Cycling UK Forum

Mine's a large framed cheap second-hand ladies mixte-frame mountain bike, festooned with panniers & wire baskets (skip-finds) front & rear. The step-through mixte frame means I don't have trouble getting my leg over (please ) the mountain of groceries piled on the rear basket. The heavy steel bike is massively strong, so can take huge loads, & has good low gearing. I've got a very big open-topped basket on the rear carrier which can take those unusually large items like giant-size washing powder etc. I keep my family of 4 fully provisioned with this beast. Total cost probably adds up to £30, so I'm not too neurotic about leaving it to the tender mercies of the local urchins while I'm shopping, always a problem if you've got expensive kit.
I'd be interested to hear other views on favourite shopping bikes.

I used to do the week's shopping on my tourer. Front and rear panniers and a "granny" trolleycart, which i attached to the rear rack with 2 toestraps. The journey home had a mile long 1-in-8 hill, but i used to be able to just sit and pedal up in a small gear.

I'm thinking of building myself a flat barred town bike, for nipping to the shops on.

Not a 'shopping bike' as such - we have an allotment 4 miles from home which I ride to on my old hacked Orange o2 mountain bike. The rear panniers get filled with round items, like the spuds, apples, and onions, whilst the long thin veg, leeks and rhubarb mostly, gets strapped to the top of the rack, (or even to the crossbar if I'm short of space). It's 1 in 6 for half the trip - up on the way there but a great downhill on the trip home when you've loaded up !. I once tried an off-road route home on my 'true' mountain bike with a rucksack full of veg. It was a lovely mush by the time I got home. Last week I made the mistake of filling the panniers with wild garlic - I can't shift the smell now

I'd like something like the Kona Ute



Too steep for me, at present.

WOW
I want one of those
I could carry the shopping, a telescope, radio equipment, camping gear, the cat, next-door's dog, the drum kit (nay the whole band) and the kitchen sink



picks chin up off the floor and pops eyes back in.

Its this one: http://cycledad.blogspot.com/2008/04/ka ... sions.html

But with a front basket. I'm using it so much that i think i'll get a trailer for xmas.

That said there are some wonderful ones here: http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/

I love the fact that the dutch way of carying shopping is to drape it anywhere they can

Pity about the lack of rear mudguard.

Otherwise, what a bike!

Well james01, FWIW, this is my shopping bike

Not Campag and tubs, but SA 3 speed and Marathons.
Got it off ebay. It's a 1984 bike and it's great for local trips.
Even managed 23 miles on it last Saturday just to see what it would do.

My Galaxy.

Mine is a Pashley Delibike, singlespeed in Hovis livery and rod brakes.

according to http://www.konabikes.co.uk/2008/ute/ute.php
the kona ute is aluminium. hardly utility in my mind.

Colin Stanley has the right idea. that type of bike will see us all out if cared for occasionally

Cunobelin also, i have an old delivery bike that lives outside. it is a pashley with a small front wheel, and i beleive that it's first owner was the city council. either way, it'll happily get me and two 75 ltr bags of compost home no bother

hubgearfreak wrote:the kona ute is aluminium. hardly utility in my mind.

i know i shouldn't mention the gears so i won't

specialised sirrus!!!

great sturdy bike!

Whichever bike I happen to be on.

hubgearfreak wrote:

hubgearfreak wrote:the kona ute is aluminium. hardly utility in my mind.

i know i shouldn't mention the gears so i won't

...or lack of! 26, 36 and bash guard if memory serves me right! Are they worried about it going fast? You'd struggle to get a sustainable speed above 20 on that gearing!

Like the bike, but don't fancy cleaning that chain! Think the bike is around £550.