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Panniers for school books?
[I did a search of the rec.bicycles.misc archives w/o finding quite the
answer I'm looking for -- if I used the wrong search terms (panniers, books, school) then I may have overlooked a commonly-discussed thread. If so, please point me to it.] I have a beater bike with an aluminum rear rack. The weather is getting nice and I'd like to use it to commute to school. What's a nice setup for carrying school books, etc., on a bike? Something that can detach easily and pass as a backpack or messenger bag? OTOH, how about that milk-crate-strapped-to-the-rack "system"? -- is there a consensus about whether it's a good all-round solution? -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott VW 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus VW 84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)" KG6RCR |
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#2
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Michael Elliott wrote: [I did a search of the rec.bicycles.misc archives w/o finding quite the answer I'm looking for -- if I used the wrong search terms (panniers, books, school) then I may have overlooked a commonly-discussed thread. If so, please point me to it.] I have a beater bike with an aluminum rear rack. The weather is getting nice and I'd like to use it to commute to school. What's a nice setup for carrying school books, etc., on a bike? Something that can detach easily and pass as a backpack or messenger bag? OTOH, how about that milk-crate-strapped-to-the-rack "system"? -- is there a consensus about whether it's a good all-round solution? -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott VW 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus VW 84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)" KG6RCR You could try those smaller panniers that are attached to a carry hook that straps on top of the rack and you can use velcro to snap it on or off. and you can carry it like a plastic bag with straps. Kevin |
#3
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On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 13:05:34 -0800 in rec.bicycles.misc, Michael
Elliott wrote: I have a beater bike with an aluminum rear rack. The weather is getting nice and I'd like to use it to commute to school. What's a nice setup for carrying school books, etc., on a bike? Something that can detach easily and pass as a backpack or messenger bag? your want a rear rack duffle that can expand. i used to carry a day's worth of textbooks and sometimes a laptop in one, along with lunch. take a look at http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename= OTOH, how about that milk-crate-strapped-to-the-rack "system"? -- is there a consensus about whether it's a good all-round solution? if you need to haul serious groceries or laundry, get some "town bags" like http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename= you can ride with them collapsed when they're empty. they work best on front racks IMHO. unless it's strictly a training ride, the rack duffle goes with me everywhere i ride, schlepping cameras, pocket stuff, mail, books, lunches, even file folders. the outside pockets carry headlights, tire guage, some clif bars, hand lotion... it's big enough i can stuff the helmet inside when empty, and my short pump fits in the top. it comes with a shoulder strap with rudimentary cushion, but i borrowed a leather one with swivels off an old briefcase that works better for me. i used it quite a bit in france during last summer's tour. this is my second one; the first one lasted 9 years of almost daily use. |
#4
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"Michael Elliott" wrote in message ... [I did a search of the rec.bicycles.misc archives w/o finding quite the answer I'm looking for -- if I used the wrong search terms (panniers, books, school) then I may have overlooked a commonly-discussed thread. If so, please point me to it.] I have a beater bike with an aluminum rear rack. The weather is getting nice and I'd like to use it to commute to school. What's a nice setup for carrying school books, etc., on a bike? Something that can detach easily and pass as a backpack or messenger bag? My son regularly commutes the 13 miles to college on his bike. He uses a tourer with rear rack. He uses bungee cords to strap his bag full of books/change of clothes etc to the rack. He uses one of these... http://www.fieldandtrek.com/product.asp?pf_id=13552&sfile=1&filter_cat=EQUITRA VLUGG&manufacturer_id=LGT&cid=KWUL2GR3LIDET6968KQF 3QPPEE2LOHRO&cid=KWUL2GR3LIDET6968KQF3QPPEE2LOHRO He won't use panniers. Having weighed the bag fully loaded with his stuff, it's about 20lbs, so pretty good resistance training over the winter months ;-) On the plus side, the rear handle can take a LED light, so it's helpful with visibility in the dark. Cheers, helen s OTOH, how about that milk-crate-strapped-to-the-rack "system"? -- is there a consensus about whether it's a good all-round solution? -- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott VW 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus VW 84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)" KG6RCR |
#5
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Michael Elliott wrote: [I did a search of the rec.bicycles.misc archives w/o finding quite the answer I'm looking for -- if I used the wrong search terms (panniers, books, school) then I may have overlooked a commonly-discussed thread. If so, please point me to it.] I have a beater bike with an aluminum rear rack. The weather is getting nice and I'd like to use it to commute to school. What's a nice setup for carrying school books, etc., on a bike? Something that can detach easily and pass as a backpack or messenger bag? OTOH, how about that milk-crate-strapped-to-the-rack "system"? -- is there a consensus about whether it's a good all-round solution? I think the milk-crate-strapped(bolted)-to-rack is the best overall solution. You need to put some sort of cross member underneath to support the bottom. I put my stuff in my backpack, throw my backpack in the milk crate; when I get to where I'm going, lock the bike (keep lock in crate, too), & put the backpack on. Simple. The milk crate is also much easier to toss stuff in for errands than fussing with strapping to a rack. Fold-out "shopping bag" panniers work pretty well, too. They're basically canvas/cordura bags with a folding frame that hooks to the rack. You can fold them flat when empty and carry them off the bike when full with their loop handles. OK for shopping, probably not that great for books-to-school. |
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wafflycat wrote: "Michael Elliott" wrote in message ... [I did a search of the rec.bicycles.misc archives w/o finding quite the answer I'm looking for -- if I used the wrong search terms (panniers, books, school) then I may have overlooked a commonly-discussed thread. If so, please point me to it.] I have a beater bike with an aluminum rear rack. The weather is getting nice and I'd like to use it to commute to school. What's a nice setup for carrying school books, etc., on a bike? Something that can detach easily and pass as a backpack or messenger bag? My son regularly commutes the 13 miles to college on his bike. He uses a tourer with rear rack. He uses bungee cords to strap his bag full of books/change of clothes etc to the rack. He uses one of these... http://www.fieldandtrek.com/product.asp?pf_id=13552&sfile=1&filter_cat=EQUITRA VLUGG&manufacturer_id=LGT&cid=KWUL2GR3LIDET6968KQF 3QPPEE2LOHRO&cid=KWUL2GR3LIDET6968KQF3QPPEE2LOHRO He won't use panniers. Having weighed the bag fully loaded with his stuff, it's about 20lbs, so pretty good resistance training over the winter months ;-) On the plus side, the rear handle can take a LED light, so it's helpful with visibility in the dark. Cheers, helen s This has been something I have been thinking about as well. I take courses during the summer and I think this year I will ride my bicycle on campus. They hand out parking tickets like crazy and there is not enough parking. Plus I hate to spend money on a yearly basis parking permit when I only take classes during the summer. Don't ask why a 50 year old is back in school either. It was a brainstorm I had a few summers ago. I have an associates degree, but not my Bachelors. I wanted to finish what I started. If I do take my bike this year I definately need to lug alot of junk with me. I know I did a bad thing when I threw my shopping bag over my handlebars, so I have to figure out what to do before the summer session starts. Sounds like the pannier might be the way to go. First I have to figure out what a pannier is. ;-) All Good Things, Maggie |
#7
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I commuted by bike for most of my Jr.High (secondary school) and all of
my high school days, and any tech/trade school I took. Unless you have a lot of books (do they still use those in school these days?), a simple knapsack strapped to the rack is usually sufficient. When you get to school, just unstrap it and throw it on your back and off you go. If you have to carry more, than a cardboard box ("milk crate") strapped to the rack will work fine. For a LOT of stuff, use panniers. Too much weight on the rack could destabilize the bike. - - "May you have the winds at your back, And a really low gear for the hills!" Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman" Chris'Z Corner http://www.geocities.com/czcorner |
#8
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On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 13:05:34 -0800, Michael Elliott wrote:
OTOH, how about that milk-crate-strapped-to-the-rack "system"? -- is there a consensus about whether it's a good all-round solution? The milk crates solution rocks! Well it does in the sense that it's virtually theft proof and sturdy. The center of gravity is a bit high. I've got a set of those open top cordura shopping baskets that hang from your rack (nashbar has 'em for under a twenty) and they work great. If I'm going to be on and off my bike a lot with an under 20lb. load in the city, I usually just grab my ginormous timbuk2 messenger bag--a little uncomfortable, but efficient. |
#9
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On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 00:17:50 -0800, Kev wrote:
You could try those smaller panniers that are attached to a carry hook that straps on top of the rack and you can use velcro to snap it on or off. and you can carry it like a plastic bag with straps. Yeah those are great--similar to what everybody in Amsterdam uses which is basically just old fashioned saddle bags of nylon or canvas that hang over the top of the rack with a handle in the middle instead of having to be "clipped" on. I wouldn't mind a set of those myself... |
#10
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In article . com,
"Maggie" writes: First I have to figure out what a pannier is. ;-) It's a cargo-carrying thing that attaches to either a rear or front rack on a bike. Sometimes they're single units, but panniers often come as pairs. The next thing is to figure out how to pronounce it. I go along with 'PAN-year'. For pronouncing 'coyote' I opt for the British Columbia interior's colloquial 'KY-oot'. Getting back on topic, I think the Original Poster of this thread would be best served by either the milk crate and backpack combination suggested by Peter Cole, or perhaps by one of those removable rack trunks that converts into a backpack. Panniers can be a hassle with the attaching and removing that would be necessary with parking bike at a school. One advantage of milk crates over panniers or rack trunks is, you can pack a small or large (but not medium) take-out pizza. cheers, Tom -- -- Nothing is safe from me. Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca |
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