So it's not cool, and won't me score points with the sporty crowd, the fixie crowd, the downhill crowd, or pretty much any of the cycling cliques that exist out there, but for getting my shopping and other errands done on my bike it's the best £20 I've ever spent! If I think of all the journeys I've done on my bike in the last 2 years and the money I've saved in petrol and parking fees, my commuter hack bike has already paid for itself many times over. With a basket in the mix, a whole new range of journeys have opened up to me. Need a trip to the tip (which I do)? Well, now I can go on my bike! Need a bag of logs for the fire? Yup, let's take the bike. I know, I know -- it won't be long before I'm hankering after a trailer or a cargo bike (actually, I've had a hankering for these :-) but as an upgrade from the humble but ever-so-useful in its own way pannier, I can't recommend the basket highly enough. Urban cyclists know this secret already, but somehow those of us out in the sticks a bit more, the drop bar, weekend ride riders have let this pass us by. But as much as my road bike is about travel, exploring, tea shop missions, and fitness, it's also about transport, right? And that means it needs to get the job done. And one of the best parts about this (and probably one of the reasons most cyclists won't be seen dead with a basket on their pride and joy) is that the weight it adds turns my 20 minute ride into a 40 minute workout. Who needs carbon when you can have log carrying capabilities!
Mine's mounted on the rear rack, which has the added advantage that I'm no longer forced to stand there for ages trying to balance panniers, or catching my bike as it tries to flip over if I'm pushing it along the street.
Do I dare take it to the next level and fit a front one too? With drop bars? Is is even allowed!? Would the bike fashion police lock me up and throw away the key? Could they be the next big thing?
It would look as daft as hell on my bike, but this is a lovely looking one:
If I had an upgright, I'd be buying it online right now.
One thing that I considering as a compliment to my basket, is a "grocery pannier". I've got my eye on this one:
I wonder how much I can carry with that AND the basket. Happy days.
