There are many alternatives to the common wicker bike basket in order to transport groceries around town and a far safer option than balancing bags shopping on your handlebars. The Bike Crate: (above) Designed by MAIK from Copenhagen, this sturdy carrier reminiscent of a flight case is made from dibond, stainless steel, aluminum and polycarbonate, reinforced for long life and with a great deal more masculine appeal than the common basket. “The bike crate is the first product giving men what women always had – a practical and stylish solution to the common transportation problems faced by the urban bicyclist,” says MAIK co-founder Andreas Sachse. Retailing at $215, the Bike Crate seems a reasonable sum considering how often it would be used and the weight it can carry. It might even strong enough to carry a svelte looking date? Bike Porter: Those clever Danes at Copenhagen Parts have created the Bike Porter – an integrated handlebar and basket system. The company claims that it’s all fine if you want an old-school weaved basket, but for the modern urban biker, whether mounted on a single speed, or a 12 gear, the Bike Porter should be the people’s choice for function and design appeal. The clean, simple lines of your ride are mimicked in the form of the Bike Porter, which is made from heat-treated alloy tubing and rod, making it lightweight and extremely robust. Designed to attach to the stem just like any normal handlebar, it uses a two-part A-head stem to make things truly secure. Bike Bag: The Bike Bag by German design firm Vindbergh straps on to your bike, with the strength and capacity of holding a small pig. It comes in a variety of colours and materials from leather to rubber, so you can have the choice of choosing one that compliments your style. Considerably more attractive than the average bike basket, the Bike Bag can be detached as a handy shopping tote for those daily errands, delivering a far more stylish statement than a couple of sad looking plastic shopping bags. Wooden Crate: Wooden fruit crates are usually something you see Chinese and Mennonite cyclists carting around, strapped to the back with a couple of bungies, but you would be wrong in thinking it’s not a good idea. If an old fruit crate is a little too cheap looking for you, there area number of handmade wooden crates for lovers of natural materials. Polished and stained, it can be removed from your bike, making it ideal for a picnic, or a visit to your local farmer’s market. Functional and aesthetically pleasing, if it’s not rural enough, you can always spread some mud and chicken shit on it. Available through this Etsy page. The Pop-Up Bicycle Basket: Mio of Philadelphia create sustainable modern furnishings and accessories with eco-friendly solutions. The ‘pop up basket’ is a clever storage basket for your two wheeled pedal apparatus and attachable to most bicycles, either at the front or back. Made from laser-cut, powder-coated steel and wide and strong enough to hold a load of groceries, the question does arise, whether you need a basket to pop up and down, rather than be a permanent feature. For those of us however, who like things to pack away and then spring in to action depending on mood and circumstance, the pop up basket will make your commute and shopping trips a far more pleasurable experience. Bucket Bikes: If you’re looking for something more than a mere basket, or crate to attach to your bike, look no further than the ‘Bucket Bike’. Created by Madsen is can fit multiple children and shopping all at once; capable of holding up to 600 pounds. With that sort of load it would be harder to pedal than a Vietnamese rickshaw full of rotund American GIs, but regardless of that fact, it comes in three lovely colours.