1. Learn Stuff – Shop by Bike
What if I told you that in a perfect world, you’d never have to look for a parking spot at the supermarket. In fact, there’d be a spot right by the front door. When you got done shopping you’d walk outside, load up your goods and just ride away. Sounds pretty sweet, huh? Well this shopping utopia isn’t imagined, it’s real. Folks all over the country, and the world for that matter, are shopping by bike right now.

According to the US Census Bureau, 80% of Americans live in a metropolitan area. Couple that information with the oft quoted US DOT statistic that 40% of trips in the US are two miles or less, and 25% are less than one mile, and we should be riding bikes to the neighborhood grocery all the time.

In previous E-News Letters, we’ve imparted knowledge about commuting to work and using bikes to carry loads. This issue is more than just a combination of those two, it’s news you can use. That being said, there are a bevy of products out there for folks like us who want to shop by bike, here are just a few to get you thinking:

Wald’s Quick-Release basket can be conveniently removed from your bike and carried into the store with you, so you’d have no problems grabbing a couple of days worth of food stuffs.

If you’ve ever been to New York City, you’ll know that the classic Wald Giant Delivery basket is as common place as a yellow cab. This workhorse rack can easily carry 4 or 5 bags of groceries.

Detours is a company we’ve only just started to become familiar with thanks to Nick Jackson of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation. Their “urban utility pannier” the Toocan is the perfect size for running a quick errand, and is designed to mount easily on a rear rack like our Eco Rack. The Toocan is just big enough to pick up the fixins for dinner on your way home from work.

Cynthia’s Twigs makes a couple of different size wicker baskets for those of you who want to give your shopping bike that “old world” European look. These beauties would work well to pick up some baguettes and a bottle of vino.

A favorite shopping solution within our office is the Xtracycle Free Radical kit. It bolts right onto an existing frame to turn your bike into a lean, mean, produce haulin’ machine. An Xtracycle can carry more than 100 pounds of groceries pretty easily, so you won’t need to shop very often if you shop smartly. I used a Free Radical kit to turn a bike I found in the trash into our family grocery getter for less than the cost of a few tanks of gasoline.

Is this a list of definitive ways to shop by bike? Nope, it is just a primer to get you thinking. Spring has sprung. Go ride your bike.

2. Accessory Handbook – Spok Lights
The new Planet Bike Spok lights have arrived just in time for those hot summer nights out on the town pedaling around. Whether you’re headed back from an evening BBQ with friends or an outdoor concert at the park, the sleek Spoks pack enough punch to keep you safe for the ride home. They’re available individually as front and rear lights or in sets.

3. Advocacy Update – Get Connected
As you may already know, May marks the 52nd annual National Bike Month. Each year hundreds of thousands of people participate in Bike-to-Work week and all the other planned activities that celebrate the bicycle.

If you’re not already a member of your local, regional, or state bicycle advocacy organization, perhaps the fun you have participating in Bike Month festivities will propel you to become a force for change in your community and get involved in your local bike advocacy organization.

To find the group nearest you, visit the web sites of either the League of American Bicyclists or the Thunderhead Alliance. Both have searches to help you get connected to your grassroots champions of bicycling.

If you are still looking for other ways to celebrate and promote bicycling in your community, check out these 50 great ideas.