I don't drive and I don't ride a bike either. But I have been schlepping groceries home for years using the unlovely but functional granny cart, a.k.a. folding shopping cart. This is a useful tool, but has several functional limitations: The capacity for carrying is limited. If you shop more than once a week, you're okay, but try lugging stuff home from Costco with a cart! Even two carts (my son and I roadtested this) can't hold enough. The wheels are too small to make it easy to lift onto a bus. Then, there's the pulling factor - pushing would be easier and I wouldn't be hunched over like Mr. Burns. Since I am only 5-3" tall, you can imagine the shortness factor!
So here's my plan: Buy a cheap bike trailer that can convert to a stroller. This could be the kids' model or the pet model, depending on the specs. By removing the front bar which would attach to a bike and attaching a smaller (12") wheel to the front, I would have a useful, high-capacity cart that would fit in the stroller section of a city bus, be able to fold and nest on the lower rack of large-capacity shopping carts, and carry a nice food order home. It should be a great ride because of the boke wheels and the fact that I'd be pushing instead of pulling. Big wheels handle curbs, potholes and snowdrifts (I love Montreal!). The small wheels on the typical carts have a hard time in more than 2" of snow, which means that six months of the year, it's a real drag.
I am excited to get going on this project. I am prepared to spend up to $200.00 on materials and labour, since I would have to have a bike repair person involved. It would pay for itself in savings in taxis, order deliveries and cheapo carts, which don't have a long lifespan. Not to mention that the more fun it is to use, the more motivated I will be to go to the fruit stores that are a mile farther from my house (where the bargains live!). So I won't need a gym membership, with all that walking!
Any Mustachian feedback, experiences or words of wisdom?