Coffee and Bicycles – Together at last
It might be Bike to Work week, but it’s still hump day. After the exhilaration of Monday and the settling in of Tuesday, you’re now looking at Wednesday – still 3 days to go until the weekend. Even if you’ve been riding to work every morning, there are days where you just can’t skip the morning coffee, and this might be one of them.
But just because you’re riding your bike doesn’t mean you can’t have your morning coffee on the go. And it doesn’t mean riding with one hand on the bars and one hand holding the cup. Thanks in large part to growing numbers of bike commuters, there are now a variety of different cup holder attachments for your handlebars. It’s an easy and safe way to get yourself and your coffee to work, while still being able to grab a sip at the red lights.
A new meaning for coffee bar?
As you can see from these pictures, attaching the cup holder to your bars is similar to mounting a bracket for a light – just a single bolt. If you find it’s still too loose after tightening it down, you can always cut some old tubes to use as a shim. If you don’t have any lying around, just pop in to your local bike shop – chances are they have more used tubes than they know what to do with and will be only too happy to help you out.
Another plus of the handlebar cup holder is that it can fit reusable plastic and metal travel mugs, in addition to the standard paper/styrofoam cups from the coffee shops. This means that both you and your caffeinated beverage can get around with less negative impact on the environment.
So if you’re a coffee drinker and a bike commuter, you should look into a cup holder for your bike. It lets you ride with both hands on the bars, which is important for safety and control, and it means you can ride with your caffeine at hand (although not in hand), so you’ll be good and alert for the morning commute.
Do you have a cup holder on your bike? What are the pros/cons for you? Is it an accessory you’d recommend to other commuters?
Great idea, but here is another thought – a cyclist can plan the route of the daily commute to go past those places that sell coffee-on-the-go. Sounds like fun! And not only coffee, there are a few places that sell delicious smoothies in cups that would fit into such a holder.
I usually make a french press before I leave, but stopping off for some takeout coffee and a danish makes the commute all the more enjoyable. I might have to try a morning smoothie this week. I know just the place…
It is great that people now have the option to bring their coffee with them on their commute to work. Even if that commute is done on a bike! Thanks for sharing.
love the idea. can you post a link to the manufacturer. would love to purchase.
There are several models out there from different manufacturers but here is one by Portland Design Works: http://www.ridepdw.com/goods/cargo/bar-ista%E2%84%A2
That one will fit on any of our pavement bikes but if you have a larger handlebar diameter (like on our mountain bikes), you’ll need something with a larger clamp.
Biking and drinking coffee on-the-go, what a great and healthy lifestyle. But always be safe and wear protective accessories, aside from your coffee accessory.
Magnificent site. Plenty of helpful information here. I’m sending it to some pals and additionally sharing in delicious. And obviously, thanks for your sweat!
Thanks for taking the time to write and share!