Milk crates were surely one of the first accessories ever strapped to a bicycle. It’s the simplest way to add significant carrying capacity to any bike. One of the first things I did when I got my bike was add a rack and a milk crate – but I wasn’t quite smart about it.

I wanted the crate to be removable, so rather than securing it with zip ties, I recycled some old tire tubes and inter-wove them with the rack and the holes in the crate. It seemed pretty solid, so I thought I’d make a trip to the liquor store. The problem with the tubes is they’re made of rubber, so they stretch. They stretch a little too much for a beer-laden milk crate.

When I got out of the saddle, rocking the bike ever so slightly was enough to stretch the tubes, and send my beers flying. I burst some Surly’s halfway home. Lesson learned.

Topeak TrolleyTote

After I purchased the Babyseat to tote Jules around, I found that Topeak also makes a milk crate sized basket called the TrollyTote that works with the same rack as the Babyseat.

At $50, the TrolleyTote is the most expensive milk crate you’ll ever buy. It’s worth it for me because it is easily removable and super-secure when on the rack.

Extra Features

The TrollyTote can fold up which I guess is a feature, but I find it to be more of an annoyance, as the clips that hold it “unfolded” don’t fasten very tightly. But no beer has been spilled over that issue. The retractable handle and wheels are handy, but honestly I could do without them, especially if omitting these “Extra Features” would lower the cost.

I’ve used the crate for numerous grocery and beer runs and haven’t spilled a drop (or broken an egg) since my first misfortune with my poorly rigged crate.

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