Junk in the trunk

[jrenaut]

@pfunkallstar 20215 wrote:

I’ve been pining for a new chrome bag – my 8+ year old Timbuk2 bag has a nice olive drab color superimposed over the blue and white. I’ve been watching slickdeals for a while now – they never go on sale!

I’ve seen Chrome bags on sale (mostly backpacks) at The Clymb. They’re a daily deal site, and if you sign up through that link I get a $10 credit.

[DCAKen]

I have a pair of Ortlieb Back Packers that I’ve been using for well over a decade. They’re sturdy!

[KelOnWheels]

@Dirt 20227 wrote:

Shoulder/messenger bags are sometimes hard to get adjusted correctly. I used them for years because I have shoulder issues that make backpacks painful most of the time.

Maybe it’s my total lack of upper body muscle, but I have a rough time with heavy stuff pulling on my shoulders. Sometimes it makes me feel sick :p

Not that I need to carry anything heavy to work, just lunch and clothes really.

[DCLiz]

I just got a Ward folding rear basket and I love it. I pop it open and throw my purse in when I need it, and it folds flat when I don’t. I bought it from The Daily Rider and the nice folks there installed it for me at no cost.

I also have a cute clip-on pannier from Basil — it’s girly pink and white and gray. I like it because it’s super easy to clip on and off the back rack, and cute enough to take out with me if I’ve ridden to happy hour. That goes on the other side of the rack from the folding basket when needed, such as on Bike to Work day to haul swag.

[acc]

This may be overkill but I have to haul the contents of an office back and forth to work. I use panniers.
http://www.amazon.com/Eleven81-State-Line-Pannier-Black/dp/B001CX1KVM

These can easily haul four bags of groceries, not that I like to shop, not that I like cook either. But it’s possible. And unfortunately, I’ve done it. Theoretically, they could haul four pairs of good shoes and a bag. In the name of research I promise to ride to Tysons this weekend to find out.

I can manage a messenger bag, but mine is so small it barely fits more than a toothbrush and a change of clothes.

Good luck with this. You’ll find something that works.

ann

[OneEighth]

Timbuk2 swig backpack. You can customize it somewhat, FWIW, but more importantly, they really stand behind their product. Made in USA, too.

[dasgeh]

@DCLiz 20235 wrote:

I also have a cute clip-on pannier from Basil — it’s girly pink and white and gray.

DCLiz – what a cute bag! If we were to turn this into a “what bag to you covet” thread, I would mention this bag: http://pocampo.myshopify.com/collections/all/products/streeterville-clutch-2

[KLizotte]

I’m so fantatical about not wearing anything on my back that my recent choice between buying an all carbon bike and a non-carbon road bike came down to whether I could put on a rack (easily). The non-carbon won out because there were at least a couple of holes in the seat stays for a rack. The guys at the LBS were rather aghast at the thought of attaching a rack to a road bike but I can’t stand the thought of wearing a backpack for 5+ hours. I’m one of those folks that tends to pack everything “just in case” including a fold up hammock on really nice days.

[acc]

With a backpack or a messenger bag I never, ever play the “What if” game.
But with panniers it’s too much temptation to overcome with rational thought.
What if… it rains. I need rain gear.
What if… it gets dark. Oh, I’ll bring lights. And a backup set.
What if… I want to lock up. Oh, let’s bring a U-lock and a cable.
What if… I want to buy something? Let’s bring my real wallet.
What if… I have a flat? I know, I’ll bring a bigger pump.
What if… I want to take a real picture of something? I’ll bring my good camera.

And suddenly I have enough equipment to camp overnight. As if. Now that would truly be a cold day in hell.

The backpack exerts discipline. The panniers make you stronger. It’s a toss up.

[eminva]

I have had quite an odyssey trying to find a portaging system that works and stands the test of time. When I first started commuting, I got the low end panniers on the wall at the bike shop. Those were fine until my first and only dooring incident — which happened at about 5 mph, so I was okay, but one of the panniers flew off and got a busted bungee. After that they would fly off at any bump in the road and one time one of them flew off on a busy stretch of 14th Street in Columbia Heights, where it was repeatedly run over in rush hour traffic until I could retrieve it during a brief gap in traffic. The construction workers working on the Target store there got their day’s entertainment. The hooks that held it to the rack were crushed and so that was the end of that.

After we moved to VA, I was doing a mixed modal commute for a while so I needed something with a strap so I could carry it on the metro. I bought one set of panniers that were all one piece. That proved too cumbersome to carry, so I abandoned that.

Now, I have this:

@SilverSpring 20222 wrote:

Pannier/bag combination. I’ve got this (http://www.amazon.com/Topeak-MTX-Trunk-Bag-DX/dp/B000FIAU0C/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1337697538&sr=8-9) or something like it from Topeak and I’ve been quite happy the past three years. The middle part holds lots of clothes and the zip-down panniers hold break-down gear and office junk (alternately, it can hold an entire St. Patrick’s Day dinner and four bottles of wine–just sayin’). Best of all, a strap makes the whole kit and kaboodle easy to carry when I get to my destination.

I try to discipline myself to only fill up the main compartment, and use the panniers only when I need to carry my laptop to/from work or am grocery shopping on the way home. My husband also used this bag on his C&O canal towpath trip. The stitching is starting to fall apart though, and it’s only been two or three years.

I got a Chrome bag last year — the smallest size for my small back. I use it often but not for full time commuting. I am a little worried about what would happen to my back/neck/shoulders if I started carrying a bunch of weight around, but I should try it one of these days. However, not summer.

This is just one area where I haven’t found a perfect solution for my commuting needs.

Liz

[KelOnWheels]

I like the videos on Timbuk2’s website where they say you can easily carry a bike frame and an extra wheelset on their backpacks. Packing an entire extra bike seems a bit redundant

[KLizotte]

@acc 20259 wrote:

With a backpack or a messenger bag I never, ever play the “What if” game.
But with panniers it’s too much temptation to overcome with rational thought.
What if… it rains. I need rain gear.
What if… it gets dark. Oh, I’ll bring lights. And a backup set.
What if… I want to lock up. Oh, let’s bring a U-lock and a cable.
What if… I want to buy something? Let’s bring my real wallet.
What if… I have a flat? I know, I’ll bring a bigger pump.
What if… I want to take a real picture of something? I’ll bring my good camera.

And suddenly I have enough equipment to camp overnight. As if. Now that would truly be a cold day in hell.

The backpack exerts discipline. The panniers make you stronger. It’s a toss up.

Most of the time I simply use my tiny Topeak trunk bag. I can just barely fit my U-lock, wallet, keys, phone, bandaids, spare tube, patch kit, and occasionally a camera in it.

[acc]

You have discipline. Me? Happiness is having enough room to drag a dismembered body home on my bike. :rolleyes:

[OneEighth]

Something to consider when deciding between a pack and panniers—panniers make you wider, which can be the difference between a close call and an accident. But then, if you have crazy wide handlebars it probably doesn’t matter that much.

[Lt. Dan]

@jrenaut 20228 wrote:

I’ve seen Chrome bags on sale (mostly backpacks) at The Clymb. They’re a daily deal site, and if you sign up through that link I get a $10 credit.

Done

[Author]

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