I borrowed someone's old clunker of a semi-broken camera, and snapped these pics right off, so here goes: My Bike. A 1992 Specialized Crossroads, in all it's Chrome-Moly glory. The bag on the back is just an old canvas bag with corrugated plastic bottom. I put in velcro cable ties to use as rack fasteners. It works reallly well.: And here's a closeup of my new trekking bar. I've wrapped each handle one way with an old innertube, then wrapped the other way with avenir cork tape. This bar is amazingly comfortable even with me in the extreme forward position. Even with my hands on the sides, I can still "fingertip" the brakes for stopping control.
I'm getting better at dealing with camera settings. Here goes: My bike in a bit higher quality. My Trekking Bar from the front, where you can see the overly bent cable runs. And the Macro setting on the camera let's me show you why using decades old electrical tape isn't a good idea.
I want to modify my bike a bit, in a similar way. I've already got two bars jutting from my handlebars, not sure what you call them. I have them oriented upwards so I can ride sitting straight up, but could use them being just a bit taller. Plus they're bare metal, and I want to put bike tape or rubber handles on them. Went to Dicks Sporting Goods and they didn't even carry bike tape, WTF? Out little, local grocery store growing up used to carry bike tape...
It's all Amazon or Nashbar, I tell you! You go to the bike shop, and whatever you need, they have to order themselves! It's easier to just hop on the 'net and do it yourself. Of course, the old inner-tubes you have lying about are FREE! But there's been a revolution in bike "tape", with the cork tape, the gel tape, the gel-cork tape. I just went with the cheapest cork tape, and my old inner-tubes. Edit: I think those things you describe are called (drumroll) Bar ends. Be prepared for shipping-shock, though! Go super saver shipping at every opportunity! ... old man bike?!?!?! I'll have you know I RESEMBLE THAT REMARK!!! ... er... I mean... You think it's old-man now, wait'll I get the cash to put on some FENDERS (black, full coverage) and this fancy-pants KICKSTAND! MUAHAHAHAHcoughwheezehackhack! Here's the bike with the panniers in place, since I had to do a big haul from the grocery store today...
Bar ends? How do they come up with this stuff... But oh man, I hadn't even thought about carrying groceries! I think I'd switch over to one of those 3 wheel bikes with the big basket for jobs like that. EDIT: Walmart has them on sale and in stock right now - $269.99 + tax. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schwinn-M...16722&sourceid=1500000000000003260420&veh=cse
Just be careful, when purchasing Wal-Mart bicycles. Mostly the bicycles are assembled by snot-nosed teenagers, with instructions that it just be good enough that the bicycle doesn't fall to pieces on the display floor! So be sure to take it to a local bike shop you trust, and have all the pieces inspected and tightened properly. I can fit THREE plastic-bags-worth of groceries into those M-Wave Double Daytripper panniers, and if I attach my ersatz bag on top, I can cart home four bags of groceries along with two Southwest Grilled Chicken Salads from McDonald's in those big round clamshell containers... It's amazing how much smoother the ride home is, with that extra weight preventing the bumps from reaching my bum! Oh, and trust me, you will want all the extra gears on your bicycle, when hauling a load. Areas that you think of as flat, you soon discover to be an upward climb, when you're weighed down! Rather than a one/three-speed trike, consider a trailer for your current bike! I'm slowly building up my stamina, learning to keep up a proper cadence in pedaling, and properly using the gears so I can "spin" rather than "mash" the pedals at a constant rate, so that one day, I WILL hit the Madison County Trails in this area. My hope is to go to the Lewis and Clark Historical Site (Camp Dubois) near Granite City, and head up the Great Confluence Trail, past the Confluence Ripoff Tower in Hartford, IL ($4.00 to go up the tower to see refineries on one side, and mud on the other ), and to the Melvin Price Lock and Dam in Alton, which offers tours, and has the "Great Rivers Museum" which is kind of cheesy, but hey, it's free, then maybe onward to the Sam Vadalabene Bike Trail that goes up to Elsah and Grafton and Pere Marquette park. There are tons of trails in this area, including the Heritage Trail which connects several of the Mississippian People's Mound sites and "Woodhenge", and trails that connect to Missouri over the Chain of Rocks Bridge. ... okay, I should stop hitting the "edit" button already! I think my post has grown ten times larger from repeated edit abuse! SORRY!!!
Oh yeah, I wouldn't trust them to assemble anything. And actually I'm having it shipped to the house. In another life I used to work in a sporting goods store assembling bikes and all that jazz. EDIT: And yeah, a single speed cruiser like that is only good for flat terrain. We're going to use mine in the neighborhood only, maybe as far as the local carryout or grocery store. Plus I'm thinking of an electric mod at some point.
Here's what you need MSP. A real hauler: The Kona Ute. With room enough for all the, *ahem*, essentials.
As for carrying groceries, if you were really trying to do a big haul it'd probably be more cost effective to buy/build a trailer for a bike. Plus, come on man. You don't wanna be see on one of those three wheel old lady bikes.
Fuck it, I've got fenders on my road bike. I don't know what I'd do without 'em. Actually I do know what I'd do... a lot more laundry. The chain cover though... now that's old man. Looks great though.
