Grocery Getter

In an earlier post I briefly mentioned having gotten Topeak's Trolley Tote for grocery runs.  Having used it a few times now I feel ready to give a basic review.

As you'll see, the Trolley Tote is essentially a milk crate with wheels and a handle.  It folds up when not in use, and locks down to the rack via Topeak's MTX trac system. 

To use the Tote for its intended purpose you must first unfold it which involves several steps:

You first loosen the clips on the handle end of the Tote,

then raise the sides up and unfold them. 

You seat a clip on the inside of both sides,


then put 'stiffners' which are stored inside the Tote over the side hinges and snap them in place.

Finally, you re-clip the clips on the outside and wah-lah--grocery tote. 

This can all be done while the Tote is clipped into the rack, and once you've done it a few times takes less time to do than it does to explain.  The handle telescopes out and locks in place to pull the Tote around with which is quite handy.  And the inline-skate wheels roll well.


Once opened and locked in place the Tote is quite sturdy and capable of performing its task..  I was worried that it would be a little flimsy, but it is quite solid--at least as solid as a real milk crate.

Overall the Trolley Tote works well for its intended purpose.  It wouldn't hold enough groceries for a typical family's weekly grocery run (though my Nomad would easily do so), but since I have a problem knowing what I want to eat more than a day or two in advance, I tend to go to the grocery daily or every other day, and the Tote holds a day or two's groceries for one person easily.  If your typical grocery haul is any larger I would recommend the Burley Travoy.  This option cost quite a bit more, but carries a lot more.  A friend of mine has one and she loves it (I am considering getting one for myself for errands and possibly overnighters--if I do I will of course give my opinions here)

When loaded with groceries you wouldn't want to make too many high speed maneuvers with the Tote in place because it does put the weight you are carrying up quite high and you can feel the difference, especially if you have something relatively heavy in the Tote; such as a gallon of milk, or a half-case of beverages.  But, if you keep at a casual speed the weight of the laden Tote isn't a big deal, so long as you keep it in mind when stopping and turning.

As for negatives--the handle doesn't lock when retracted, the whole thing is noisy, and a net should come with it.

1. The handle locks in place when extended, but not when retracted.  This isn't really an issue when the whole thing is folded because the handle faces the bike's seat, so you don't have to worry about it extending out behind you, but it does rattle around a bit while you are riding, which adds to the already annoying amount of noise this thing makes.  
2. Whether folded or unfolded the Tote makes quite a bit of racket.  This seems to be from the way it loosely sits in the trac system which allows the Tote to steadily clang up and down against the rack.  It seems to me that the Tote could be made to sit tighter in the trac and therefore make much less noise.  I've taken to using some soft Styrofoam between the Tote and rack to deaden the noise.  This fix is working quite well, but it always bothers me when I have to come up with some kind of  'user-designed after-market device' for something I pay for.
3. A cargo net is needed if you are carrying groceries across any less-than-perfect surface, which is 99% of the surface I travel on.  If you don't use a net your groceries will bounce around in the tote and could easily bounce out of it.  I already have a small bungee net that I use to fasten things to my rack, but it seems to me that something so integral to using the Trolley Tote should be included with it.  Topeak does sell a net separately, so this is probably an issue of economics, but come on guys.

So, overall I would say that I am satisfied with what started as an impulse buy (it was on sale, and I was buying a compatible rack), though I would caution others to be aware of the Tote's limitations, and take some time to consider how he/or she plans to use it, before laying down his/ or her's cash.