A couple overheard on the bus in Arlington discussing the recent Globe article about a family trying to become independent of their car by using their bicycles: "…even with panniers…how much can you carry on a bike?…" In response to their skepticism about being able to do their weekly shopping by bike I offer this alternative.

I received this BicycleR Evolution trailer as a holiday present this year and I have been loving how well it works for me. It weights very little, attaches to the bike extremely easily, is very stable and rides well behind the bike, and carries up to 100 lbs. I use it to go to the grocery store and can easily fit 4 full-sized paper bags full of groceries. Since I do not drive this trailer has made my life much easier. Before I got the trialer I went to the store frequently and had to consider very carefully what items to purchase and how many in order to fit everything in my bike bag on my rack and in my backpack. This often meant that I had to forgo sale items because I couldn’t fit 3 of something. Now I can go to the store and shop normally with confidence that I can fit everything in my trailer. You can find lots of variations on bike trailers including flat-bed trailers that will haul up to 300 lbs. You’ve probably seen the baby trailers on the bike path. Here’s a picture of my configuration.