Carrying Beers On Your Bicycle - Basket? Panniers? Insulated?

I just donated my racing bike to a local charity. This frees me up to get a practical bike for riding to/from local tastings. But what next?

The problem of transporting one to six bottles of beer poses a problem, for it’s always good to use both hands for steering.

Have you solved this problem? Can you make a recommendation?

Messenger bag or backpack.

dad’s unused christmas gift from a couple of years ago. bless his heart, he always thinks of beer.

So I take it, that’s not your bike? Have you tried to use it? I’m guessing most riders could fit a sixer on their top tube like this? Or maybe not?

Originally posted by mkgrenwel
Messenger bag or backpack.

Originally posted by joet
So I take it, that’s not your bike? Have you tried to use it?

what you need is a tray

Helped a friend install a Storvino (plastic stacking thing for wine storage, kind of milk-crate like) on his bike awhile back for this purpose, worked quite well. We drilled holes in it and attached it like a front basket. It fits wide Burgundy-style bottles (e.g. Cantillon) but just barely.

I bike commute and transport beers regularly. If I’m going to a tasting after work, I’ll put a few bottles in something like these: http://www.builtny.com and then put them in my backpack or panniers, depending on what bike I take. Then they’re padded by clothes, shoes, etc.

If I stop at a shop on the way home and don’t have something like that, I just get the bottles in paper bags at the store, then slide them in however they can fit, packing clothes and whatever in between so they don’t clink together. I’ve carried as many as 12 large-format bottles at once in a regular backpack, along with the usual clothes and other stuff I take to and from work. You just have to cram.

Same goes for the panniers. I have a Topeak bag and back rack that work together: http://www.topeak.com/products/bags/MTXTrunkBagEXP - I honestly don’t know what size I have but it looks like that. If I have a bunch of bottles, I can usually put up to 4 in the main (top/middle) compartment, using paper bags and my wallet to keep the clinking to a minimum. Then I can put a few on each side with clothes and shoes in between them.

I’ve never had a bottle break with either of these methods. Just don’t fall or get hit.

I’d like to say a simple tray or crate would work, but this only works if:

-You’re in the Netherlands and people somehow carry anything on their bikes in the most casual way
-You’re going a short distance
-You are traveling flat topography
-You’re not riding in much traffic

On a typical US street, you’re not going to get away with the more casual methods. SrSilligoose and I - back when he was shawnm213 and I was just signing up here - would ride from West Lakeview Liquors back to mine and kybeergurl69’s apartment with beers in plastic crates strapped on with bungee cords, but we were going like 2 miles or less on flat side streets with minimal traffic.