Felkerino and I recently acquired a bike to share, the Bridgestone MB-4. To-date, the sharing has consisted of me letting Felkerino ride it. That’s ok. My day will come.

We realized that the Bridgestone is perfect for hitching up the $40 mint-condition Burley trailer that Felkerino got a few years ago from Goodwill. He’s been threatening to use it for years, and with the Bridgestone in our possession, he finally got his chance.

First he did a couple of test rides. We picked up a Nishiki mixte frame and took it home, using the Burley. We donated a frame to Velocity Bicycle Co-Op, and used the Burley for that errand as well.

Last week, Felkerino decided it was time for the real test, and we biked our way to Whole Foods. Upon arriving, Felkerino found a place to park the beast. That thing takes up a lot of real estate and, even though the P Street Whole Foods has decent bike parking, there is no space dedicated to jumbo bikes.

Once inside, we started filling our cart. While I went to grab the hummus, Felkerino STUFFED our cart full of at least two weeks of food. All totaled, we left with three large bags stuffed full of groceries.

I was worried that this load would be more than the Burley and Felkerino could handle, but Felkerino assured me that everything would work out just fine. “That’s what it’s made for!”

Still unconvinced, I watched as Felkerino bombed his way down 15th Street in the early evening traffic. An urban warrier with a cargo trailer. I love it!

The Burley did just fine, and we made it back home with all our groceries intact. We even got a hearty wave from a fellow cyclist. Maybe he thought we were touring from some far away place, and not just P Street.

Felkerino said that the trailer pulses some at the point where it is attached to the bike, but overall it rode well. For the next trip, we decided not to load the Burley up quite so much, as the weight Felkerino hauled was a bit more than optimal.

Wow, I am so impressed and happy. First, I’m impressed that the Burley trailer and bike setup works. Second, I’m ecstatic that we can get at least two weeks of food into our house by not using a car. The more I can reduce my reliance on a car, the happier I am on this planet.

That was $40 well-spent, Felkerino.