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A Story of How to Carry Stuff on Your Bike
As you become more comfortable with riding your bike for transportation, you'll probably find yourself looking for more ways to carry what you need. Let longtime biker Renee Moore's story inspire you!
This is a guest post from one of our Washington DC ambassadors Renee Moore of @bicyclingandthecity. All photos are hers.
Back in my 30s I thought biking was all about triathlons or training for triathlons. During training for triathlons you take everything off the bike that might slow you down including the kickstand and reflectors. Yeah those 2 ounce reflectors can really slow you down. LOL I never carried a lock or anything bigger than a saddle bag to hold a spare inner tube and multi tool. My bike was worth more than my car and I only used it for triathlons and training for triathlons.
But fortunately I entered my 40s and had to slow down. Racing was wearing me out physically and financially so I took a workshop with Black Women Bike DC and learned about riding in the street and how to carry stuff. I will admit I was very reluctant to ride in the street but after some clever trickery, they got me on a bike on the streets of DC. ( I purposely didn’t bring my bike to a workshop when I knew they were riding in the street but they had bike share passes so I had no way of getting out of riding) And you know what? I loved it. I had never thought of using my bike in place of my car. And now that was an option.
I soon bought a new upright Dutch bike; I named her Olivia and added a front basket and saddle bags in the rear. I used it to go grocery shopping or pick up something from the store. Along with my Po Campo Handlebar bag I was set to go!
About a year later I realized I needed more space to carry stuff for my new position at the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) so I purchased a rear basket and decorated it with flowers. Now I could carry even more stuff. I used my Po Campo Bike Share Bag at first and I packed it with extra clothes for work. It was great. I especially liked it for days when I took the subway and rode bikeshare from the subway station to work. The front straps on the Bike Share Bag made it easy to carry my gear.
When spring came, I started swimming and needed a bag to separate my wet and dry clothes. Po Campo's Midway Weekender was exactly what I needed. I packed my clothes, swim gear and lunch in the bag and used the zippered bottom part to store my wet clothes after the swim.
Because I have two baskets I can take a quick trip to the store to get food for dinner or stop at the farmer’s market to grab some fresh veggies or buy large amounts of paper towels when I realize I used the last roll.
I love knowing that I can get around the city without a car if necessary and I can still carry stuff without a problem. Being able to carry clothes, groceries and swimming gear all by bike has made getting around DC so much easier.
What do you use to carry your stuff by bike?
About Renee
I’m Renee Moore, founder of Bicycling and the City (AKA the girl on the blue bike)! With a flair for fashion you can often find me, dress billowing in the wind, leading bike expeditions to the city’s most awesome destinations.
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