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18-05.-2008, 12:39 AM
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#1 |
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Guest
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Local shopping by bike with half a cat basket
Hi,
It has been suggested to me that a cycling group might be interested in this. I had thought cycling groups were purely for the sportive competitor types, rather than those as might use a bike for sheer niffty convienence. However, this being rec biclcles MISC, I'll gamble it might be quite appropriate afterall. Anyhow, the same individual had also suggested I post my 'idea' on instructables . com. So I did. http://www.instructables.com/id/Loc...f-a-cat-basket/ Scroll down for the bigger photo It might interest you. There are lots of other bike ideas there. (a solar powered one, a shopping cart one etc) Whilst Im at it; a couple of sites I found amusing might also tickle someone's fancy here (-: http://www.bikesatwork.com/hauling-...o-capacity.html (from; http://www.bikesatwork.com/bike-trailers/ ) and that from an excellent source of bike related amusement (IMO) http://www.rideyourbike.com/cargo.html By comparison, my shopping aid is considerably more modest. |
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18-05.-2008, 03:45 AM
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#2 |
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Re: Local shopping by bike with half a cat basket
Aquachimp,
That's a great, ingeneous thing you've made. What exactly is a cat basket? Is it used to transport your cute, littl cat? If so, have you ever taken the feline for a ride? Thanks for the links, too. Regards, Cullen On May 17, 10:39*am, aquachimp <aquach...@aquachimp.freeserve.co.uk> wrote: > Hi, > It has been suggested to me that a cycling group might be interested > in this. I had thought cycling groups were purely for the sportive > competitor types, rather than those as might use a bike for sheer > niffty convienence. > However, this being rec biclcles MISC, I'll gamble it might be quite > appropriate afterall. > > Anyhow, the same individual had also suggested I post my 'idea' on > instructables . com. > > So I did.http://www.instructables.com/id/Loc...-with-half-a-ca... > > Scroll down for the bigger photo > > It might interest you. > > There are lots of other bike ideas there. (a solar powered one, a > shopping cart one etc) > > Whilst Im at it; a couple of sites I found amusing might also tickle > someone's > fancy here (-: > > http://www.bikesatwork.com/hauling-...o-capacity.html > > *(from;http://www.bikesatwork.com/bike-trailers/) > > and that from an excellent source of bike related amusement (IMO)http://www.rideyourbike.com/cargo.html > > By comparison, my shopping aid is considerably more modest. |
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18-05.-2008, 04:35 AM
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#3 |
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Re: Local shopping by bike with half a cat basket
In article
<122db9d4-e97d-4bde-868a-291f9f53e789@k37g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>, aquachimp <aquachimp@aquachimp.freeserve.co.uk> wrote: > Hi, > It has been suggested to me that a cycling group might be interested > in this. I had thought cycling groups were purely for the sportive > competitor types, rather than those as might use a bike for sheer > niffty convienence. > However, this being rec biclcles MISC, I'll gamble it might be quite > appropriate afterall. > > > Anyhow, the same individual had also suggested I post my 'idea' on > instructables . com. > > > So I did. > http://www.instructables.com/id/Loc...f-a-cat-basket/ > > Scroll down for the bigger photo > > It might interest you. That is clever, but my lovely bride objected to my plan to halve the cat. I kid, of course! We only have a small dog. And she really didn't want that bisected! The pretty basket in that Instructable is cute, but the mother of all DIY bike luggage is definitely the square plastic bucket saddlebags: http://www.bicycletouring101.com/BikeDIYPanniers.htm One need not resort to something as gauche as a half a cat carrier to go to market: http://www.cynthiastwigs.com/ Yes, they are $60 wicker baskets. But I look at every one of them with lust in my heart, and keep measuring my 20 lb. dog. -- Ryan Cousineau rcousine@gmail.com http://www.wiredcola.com/ "In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls." "In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them." |
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18-05.-2008, 09:36 AM
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#4 |
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Re: Local shopping by bike with half a cat basket
Ryan Cousineau wrote:
> > One need not resort to something as gauche as a half a cat carrier > to > go to market: > > http://www.cynthiastwigs.com/ > > Yes, they are $60 wicker baskets. But I look at every one of them > with > lust in my heart, and keep measuring my 20 lb. dog. Some years ago, I saw a large wire basket next to the curb. It was a very large Wald front basket, like this: http://www.amazon.com/Wald-Delivery...11070766&sr=1-3 I asked Owen about it. He'd gotten it to have his dog ride with him, but the dog had proven so energetic that Owen was throwing out the basket before the experience killed him. Energetic weight high in the front is hard to control. I still have this in my garage. I've got a cat. No way is that cat going on a bicycle. -- Mike Kruger "You have to be careful if you are reckless." - Richard M. Daley |
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18-05.-2008, 07:30 PM
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#5 |
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Re: Local shopping by bike with half a cat basket
On May 17, 8:45*pm, "ccar...@new.rr.com" <ccar...@new.rr.com> wrote:
> Aquachimp, > > That's a great, ingeneous thing you've made. > > What exactly is a cat basket? http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...e=07-55810511-2 is as close to what I've used as I could find a picture of. I've long since lost the front cage/grid bit. They are also called cat crates and cat kennels (and as Ryan Cousineau calls it, a cat carrier) They are also called pet caddys (not "caddies" I notice), however, if doing a web search, you'd be better off looking under pet carrier caddy as pet caddy on its own leads to lingerie web sites for some weird reason which I didn't bother to unravel. >Is it used to transport your cute, littl > cat? Little lol... he's anything but that. >... If so, have you ever taken the feline for a ride? Not on the bike. In any case, I just use half the cat carrier, so he'd be off in a sec. But that aside, the only way I'd put a full enclosed cat carrier on a bike with a cat inside is if I then walked along side... not cycle. > > Thanks for the links, too. > > Regards, > Cullen > > On May 17, 10:39*am, aquachimp <aquach...@aquachimp.freeserve.co.uk> > wrote: > > > > > Hi, > > It has been suggested to me that a cycling group might be interested > > in this. I had thought cycling groups were purely for the sportive > > competitor types, rather than those as might use a bike for sheer > > niffty convienence. > > However, this being rec biclcles MISC, I'll gamble it might be quite > > appropriate afterall. > > > Anyhow, the same individual had also suggested I post my 'idea' on > > instructables . com. > > > So I did.http://www.instructables.com/id/Loc...-with-half-a-ca... > > > Scroll down for the bigger photo > > > It might interest you. > > > There are lots of other bike ideas there. (a solar powered one, a > > shopping cart one etc) > > > Whilst Im at it; a couple of sites I found amusing might also tickle > > someone's > > fancy here (-: > > >http://www.bikesatwork.com/hauling-...o-capacity.html > > > *(from;http://www.bikesatwork.com/bike-trailers/) > > > and that from an excellent source of bike related amusement (IMO)http://www.rideyourbike.com/cargo.html > > > By comparison, my shopping aid is considerably more modest.- Hide quotedtext - > > - Show quoted text - |
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18-05.-2008, 07:56 PM
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#6 |
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Guest
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Re: Local shopping by bike with half a cat basket
In article <546616cf-b3b9-4b45-ba65-699c6b44ba53@k37g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>,
aquachimp <aquachimp@aquachimp.freeserve.co.uk> writes: > In any case, I just use half the cat carrier, so he'd be off in a sec. > But that aside, the only way I'd put a full enclosed cat carrier on a > bike with a cat inside is if I then walked along side... not cycle. You're a good person, and I can attest that cats everywhere are quite thankful for such as you. They're also rather delightfully amused by the fact that you destroyed a kittie hod for your own, nefariously human purposes. Anyway I applaud your approach to shopping by bike. cheers, Tom -- Nothing is safe from me. I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca |
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18-05.-2008, 08:32 PM
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#7 |
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Re: Local shopping by bike with half a cat basket
On May 17, 9:35*pm, Ryan Cousineau <rcous...@gmail.com> wrote:
> In article > <122db9d4-e97d-4bde-868a-291f9f53e...@k37g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>, > > > > > > *aquachimp <aquach...@aquachimp.freeserve.co.uk> wrote: > > Hi, > > It has been suggested to me that a cycling group might be interested > > in this. I had thought cycling groups were purely for the sportive > > competitor types, rather than those as might use a bike for sheer > > niffty convienence. > > However, this being rec biclcles MISC, I'll gamble it might be quite > > appropriate afterall. > > > Anyhow, the same individual had also suggested I post my 'idea' on > > instructables . com. > > > So I did. > >http://www.instructables.com/id/Loc...-with-half-a-ca... > > > Scroll down for the bigger photo > > > It might interest you. > > That is clever, but my lovely bride objected to my plan to halve the cat. Well. imo, the only really 'clever' bit is the how-to-attach-(insert item) -to-the-rack bit. I've got an in/out tray on my desk. I could have used that. Actually, I''m guessing that might be a better idea for say, a small child's bike, as that might also have a small rear rack, because the 48 cm (19 inch) lenght of the cat carrier might over shoot the child's rear lamp by too much (??) > > I kid, of course! We only have a small dog. And she really didn't want > that bisected! > > The pretty basket in that Instructable is cute, but the mother of all > DIY bike luggage is definitely the square plastic bucket saddlebags: Ahh have you seen http://www.hembrow.eu/personal/xtracycle.html (2nd pic in particular. However, the ones you've linked to look like a couple of small kitchen bins that have been converted to panniers. Not a bad idea, but not for me because of limitatons in width-space to either get the bike into the hall way, or the shed. > > http://www.bicycletouring101.com/BikeDIYPanniers.htm > > One need not resort to something as gauche as a half a cat carrier to go > to market: Gauche? Certainly not that. It looks cute you admitted yourself, though I would have chosen the word handy. It is ease itself. One just pops ones bag into it, or off it, and off one goes. Speaking of handy, I now find that when ever I'm on some small DIY project, I tend to place my work station near to the bike because at it's handy height, the cat carrier acts as such a usefull tray to all sorts of bits and bobs. > > http://www.cynthiastwigs.com/ > > Yes, they are $60 wicker baskets. But I look at every one of them with > lust in my heart, and keep measuring my 20 lb. dog. Ahh fine. The photo looks odd though. It appears to be much deeper than the 16 cm depth of the bisected cat carrier, yet it too looks like it comes to about level with the bike seat, yet, presumably still shallow enough to include a cushion. At that size, though surely heavier and I suspect deeper than the cat thing, it would easily accomodate the same shopping bags we use and for a dog, though the cat thing could tecnically seat a more portable dog carrier, the fastened down type would be my own preference also. > > -- > Ryan Cousineau rcous...@gmail.comhttp://www.wiredcola.com/ > "In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls." > "In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - |
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19-05.-2008, 01:02 AM
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#8 |
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Re: Local shopping by bike with half a cat basket
>> Anyhow, the same individual had also suggested I post my
>> 'idea' on instructables . com. >> So I did. http://www.instructables.com/id/Loc...f-a-cat-basket/ =v= That is awesome. Instructables is celebrating Bike Month by promoting the site's many bike-oriented DIY projects. > What exactly is a cat basket? Is it used to transport your > cute, littl cat? =v= I've always called it a cat carrier. They're containers for taking your pets places. I used to have a BOB trailer, and I would put a cat carrier in it to take my cat to the vet. They disassemble for storage, and Aquachimp is using the bottom half of one. =v= There are also larger ones for larger animals. BicycleR Evolution used to sell pet trailers by attaching their usual undercarriage to dog carriers: http://www.bikerev.com/pg4.cfm My friends at Time's Up! used these to run a carfree dog rescue service in New York City: http://www.things.org/~jym/bicycles...cue-trailer.jpg <_Jym_> |
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19-05.-2008, 03:24 AM
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#9 |
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Re: Local shopping by bike with half a cat basket
aquachimp wrote:
> Hi, > It has been suggested to me that a cycling group might be > interested > in this. I had thought cycling groups were purely for the sportive > competitor types, rather than those as might use a bike for sheer > niffty convienence. > However, this being rec biclcles MISC, I'll gamble it might be > quite > appropriate afterall. > > > Anyhow, the same individual had also suggested I post my 'idea' on > instructables . com. > > > So I did. > http://www.instructables.com/id/Loc...f-a-cat-basket/ This is pretty much the classic "milk crate on the back" solution, but with two points of interest: 1. This provides specific instructions for a way to attach it securely to the rack. 2. The half-a-cat carrier isn't as high as the milk crate, so it's less likely to get in the way. Thanks for posting. As it happens, I have an old cat carrier we don't use anymore (because we have a fancier, more secure one now). I might try this. -- Mike Kruger "You have to be careful if you are reckless." - Richard M. Daley |
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19-05.-2008, 04:28 AM
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#10 |
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Re: Local shopping by bike with half a cat basket
On May 18, 8:24*pm, "ZBicyclist" <ZBicycl...@excite.com> wrote:
> aquachimp wrote: > > Hi, > > It has been suggested to me that a cycling group might be > > interested > > in this. I had thought cycling groups were purely for the sportive > > competitor types, rather than those as might use a bike for sheer > > niffty convienence. > > However, this being rec biclcles MISC, I'll gamble it might be > > quite > > appropriate afterall. > > > Anyhow, the same individual had also suggested I post my 'idea' on > > instructables . com. > > > So I did. > >http://www.instructables.com/id/Loc...-with-half-a-ca... > > This is pretty much the classic "milk crate on the back" solution, Precisely! > but with two points of interest: Hmmm. > > 1. This provides specific instructions for a way to attach it > securely to the rack. Yep! > 2. The half-a-cat carrier isn't as high as the milk crate, so it's > less likely to get in the way. Yep! Less likely to get in the way to throw your leg over, and being lower is easier to lift a heavy load into it. No high sides to have to lift over. The cat carrier half is really just a sort of tray, or seat onto which a more portable carrier bag sits securely. 3. The half -a-cat-carrier is much lighter in terms of weight. 4. The cat thingy is much easier to cut and fashion as would be the case for people with femininely rounder large bums than I have, or awkward shaped rear racks. 5. The cat thing I used has a 'mouth' end which I've placed facing the seat. I set the cat base a little away from the seat (don't want to be sitting on it) That way I can get that bit more space lengthwise. 6.The cat carrier is more flexible and therefore less likely to damage wallpaper, or other similar household decor. 7.The cat carrier, could, technically speaking, be kept intact so that one has a cover to protect ones shopping in bad weather. The first bike I rigged up was with that idea in mind, but in practise, no one was cycling through such weather so the top half became available for another bike. Somehow, nothing ever fell out through the rear facing 'mouth', which just goes to show the sides need not be high at all. 8. It looks a dam sight better than a milk crate. > > Thanks for posting. *As it happens, I have an old cat carrier we > don't use anymore (because we have a fancier, more secure one now). > I might try this. > > -- > Mike Kruger > "You have to be careful if you are reckless." - Richard M. Daley- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - |
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19-05.-2008, 08:00 AM
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#11 |
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Guest
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Re: Local shopping by bike with half a cat basket
In article <ceed1d28-3174-420c-9c5a-998aadfdd43e@p25g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>,
aquachimp <aquachimp@aquachimp.freeserve.co.uk> writes: >> That is clever, but my lovely bride objected to my plan to halve the cat. > Well. imo, the only really 'clever' bit is the how-to-attach-(insert > item) -to-the-rack bit. I just used zip-ties to affix a milk crate onto my own Pletscher rear rack. It's actually quite a secure attachment. <wistfulness> Good ol' zip-ties. Good ol' Pletscher rear racks. I do like the length of the cat carrier. I think it would facilitate transporting longer items such as shovels, mattocks and other gardening/digging tools. As long as there are slots in which to hook bungee cords and carabiners. I've grown quite appreciative of my Leggero Max[tm] trailer. It readily converts into a shopping cart, inducing wide-eyed amazement in the faces of onlookers. I've mostly been using it for trips to/from the laundromat, though. When shopping I tend to do one-at-a-time rides to various specialty shops distributed throughout the city, instead of one-stop shopping. It gives me excuses to ride more. The milk crate is usually adequate for that. cheers, Tom -- Nothing is safe from me. I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca |
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19-05.-2008, 10:56 AM
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#12 |
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Re: Local shopping by bike with half a cat basket
On May 17, 7:36 pm, "ZBicyclist" <ZBicycl...@excite.com> wrote:
> Ryan Cousineau wrote: > > > One need not resort to something as gauche as a half a cat carrier > > to > > go to market: > > >http://www.cynthiastwigs.com/ > > > Yes, they are $60 wicker baskets. But I look at every one of them > > with > > lust in my heart, and keep measuring my 20 lb. dog. > > Some years ago, I saw a large wire basket next to the curb. It was a > very large Wald front basket, like this: > > http://www.amazon.com/Wald-Delivery...ome/dp/B0012E0N... > > I asked Owen about it. He'd gotten it to have his dog ride with him, > but the dog had proven so energetic that Owen was throwing out the > basket before the experience killed him. Energetic weight high in > the front is hard to control. > > I still have this in my garage. I've got a cat. No way is that cat > going on a bicycle. My cats don't seem to mind riding on the back of my bike in a cat carrier (with the top on and the gate closed.) When I take them on the bus, they meow constantly. On the bike, they seem to enjoy the ride (it's only about 1.5 km to the vet's office, which is where they tend to be headed.) I think they like the 300m through the park the best, as they get to watch dogs and squirrels from the comfort of the cage. (They get enough birdwatching at home due to feeders outside the front window.) |
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19-05.-2008, 05:14 PM
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#13 |
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Re: Local shopping by bike with half a cat basket
> My friends at Time's Up! used these to run a carfree dog
> rescue service in New York City: http://www.things.org/~jym/bicycles...cue-trailer.jpg =v= Hey, my same friends just had a doggie pedal parade: http://www.flickr.com/photos/txup/s...57604542482202/ <_Jym_> |
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19-05.-2008, 05:15 PM
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#14 |
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Re: Local shopping by bike with half a cat basket
> My friends at Time's Up! used these to run a carfree dog
> rescue service in New York City: http://www.things.org/~jym/bicycles...cue-trailer.jpg =v= Hey, my same friends just had a doggie pedal parade: http://www.flickr.com/photos/txup/s...57604542482202/ <_Jym_> |
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20-05.-2008, 04:31 AM
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#15 |
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Re: Local shopping by bike with half a cat basket
On May 19, 1:00*am, tkeats2...@hotmail.com (Tom Keats) wrote:
> In article <ceed1d28-3174-420c-9c5a-998aadfdd...@p25g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>, > * * * * aquachimp <aquach...@aquachimp.freeserve.co.uk> writes: > > >> That is clever, but my lovely bride objected to my plan to halve the cat. > > Well. imo, the only really 'clever' bit is the how-to-attach-(insert > > item) -to-the-rack bit. > > I just used zip-ties to affix a milk crate onto my own Pletscher > rear rack. *It's actually quite a secure attachment. Yes it would be. Zip ties would not work with the cat carrier. the plastic is simply not as sturdy as that of a milk crate. (Don't milk crates have slots for milk bottles as apposed to a overall flat floor?) > > <wistfulness> Good ol' zip-ties. *Good ol' Pletscher rear racks. > > I do like the length of the cat carrier. * Hmmm 43 cm... is around 19 inches... plus a few more for under the seat. Just how short a shovel are you having to work it. Now if you want to get, say a smallish kichen bin, the like of which are often crowding the pavement (London areas) outside mostly Asian run household & hardware shops, you could convert it into a sort of high set pannier. Put it this way, if you've ever seen a gardeners truck with what looks like a pipe standing up at one end with heads of brushes sticking out... that the idea... but on a bike. I had toyed with the idea of cutting a grove (curve) into the back end of the cat carrier, yet not as deep as the front 'mouth' This way I could get longer items to 'rest' into the grove. I don't know why , we've not had to carry longer items with the 3year old cat-carrier base. Anyhow, What's more they'd sit at an angle down to the seat, i.e. the weight would head into the bike not away from it and therefore not obsure the sight of the rear lamp. However, recently I took 2 X 20 litre sacks of garden compost. (total weight being around 15 kgs ... 33lbs) The first fitted snuggly into the carrier, but left almost no room for the next one. Somehow, it stayed put, but by the time I got home (around 1.5km) I notice that the sides of the carrier had splayed outwards slightly. Of course, it then recovered, but the experience suggests that longer loads better not be too heavy. >I think it would > facilitate transporting longer items such as shovels, mattocks > and other gardening/digging tools. *As long as there are slots > in which to hook bungee cords and carabiners. > > I've grown quite appreciative of my Leggero Max[tm] trailer. > It readily converts into a shopping cart, inducing wide-eyed > amazement in the faces of onlookers. *I've mostly been using > it for trips to/from the laundromat, though. *When shopping > I tend to do one-at-a-time rides to various specialty shops > distributed throughout the city, instead of one-stop shopping. > It gives me excuses to ride more. *The milk crate is usually > adequate for that. > > cheers, > * * * * Tom > > -- > Nothing is safe from me. > I'm really at: > tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca |
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