Bicycles / Cycling and Beer

A messenger bag will suffice for a growler, maybe two, although it wouldn't be all that much fun to cycle very far with them. A trailer is probably the best answer for multiple growlers or a case or two. I'm sure someone (quite possibly people I know) has hauled a 1/2 barrel keg by bike but I wouldn't really recommend it. It not so much an issue of weight as it is keeping the center of gravity low and stable, people routinely haul hundreds of pounds by bike in less affluent countries.

A high quality rear rack like a Bruce Gordon or a Nitto would support a case but it puts the center of gravity too high. As @Mizz noted cans are much more bike friendly than glass bottles.

 

I can safely carry ~3 pints in my belly. The rest goes in the bag (if I'm carrying one).

 

This has been a fun thread to peruse. I didn't notice any mention that Sierra Nevada was one of the lead sponsors of this years Tour of Colorado.

This weekend I hit 2500 miles for the year which considering my AARP eligibility and the rough downstate county highways we ride on, thick with 4WD trucks in a hurry, I feel pretty good about.

The cracks and terrible oil and chip jobs on these roads have kept me from getting a pure road bike. I have two TREKs I ride , nothing fancy aluminum frames, 3 chain rings, and about 65 psi( to absorb some of the road's bounce.)

Sunday morning the guy I often ride with and I took of on a 40 mile down and back into the hinterland near the Spoon River.
A few of those trucks shot past us at 60mph+ barely allowing the 3ft . We couldn't help but stereotype them as "in a hurry to get a 30 pack before noon kickoff..." If that makes me a bad person, it ain't the only thing.

 

For me it doesnt matter, I ve done every style under the sun practicaly after a ride. Slightly larger beers come off a better experience since anything lighter just gets pounded and disappears too quickly for myself.

Often during my rides home the only thing I am thinking of is that beer I am going to drink when I get home.

 

Same here. As with non bike-related beer decisions, the time of year often plays a part for me. Big difference between what I want to drink after a 95F summer ride vs a 25F winter ride. Only other thing I'd add, is if it was a particularly long/hard ride, and I have plans later that evening, I may stay away from the higher ABV stuff as it hits me like a brick after a hard ride, and usually equates to nap time.

Hell yes to that!

 

What.. no one here follows the (in)famous, drunkcyclist.com?

 

i've never understood non-sponsored / professional riders who wear all that spandex with a million logos. is it trying to dress like your favorite rider?

 

Personally I don't get it either. For me (and most of the guys I ride with) kit preference goes:

Team (that you belong to) kit>Tasteful independent un-branded kit (like Attaquer in my avatar)>Pro team replica kit

Having said that, I guess someone who is into wearing full Garmin / Sky / Movistar etc kit, could argue that they're just waving the flag of their favourite team in the same way that people wear football/soccer/hockey jerseys etc, without going out on the field as a starting player each week.

 

For the avid cyclists... when you have a bit too much craft beer, do you tend to cramp up during your ride due to dehydration?

 

The first brewery I ever went to was a local place in my college town...Pearl Street Brewing Company in La Crosse, WI. On Wednesdays, if you ride your bike to the brewery your first pint is free (any beer on tap...even their special release offerings).

There were plenty of Hipsters and Roadies who attended, but over the few years I was able to participate it grew to be a very eclectic crowd. Hipsters, Roadies, College kids, Professors, factory workers, hospital staff, retail employees...people from all walks of life began to attend and make this a great weekly event. The coolest part, IMO, is that it got a lot of people out on bikes that probably would not have if not for this type of event.

Certainly, not every brewery is located within a college town but for PSB this is a great promotion to build loyal clientele given their location. La Crosse is a town of about 50K and home to three colleges (UWL, a Private College, and a Tech School). Needless to say, there are a lot of young people who enjoy beer. What better way to get this demographic in the door than by offering a free pint? Yes, not every college age kid is into craft beer, but once the word gets out that you get a free pint if you bike in...that's going to get some people in the door. That's what got me into the door and I have been enjoying craft beer...especially PSB...ever since.

 

It's that very thought that's gotten over many crests and through many headwinds.

"Shut up, Legs! There's beer at home."

 

Around here at least, a popular DYI option are the square, 5-gallon plastic buckets. Buy and install a retail rack. Score a couple of the buckets (with lids) from a restaurant, construction site, wherever. Get a couple of hooks from the hardware store (or bend em up your self) and bolt em to the buckets. Hang em from the rack.

At about 8 inches square, and a foot and a half deep, you can fit a lot of stuff in them. My town has a plastic bag ban, so we're used to carrying our shopping bags. With the buckets, you just put your groceries right in to the bucket, and hang it back on the bike. Plenty of room for sixers and growlers, and the lids keep everything dry.

 

I bike sometimes, but not the competitive type. i do not wear helmet, I dress in T-shirt. I simply believe biking as a mode of transportation. Just like you r not likely to dress up in racing gear when you hop into your automobile. - just personal philosophy.

 

to me wearing a team jersey or hat still makes more sense. there's a direct relationship as you'e a fan of that team. wearing lycra with logos from AT&T, Cheerio's, Office Depot etc just seems dumb to me.

 

There are some great set-ups out there, you just have to look. Here's a great growler box, for example, and there are lots of different sizes:



Also, sturdy panniers would work for growlers. If you want to get clever, you could use the insulated boxes that pizza delivery guys use on their scooters (bike delivery services use them, you have to be a monster to ride with them, though), you could even be a DIY queen and use milk crates. I mean, let's face it, it's still glass, but at least in a rear-mounted box or good panniers the glass is behind you and not between your legs!

For a keg, you would need a trailer. I have a friend who pulls a fairly large sound system on some rides, I bet his sound system trailer could fit a keg.

Ride bikes
Drink beer
Safety third!

 

I get you except for the helmet part. Whatever the reason you're getting on a bike you should wear one IMO.

To use your analogy, it's like getting into your automobile and not wearing a seatbelt.

 

NICE!

 

I cramp up sometimes, but have never noticed a correlation with beer consumption. Sometimes my form on a ride makes no sense. Can be very hungover on 3 hours sleep and be in beast mode, or can have eaten all the right stuff, gone to bed early, and drank nothing - and then end up struggling badly on the ride/race.