Covet

[jrenaut]

I don’t know about TimBuk2 but my Chrome backpack is absolutely fantastic. Nothing in it has ever gotten wet (from the outside, anyway) and it barely looks used after being worn 4-6 days a week for the past 2-3 years. They’re expensive, but the lifetime warranty is nice (I did have to send it back because one of the adjuster buckles stopped working, but they fixed it and shipped it back for free).

[hozn]

@Supermau 94153 wrote:

Backpack all the way for me. I like to keep my bike looking stealthy and clean.

+1. Yes, I used a rack (Tubus Fly) + panier for a month or so and hated it. I won’t do that to my bike again — unless maybe I’m actually touring. Made the bike heavy & unbalanced and couldn’t use the panier if I wanted to go off-road, so had to wear a backpack for those rides anyway. I love my Banjo Bros backpack; it has really taken a beating (lots of crashes in the woods). I had to replace the liner once, but they did that for free. Some people complain about how heavy waterproof backpacks are, but the banjo bros is very lightweight. (I also have an Ortlieb Pacman as my backup bag; that one is much heavier.)

[Phatboing]

@dplasters 94157 wrote:

The TimBuk2 Phoenix bag is swanky. Any feedback on waterproof(ishness?) and toughness? I have a great backpack but its not cycling oriented and certainly doesn’t have some of the cool quick grab features that does. That thing is impressive. But I need a tank I can handle with no regard to its well being and still have it working and I’m clearly struggling with the waterproof side of things. While ziplock bags and such work, I’d like to have an additional safety net.

I’ve only had it a couple of months, so can’t say much about toughness, but it seems darn tough. It’s handled groceries+six-pack and 7 hardcovers from the library, so I’m hopeful that it’ll be ok longer-term. Can’t say much about waterproofness yet – I remember one day of riding on wet roads and the water from my tires maybe made my book wet, but I also remember being in the rain and everything being dry inside. I need to test this in a downpour, but my guess is that the top flap is functionally waterproof, and the lower bits are water-resistant to a point.

[cyclingfool]

Haters be hatin’ on racks and panniers.

So, I just want to say, these are items I covet:

[rcannon100]

LUV my Ortliebs!

Steel rack be made for carrying your crap ~ not your spine.

[cyclingfool]

After four years of year-round five-day-a-week commuter use, my Axioms are getting a bit ragged in spots. I’m holding out for a set of Ortliebs as a replacement.

[Crickey7]

@Supermau 94153 wrote:

Backpack all the way for me. I like to keep my bike looking stealthy and clean.

I thought I was the only one who felt that way.

[CaseyKane50]

@cyclingfool 94168 wrote:

After four years of year-round five-day-a-week commuter use, my Axioms are getting a bit ragged in spots. I’m holding out for a set of Ortliebs as a replacement.

You might want to also look at the Arkel line of panniers

I have a pair of Arkel T-42 panniers.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6599[/ATTACH]

Mounting the panniers with one hand is a breeze

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6598[/ATTACH]

[Vicegrip]

@Crickey7 94172 wrote:

I thought I was the only one who felt that way.

I too do the backpack only thing. I weigh 180, bike 18. 20 extra pounds on me is not so much. 20 extra pounds on the bike is 2X bike. I might not BE fast but it is fun to feel fast.

touring I can 100% see it all moving to the bike.

Taking notes on what to look for too.

[rcannon100]

Okay, okay, okay…. let me check the math…..

180 lbs Vicegrip + 18 lbs bike + 20 lbs backpack ===== 218 lbs

um

180 lbs Vicegrip + 18 lbs bike + 20 lbs pannier ====== 218 lbs

Am I making a mistake in my math somewhere, cause I keep coming up with the same number. It doesnt matter where you put the weight – its still the same weight.

I am honestly sitting here laughing at yousse guys whose saying yud rather put the wait on your back insted of the bike to keep dah bike pretty. Um… so the pretty bike is more important than the pretty back????

Okay, I concede. T’is true that the weight is the same – but the wind drag aint. A pannier creates more drag. But for commuting? Every day? Not having a load bouncing on my spine? T’is not a question sez I.

(No no I have no idear why I is talking this way)

[TwoWheelsDC]

@rcannon100 94185 wrote:

Okay, okay, okay…. let me check the math…..

180 lbs Vicegrip + 18 lbs bike + 20 lbs backpack ===== 218 lbs

um

180 lbs Vicegrip + 18 lbs bike + 20 lbs pannier ====== 218 lbs

Am I making a mistake in my math somewhere, cause I keep coming up with the same number. It doesnt matter where you put the weight – its still the same weight.

I am honestly sitting here laughing at yousse guys whose saying yud rather put the wait on your back insted of the bike to keep dah bike pretty. Um… so the pretty bike is more important than the pretty back????

Okay, I concede. T’is true that the weight is the same – but the wind drag aint. A pannier creates more drag. But for commuting? Every day? Not having a load bouncing on my spine? T’is not a question sez I.

(No no I have no idear why I is talking this way)

Yep, it’s partly aesthetic…I fully admit to being a bit snobbish in the regard. But I’m not troubled by the weight of the actual rack…personally, and I only speak for myself here, I’m troubled by having the weight of the rack and pannier hanging over the rear wheel, which can make the bike unstable, particularly when getting out of the saddle, and also when handling the bike while not riding. And when I say unstable, I mean that it makes handling the bike more difficult, and I don’t care for that. Regarding the weight on my spine, I don’t really even notice it unless it’s REALLY heavy, and that is very rare…and a well-fitted backpack will move with you without any excess bouncing or side-to-side movement.

[DismalScientist]

The solution is simple. If you need panniers or a backpack, you are carrying too much crap.

[mstone]

Panniers don’t make a bike unstable, bad riders make a bike unstable. 😎

[hozn]

@rcannon100 94185 wrote:

Okay, okay, okay…. let me check the math…..

180 lbs Vicegrip + 18 lbs bike + 20 lbs backpack ===== 218 lbs

um

180 lbs Vicegrip + 18 lbs bike + 20 lbs pannier ====== 218 lbs

It’s true that the overall weight is the same either way — or at least it would be if the backpack weighed as much as paniers + a rack. But I think the difference is that weight on the bike makes the bike handle differently. Things like hopping up curbs (and less extreme maneuvers) becomes a little trickier with lots of weight on the bike.

I recognize that having a rack on the bike makes me more comfortable while riding (cooler, anyway). But the cost of limiting what I can do on that bike — e.g. doesn’t work as well off-road or as a weekend road bike — and making the bike less nimble, makes it so it’s not worth it for me. And I find the pack more convenient for after I lock up the bike. Obviously racks greatly increase the utility factor of the bike. I only have a few bikes, so utility yields to “fun”, as that is ultimately why I ride. If only I had room for more bikes.

[Supermau]

@rcannon100 94185 wrote:

Okay, okay, okay…. let me check the math…..

180 lbs Vicegrip + 18 lbs bike + 20 lbs backpack ===== 218 lbs

um

180 lbs Vicegrip + 18 lbs bike + 20 lbs pannier ====== 218 lbs

Am I making a mistake in my math somewhere, cause I keep coming up with the same number. It doesnt matter where you put the weight – its still the same weight.

I am honestly sitting here laughing at yousse guys whose saying yud rather put the wait on your back insted of the bike to keep dah bike pretty. Um… so the pretty bike is more important than the pretty back????

Okay, I concede. T’is true that the weight is the same – but the wind drag aint. A pannier creates more drag. But for commuting? Every day? Not having a load bouncing on my spine? T’is not a question sez I.

(No no I have no idear why I is talking this way)

There was this Saturday commute a couple weeks ago where I swear I had a two-ton heavy thing strapped to my back. I had it packed to the stitches with spare clothes, 8 bananas, camera, extra water, bigass U-lock and cable, and this, and that, and what felt like my two year old kid on top of it. The pack was absurdly heavy that day.

I don’t normally go that heavy but this was one of those days. I ate those bananas before the ride home…a little help. Aside from days like that I definitely prefer pack over rack. I don’t mind a bit of weight back there when it’s balanced out. I feel it gives me a more solid workout as well. I also prefer the clean lines of my bike without the rack.

That said, I fully respect the rack riders. Just a different breed of the same species. And a handsome bike is a handsome bike no matter what is attached to it. The junk I see parked at work is astounding, but then there’s a few gems too. Any bike beats no bike I suppose. I will not judge!

I tell ya what I don’t get…commuters in denim, especially in the hot, hot heat. I’m rambling…

[Author]

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