Panniers for school books?

On 3/15/2005 7:14 AM Maggie wrote:


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.

Hi Maggie -- glad to see I'm not the only nutty old person around. I'm
55 and don't even have my AA! And I'm going back to school to get a
Master's in Social Work. I got a bit of a row ahead to hoe . . . but
it's turning out to be fun.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

On 3/15/2005 1:20 PM Tom Keats wrote:


One advantage of milk crates over panniers or rack trunks is,
you can pack a small or large (but not medium) take-out pizza.

I reckon that the ability to carry a pizza should be a minimum requirement.
--
--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

On 3/15/2005 4:56 AM Peter Cole wrote:


I think the milk-crate-strapped(bolted)-to-rack is the best overall
solution.

It seems the only place that I can find REAL milk-crates -- the truly
sturdy heavy-duty kinda waxy plastic ones that humans can't break -- are
in stacks behind food stores and are stamped "PROPERTY OF SAFEWAY
STORES. THE GUY WHO OWNS THIS BIKE STOLE IT."

The ones available for sale, in places like Target, are made of the same
stuff that Revelle models are made of and will shatter if you give them
a sharp look.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

In article ,
"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" m writes:
On 3/15/2005 4:56 AM Peter Cole wrote:


I think the milk-crate-strapped(bolted)-to-rack is the best overall
solution.

It seems the only place that I can find REAL milk-crates -- the truly
sturdy heavy-duty kinda waxy plastic ones that humans can't break -- are
in stacks behind food stores and are stamped "PROPERTY OF SAFEWAY
STORES. THE GUY WHO OWNS THIS BIKE STOLE IT."

White lettering on red plastic? Get a red felt-tipped pen
and blot out some of the words so it says: " "PROPERTY OF
THE GUY WHO OWNS THIS BIKE." Or just cover whatever words
are on there with duct tape, reflective tape, or "One Less
Car" stickers.

In Vancouver, liquor store loading bays seem to be a good
source of nondescript, heavy-duty milk crates.

Black crates go with anything.


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

On 3/15/2005 5:23 PM Tom Keats wrote:

In article ,
"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" m writes:

On 3/15/2005 4:56 AM Peter Cole wrote:



I think the milk-crate-strapped(bolted)-to-rack is the best overall
solution.

It seems the only place that I can find REAL milk-crates -- the truly
sturdy heavy-duty kinda waxy plastic ones that humans can't break -- are
in stacks behind food stores and are stamped "PROPERTY OF SAFEWAY
STORES. THE GUY WHO OWNS THIS BIKE STOLE IT."


White lettering on red plastic? Get a red felt-tipped pen
and blot out some of the words so it says: " "PROPERTY OF
THE GUY WHO OWNS THIS BIKE." Or just cover whatever words
are on there with duct tape, reflective tape, or "One Less
Car" stickers.

In Vancouver, liquor store loading bays seem to be a good
source of nondescript, heavy-duty milk crates.

Black crates go with anything.

Surely you are not advocating that I /steal/ them. That would be wrong.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

On 3/15/2005 5:41 PM Tom Keats wrote:


Tilted pie is a catastrophe.

I'm printing that on a t-shirt.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

In article ,
"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" m writes:
On 3/15/2005 1:20 PM Tom Keats wrote:


One advantage of milk crates over panniers or rack trunks is,
you can pack a small or large (but not medium) take-out pizza.

I reckon that the ability to carry a pizza should be a minimum requirement.

A small pizza box plops right inside the crate. A large one
sits nicely on top, where it can be bungee'd down. But a
medium one goes in at an angle. Tilted pie is a catastrophe.


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

On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 17:41:38 -0800, Tom Keats wrote:

But a
medium one goes in at an angle.

Amateur. :P

A medium pie is placed at an angle to the crate so the whole deal forms an
8 pointed star.

Carrying a selection of bungee cord lengths can be handy as to apply
optimum restraining force to said pie.

"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?

A messenger bag would hold your books and pass quite nicely as a messenger
bag.

In all seriousness, I've been commuting with a Critical Mass bag from
Patagonia for almost a year now, and a Canadian made messenger bag for a
couple years before that. The "T" strap suspension works better while riding
a bicycle than any backpack I've cycled with, and it makes a great shoulder
bag when I'm not on the bike. The newer Critical Mass bags apparently have a
pocket for a laptop, which could be nice for a student.
--
mark

In article ,
"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" m writes:

Surely you are not advocating that I /steal/ them. That would be wrong.

No, not advocating; I'm just off-handedly saying. But
purloined crates do have a certain cachet. Look at it
this way -- in an industrial/commercial environment, a
milk crate is exposed to all kinds of duty-cycle-shortening
abuse. It'll end up as useless landfill long before its
time. Wastefulness is wrong, too. By liberating it you'd
be giving it a long and fruitful new lease on life. So you
wouldn't really be stealing it -- you'd be removing it from
harm's way while assuming the role of its responsible
foster parent. Rig up a quick-release mechanism for it, and
you've got a quisling milk crate that you can discard and
replace at the drop of a hat.

Besides, you do say you prefer sturdier crates.

If guilty feelings or ethics are an issue, one could
possibly discretely swap for one from Target.

Boy, the rationalizations I just described could be dangerous.
If applied to /people/, next thing ya know you've got slavery,
or occupation of Iraq for their own good, or other horrible stuff.

Anyhoo, the worst crate colours are white and green (chartreuse.)
Yellow is iffy. Try to get a black one. Getting two is even
better. Having spares and keeping the bullpen warmed up is good.


cheers, & people aren't to be treated like milk crates
(except in MLB,)
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca