Rucksac vs. panniers

[palinurus]

Returned laptop to work this morning, didn't feel anywhere near as heavy. I was probably just knackered on friday.

 

[gambatte]

Returned laptop to work this morning, didn't feel anywhere near as heavy. I was probably just knackered on friday.

Oh great!!!


So this whole 7 page thread was a complete waste of time then????

 

[Tynan]

perhaps it's been replaced by a bottle of supermarket cola?

 

[wafflycat]

all good waffly, rack bags always look a bit shoot to me when i see them, before they get very big at all they start to look unsteady and wobbly, the cool looking wedge one look good but perhaps a bit small as you suggest the lest one looks plain huge

it's all got so complex since I moved on from a plastic bag and a bungee

Well the asthetics is purely personal, but I can assure you that neither of the rackpacks I use are unsteady or wobbly in any way.

 

[palinurus]

Oh great!!!


So this whole 7 page thread was a complete waste of time then????

Nah, because if I'm gonna be travelling at the weekend or monday morning I'll still need to take the laptop home on a friday, and I'll be tired.

 

[tony higson]

Cycling in your work clothes

Well at least in clothing of some sort! I have a problem which i am trying to make a solution for and wondered if any one else had the same issue if so what do you think of my solution? see my blog im new to this so i hope this is ok?
http://highson.wordpress.com/category/cycling-to-work/

 

[Rhythm Thief]

The change to panniers was a revelation in several respects ...
... I noticed comething odd. I was getting alot more space from traffic. I put this down to the reflective panels on the panniers, which leads drivers to (for once) percieve me to be wider than I am.

I wonder if this is why I had so few arguments with drivers when I was commuting regularly? Nearly all my riding was done with a pannier full of junk on the right hand side of the bike and I rarely got passed too close or abused by motorists. Just a thought.

 

[Tynan]

Well the asthetics is purely personal, but I can assure you that neither of the rackpacks I use are unsteady or wobbly in any way.

brill, thanks waffly, I think I'm going rack bag then as long as they hold what I need, they look a lot smarter and aerodynamic and even better they're cheaper than panniers

and a right side pannier has made a world of difference to the margin I get from passing vehicles, I mount a light on the left corner of the rack too which I think helps

 

[HJ]

Well at least in clothing of some sort! I have a problem which i am trying to make a solution for and wondered if any one else had the same issue if so what do you think of my solution? see my blog im new to this so i hope this is ok?
http://highson.wordpress.com/category/cycling-to-work/

I can't see any posts...

 

[HJ]

Or you could use the solution I saw yesterday, wire basket on the front with a rucksack in it...

 

[summerdays]

I saw one of those flowery pannier bags today. Stopped at a major light controlled roundabout (St James Barton), and noticed the lady next to me had one. In the time before the lights changed the lady told me that it was strong and easy to use.

It looked bigger than the picture looks too - though not as big as my pannier I have to carry all my gear in wintertime. Perhaps in summer.

 

[davidtq]

Then I noticed comething odd. I was getting alot more space from traffic. I put this down to the reflective panels on the panniers, which leads drivers to (for once) percieve me to be wider than I am. The other great thing is the extra weight you have to deal with. My commute has a couple of litle hills in it and if I extend it in the evenings it has even more hills- all of which makes weekend riding on my non commuter a very fast and rewarding experience. Panniers, they're my new favourite bike item!

Yep I noticed the difference on my very first ride with panniers, and on the couple of rides ive made without them since, They really do seem to have some sort of car repelling magic, They seem to gain me a good 1-2' more space than I got without them. Now I use them even if Ive got nothing to carry.

Not so long ago I had a trip where I strapped some computer keyboards in boxes widthways across my triple panniers, you should have seen how much space I was getting it was glorious Car drivers seem to judge your width by the part closest to them hence a pannier on the back makes you look wider to them despite the fact hat the widest point is normally your shoulders or elbows... Thos keyboards made no odds at all to the space I need but the drivers actually gave me a really wide birth, whole lines of traffic actually moved out towards the centrelines for me

 

[Tynan]

yep, mount a light on the outside corner as well

 

[historyman]

I took more or less the same route as many of you. started with rucksack but gave up because a) strain on shoulders; sweaty patch on back. Went for front basket because cheap but I carry books and found it harder to control the bike. Panniers are the thing.
I do use a Brompton occasionally and the front-mounting bag is absolutely excellent, it's mounted on the front upright, not the handelbars, and stays v. low.

 

[threefingerjoe]

Did anyone see the part of Sheldon Brown's site where he had drawings of different types of bikes, with arrows pointing to their various characteristics? On the "English 3-Speed" he has an arrow pointing to "Large saddle bag...to store your rainsuit in case it stops raining." ;-)