Our friends at Cool Tools pointed out the Xtracycle FreeRadical rear wheel extender kit. This is a well-designed conversion for old, well built mountain bikes and hybrids that can help you haul lots of heavy and bulky gear with it.

The FreeRadical is available in 26-inch and 700cc versions, depending on the size of your bike's wheels.

The manufacturers feel that the FreeRadical can make a bicycle a viable alternative to a car for many errands around town. I think this would work for me if I was really focused on saving money. I work out of a home office and the town I live in-- Newtown, PA-- is very compact. There are two supermarkets, a Staples, a Bed Bath and Beyond, and an old-fashioned hardware store within a mile and a half.

I think 75 percent of our household errands could be accomplished on a bike with a FreeRadical attachment on it. It would be interesting to give this a try sometime. I could easily make the modifications to my trusty old Marin Bear Valley SE. It would give the bike a new purpose in its semi-retirement.