Have a bike? Probably. Maybe you use it, maybe you don’t. You almost definitely know how to ride a bicycle – per a recent FiveThirtyEight article an estimated 94% of Americans know how to ride a bike. Why such a high percentage? Because bicycles are cheap, efficient, elegant modes of transportation that are fun and socially engaging.
If you already bike, you really need a rear rack and a pannier bag or two. What’s a pannier bag? It’s a fancy word for a bag that hooks onto your bike so you can hold stuff. They are awesome and an instant, cheap upgrade that makes takes your bike up about five levels. You have a European man purse to impress friends with at parties. You can carry things like laptops. You can pick up a six-pack of beer or a picnic without having to do the handlebar hang wobble ride.
For a long time I didn’t have a bag but bought the wife one for taking to work on her daily commute. I was jealous so I got the same bag – a Linus “The Sac” canvas pannier bag. The official site lists it at $69 but I think I paid $55. Either way, it’s a nice bag that lasts well so I think a good value at either price. It’s mostly waterproof except for probably in a heavy downpour – living in San Diego I wasn’t concerned on that count.
To show just some of the functionality even a basic bag like this provides I took some photos of my trip to the grocery store today. Grocery shopping by bike is a somewhat frequent topic of conversation at bicycle meetings – non-riders can’t understand how one can carry groceries without an SUV. Basically, you buy groceries slightly more often – probably a benefit if you mostly eat fresh produce and food instead of mega-size boxes of industrial junk. You also use a functional bag to carry your groceries and buy some fancy chocolate as well with the money you saved on not using an expensive car for every minor trip in life.
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That’s it. Bonus: you already have a reusable bag wherever you’re riding so you can help to kill less fish, turtles, dolphins, humans, and generally make our planet a better place. Since you’re riding a bike you’re also not giving small children in your neighborhood asthma so feel good about that one too.
Cheers and keep on riding on.
What are the advantages to having a pannier bag vs. a basket? And are you able to turn and maneuver as well with a bag on your bike as you would without?
Baskets are fine, but I really don’t like them on the front handle bars. If you’re carrying anything heavy at all it throws off the steering quite a bit. The bag doesn’t affect you at all. Plus, the bag is easy to take into stores, library, etc. I’ve only had one for about a year but is so money, highly recommended. I wrote an article today about buying a bike today with some more thoughts on that process – https://www.johnpatrickanderson.com/2015/04/30/how-to-buy-a-bike-8-simple-steps/
I’ve never even heard of having one of these things. Maybe I should look into that. I just wear my backpack when I go get groceries. It would be nice to not have all of that stuff on my back. Where would I be able to find such a bag to hold my groceries? http://www.burnabyhitch.ca/en/racks_and_truck_accessories.html
JordanBaker2 Pretty much any bike shop should be able to help you out. There are pannier bags that convert to backpacks as well, which might be a good pick for you.