product/604989
But if the bike doesn't have braze-ons? All is not lost. Get a BOB Yak trailer. The hook-up attaches through the back axle of the bike, so it's good for almost any bike. My bike has funky, curved chain and seat stays and didn't work well with most trailers, like the Burley, but I'm good to carry 70lbs of cargo with my Yak.
http://www.bobgear.com/trailers/trailer.php?product_id=10
I'm with the others: FOR THE LOVE OF WHATEVER, don't get a front basket!
As far as looking good: I'd look into the vertical bike racks that show up on AP periodically; we're looking into one for our home office. Also, do bring your bike into a local shop for a checkup; depending on your bike, it might not be worth fixing. If it is, they can probably point you to classes or other resources in your area, and can probably help you find second hand parts that are still in good shape.
As the person who does all the grocery shopping for a household of four: Write a grocery list every week, and check things off. Get used to how much your bike can comfortably hold, and if your list looks like it's going to go over that, bring an assistant. An overloaded bike is NOT fun, and it's extremely unsafe. Also be sure your tires are thoroughly inflated EVERY WEEK. If they're not, you're going to notice a serious increase in drag when you bike home with a basket full of groceries.
I had forgotten about this question from a year ago. Since my previous post, I got a new bike that does indeed have a front basket. It's a Civia Loring. The bike was designed to have a usable and worthwhile front rack/basket. Yes, it takes some getting used to to deal with the weight in the front, but I have carried many, many things on there, with no issues. Yes, I was a little wobbly at first. Practice makes perfect! If you haven't spent much time on a bike since childhood, be sure to ride in safe places and get your skills up again, before attempting to load up your bike with a week's worth of groceries. Balance your loads evenly side-to-side and take it slow until you know how your bike will handle the extra weight. A decent bike shouldn't feel like a complete wet noodle as you ride with your groceries. (if it does, you may want to visit your local shop for help or a new-to-you bike...)
You can add a front basket to any bike, but keep in mind, you shouldn't load it up with much weight. My basket is more along the lines of a rack. It is connected to the fork, it does not hang/attach on the handlebars like a typical basket would, so the handling is vastly different - more appropriate for the (very adorable) cargo bike it is.
Front baskets are handy: carrying purses, flowers, storing your lock while riding to the library, and carrying your books on the way home. Rear racks/panniers are a great way really get your cargo moving :)
One tip: Buy less, and go more often.
Your food will be fresher, and easier to carry.
I love love love biking to the store! My grocery has the best parking for bikes! http://www.rainbowgrocery.org/index.html
I totally swear by my grocery bag panniers. They hang low on the rack so you can still put stuff on the rack, and they're super easy to pull on and off. This link is long and ugly, sorry...
http://www.jandd.com/search_results.asp?txtsearchParamTxt=&txtsearchParamCat=3&txtsearchParamType=ALL&txtsearchParamMan=ALL&txtsearchParamVen=ALL&txtFromSearch=fromSearch&iLevel=2&subcat=11
The SF Bike Coalition has a ridiculous amount of info on its site:
http://www.sfbike.org/?racks
HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!
Just one thing to add - my bike repair fellow suggested I keep the old innertubes to line my tyres with. This gives the inflated innertube essentially a triple thickness, meaning way fewer punctures. Just stuff the old, deflated tube into the tyre (after cutting out the valve), spread it as flat as possible, then put the new tube in, and inflate.
Just a thought.
If you bike doesn't have braze-ons for a rear rack, there are a number of racks out there that attach to the rear axle of the bike, or you can use what are called "p-clips" to attach the rack. They also work to attach fenders, which are pretty much essential for all-season bike commuting.