Wednesday, April 20, 2011

wide load coming and going

Had a 4'6" tube of aluminum trim channels delivered at work, and had to take them home by bike.
That's an unusually wide load for me,  and I was very conscious of it the whole ride, giving parked cars a lot of clearance.   I took the Charles river path home, partly to get more space,  but it was a constant battle to avoid whacking headphone wearing pedestrians, and metal crash barriers.

There were a couple of places in particular- at the BU bridge construction and at the new pedestrian overpass construction near Magazine street,  where the path was extremely narrow, and I had to wait for oncoming traffic to clear before I could proceed.



I got home, took the small-brown-dog for a walk,  and then headed out again in the other direction to Home Depot,  where I picked up shelf pins,  break off screws, double stick tape,  rug underlayment and a 4' length of 1x6 baseboard.  


For better or for worse, the stretch of path between Harvard and Arsenal street is much less travelled,  so I wasn't constantly worried about smacking passers by and inanimate objects.  However it's a bit spooky to be the only person on the path that time of night, well lit as it may be.   It was good to get home safely after a long evening of schlepping stuff.
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4 comments:

  1. Barb ChamberlainApril 21, 2011 at 11:06 AM

    My heroine! I've carried overloaded panniers plus a bag strapped on top (farmers' market haul) and a few things that stuck out a bit like rolled-up posters, but nothing this ambitious. I am inspired.

    @BarbChamberlain
    @womenbikeblogs
    www.facebook.com/womenbikeblogs

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  2. Justine ValinottiApril 21, 2011 at 11:57 AM

    Back when I was young, stupid and full of testosterone (Did I repeat myself?), I moved from one living place to another on my bicycle. Needless to say, I made a bunch of trips. I carried my stereo system, including DJ-sized speakers, as well as a couple of chairs and a few other big things, on my bike. I must say, though, I admire and respect you. I think your load was probably even more difficult because it was less stable and made turns even more precarious than my loads did.

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  3. AnonymousApril 22, 2011 at 9:14 AM

    I carried a step ladder home from work once; I found having a 3'-4' ladder across the back of the bicycle was quite effective at discouraging motorists from close passes. (the baskets were easily 2' wide, so it was easy to attach the ladder in a stable fashion).

    Angelo

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  4. SarahApril 22, 2011 at 2:42 PM

    Reading all of these posts about cargo, I keep thinking of one of my favorite shots from The Bicycle Thief with all of the poster-hangers cycling up some Roman street, each with their long ladder tucked under one arm. I just can't imagine doing it without either a. Falling off my bike, or b. Conking someone on the the head with my ladder. And yet they do it so gracefully and unthinkingly...

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