help picking a rear rack

[Tania]

I do a lot of climbing and mountaineering – some climbs require an approach of several hours (a few have been days) with at least 50 pounds on my back (I weigh 120). The weight of work clothes and food on my back on the days I need to carry such items isn’t really something I’d even notice.

[dcv]

backpack = strength training

[consularrider]

@Tania 113277 wrote:

I do a lot of climbing and mountaineering – some climbs require an approach of several hours (a few have been days) with at least 50 pounds on my back (I weigh 120). The weight of work clothes and food on my back on the days I need to carry such items isn’t really something I’d even notice.

And since you lift weights anyway …

[Tania]

@consularrider 113288 wrote:

And since you lift weights anyway …

True. I just added up last night’s working sets (not including warm up etc) and it was over 3,000 total lifted.

A backpack that weighs a few pounds more than normal carried maybe once or twice a month on my mostly downhill ride into work isn’t exactly taxing.

However an extra 2# on one of dcv’s 30 mile “rolling hills” ride would like kill me. It’s all what you’re used to.

[vvill]

@dcv 113284 wrote:

backpack = strength training

I was getting a “Image Hosted by tripod” image, so fixed that:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]8294[/ATTACH]

I prefer backpacks myself, although if I regularly had to haul >5kgs I’d consider panniers again. I tried a rear rack/panniers for a time but didn’t really like them. It does change the handling of the bike. I’ve always wanted to try a porteur-style small front rack actually – just enough for a 6 pack or two.

[rcannon100]

@Tania 113291 wrote:

True. I just added up last night’s working sets (not including warm up etc) and it was over 3,000 total lifted.

I’m thinking the next time I see Tania I should be a WHOLE lot nicer to her ~ probably knock off the jokes about refusing to stop for coffee because she will get cold and stuff like that. And if Tania says

Biking is not a way of life

I am now of the persuasion that this must be correct.

[Tania]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]8296[/ATTACH]

[vern]

I really don’t notice my backpack when I have it on, even when the load is heavier than normal, such as when I’m toting the laptop. My shoulder straps are pretty snug so that the backpack won’t flop around. Even if the backpack feels heavy when I put it on, because it’s snug, and because I’m thinking about cycling, once I get going the backpack becomes part of me and I usually don’t notice it’s presence until I’m ready to take it off.

[mstone]

@vern 113313 wrote:

I really don’t notice my backpack when I have it on, even when the load is heavier than normal, such as when I’m toting the laptop. My shoulder straps are pretty snug so that the backpack won’t flop around. Even if the backpack feels heavy when I put it on, because it’s snug, and because I’m thinking about cycling, once I get going the backpack becomes part of me and I usually don’t notice it’s presence until I’m ready to take it off.

That’s how I feel about my rack, except that my back isn’t all sweaty!

[hozn]

Wait, why are people worried about getting sweaty on their bike rides?

[dkel]

@mstone 113315 wrote:

That’s how I feel about my rack, except that my back isn’t all sweaty!

I don’t sweat much when riding, but a backpack really brings it out of me, even on quite mild days. Other than that, I don’t mind a backpack, and I’m saying that as a regular rack-and-panniers commuter. BTW, I did my first front-rack-and-panniers commute today, and thought it was really great! Climbing felt much easier, because the bike seemed to do more of the work counterbalancing my pedal strokes, giving my arms a big break. The front panniers are a little smaller, obviously, but I still had room for everything (though my lunch container opened during my ride for the first time ever; possibly because of more lateral movement, being on the steering end of the bike?).

[mstone]

@hozn 113320 wrote:

Wait, why are people worried about getting sweaty on their bike rides?

I like the sweat to blow away, not get trapped to ferment.

[Crickey7]

@mstone 113323 wrote:

I like the sweat to blow away, not get trapped to ferment.

And that’s how I feel about fenders and crud.

[Geoff]

@hozn 113320 wrote:

Wait, why are people worried about getting sweaty on their bike rides?

Horses sweat.
Men perspire.
Women glisten. Including the ones blowing past me on hills.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@mstone 113272 wrote:

I’m vaguely amused by the “I don’t want my bike to feel heavy” meme. Like, why would I want my self to feel heavy instead of the bike? If I don’t want the machine to help me, I might as well just jog there.

Well, I didn’t say others had to feel that way….but my personal preference is that I don’t have to think about the bike while I’m riding. With a loaded rack, I can feel the balance and weight of the bike change and it bugs me. Backpacks, on the other hand, don’t have the same effect. It’s a bit nutty, but everyone has their own random and seemingly nonsensical preferences. Sort of like my aversion to white bar tape. I have nothing against it or those who use it, but I wouldn’t put it on my bike to save my life.

[Author]

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