Re: Colnago Dream HP

On 8/19/2024 11:30 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

 A weeks groceries for me would be two or three paper grocery bags.
(Single use plastic bags are banned in Santa Cruz county).  If I
didn't plan my trips carefully, I could easily end up with a rather
heavy load of metal cans and liquids. 

My open-top panniers (Nashbar brand, decades old) are sized to exactly carry a classic paper grocery bag. We still get disposable plastic bags here, although I usually carry my reusable bags instead.
When I push the cart full of groceries out to the bike, I give some thought to minimizing wasted space inside the panniers. I also put heavy stuff at the bottom, lighter stuff above. Really, a week's worth is no problem at all. Heck, we used to have a cat, and a box or bag of cat litter would often be part of the load.
BTW, it helps that our favorite grocery store gives us a downhill run most of the way home.

"Ways to Carry Groceries on a Bicycle"
<https://lbbjkt.com/blogs/journal/ways-to-carry-groceries-on-a-bicycle>
The first suggestions is a backpack carried over the front wheel and
NOT worn on the riders back.  I suspect the author may have
experienced my problems.  Other than the trailer and cargo bicycle,
the other suggestions will not work with two or three grocery bags.

Going beyond groceries: When we retired, we bought Bike Friday folding bikes with 20" wheels. On our first trip to continental Europe, we used their trailer system, with our large Rick Steves backpacks inside the suitcase-trailers. Lots of Bike Friday owners use that system.
But I found it cumbersome, especially when making hops by train. Four items instead of two that had to be hoisted into luggage cars, etc. So on our next couple trips to Europe, I had the Rick Steves bags fastened vertically behind the saddle and above the rear wheel rack. Once rolling, it was fine; but at ~zero speed, it seemed top heavy and a bit unstable. (The Fridays have not top tube, which makes the stationary bike more prone to tip.)
I've given thought to mounting the bag vertically on a rack over the front wheel. That way my grip on the handlebars would stabilize against tipping. I've got long experience dealing with heavy front loads from by teenage days as a paperboy, among other things. For example, my about-town three speed has a front basket. I've seen advantages to having the load up front.
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- Frank Krygowski