Backpack or pannier

On Thursday, April 10, 2014 9:16:13 AM UTC-4, Duane wrote:
On 4/10/2014 8:52 AM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:

On Thursday, April 10, 2014 6:11:51 AM UTC-4, Duane wrote:

Sir Ridesalot wrote:



On another thread someone was looking for a new backpack to carry his



commuting gear in it. Many people suggested panniers instead.







There are times when a backpack has advantages over panniers. One



advantge is that the backpack is immediately ready to go with you and



leaves your hands free. Another advantage is that the backpack makes it



far easier to go up stairs if you have to carry your bike. I rediscovered



that again today when I went to go out to the grocer for some milk and



other items. Our elevator is out of service yet again. The idiots here



keep holding the door open with their hand and that trips the sensor that



is there in case someone falls and blocks the door. Even with 20 plus



pounds and the bike it was a lot easier carryig the bike up the stairs



than it would have been if those twenty pounds had been in panniers at



the rear of the bike making it unbalanced towards the back.







I think that a lot of commuters prefer a backack over panniers because of



the convenience of the backpack especially if they make stops to do



something and leave the bike, the loa is only a few pounds or they carry



their bike up any stairs.







To stop my backpack from moving around over my nylon jacket I use a



leather toestrap as a cheststrap and it makes the pack quite secure



whilst allowing it to ride lower on my back. That also helps a lot with cooling.







Cheers







Another reason to prefer a backpack is if you have a bike that doesn't



support panniers. A Tarmac has no braise-ons (can I still say that with a



CF frame) and even if it did I don't think there would be enough clearance



for the pedals.







Your suggestion for the bag that attached to the seat post was an



alternative. Or I could just use my touring bike.







But for several reasons I'm opting for a backpack. One of my favourite



reasons is that on the days when I can't ride the next day I just leave the



pack in my locker and ride home like I wasn't commuting. Lol.



--



duane



Some handlebar bags are a pretty good size and if loaded are better mounted behind the seat as an oversize seat bag than mounted on the handlebar where weight or size can affect steering. A handlebar bag or one mounted behind the seatpost also cures the heating problem on the back of your body.



Here's one MEC bag.



MEC Rando Handlebar Bag



http://www.mec.ca/product/5026-252/m...10+50002+50156



But a decent backpack isstill more convenient to load and move about with. I have a rather inexpensive pack I often use and fortunately don't find it too hot. Then again, if I'm riding 25 kilometres (15 miles) I usually opt for a small pannier or the trunk bag or the large handlebar bag mounted on the seatpost.



I looked at bags like you posted but opted for a good backpack. I'm

headed to MEC shortly.



BTW, what material is your Tarmac frame made of?





The Tarmac is CF. I also have a Bianchi Volpe from the early 90s that's

lugged cro-moly. I could use that for long distance commutes but for

the moment it's on my trainer in the basement. When I bought the Tarmac

I thought about a Roubaix instead that is more of a touring geometry but

I preferred the Tarmac after testing both.



I'm mostly doing club rides these days and commuting when I can. Out of

maybe 6000km in a season, probably 2000km is commuting. I thought I'd

use the Bianchi for commuting but the Tarmac is more fun to ride.



Cheers



I had a MIELE Equipe Pro Columbus SL tubing racing bike with all Dura Ace on it back in the mid 1980's. I used it for my commute because it was fast, quick handling and accelerated really well. It was really enjoyable. Fortunately Blackburn made adapters that fit the dropouts so that you could use a light rack and bag. It also camouflaged the quality of the bike. I actually used that bike for a lot of unsupported overnight rides. I could put a Bike 'N'Lite tent and lightweight sleeping bag on it.

I agree that a club riding bike shouldbe more dedicated to fast riding than a touring bike if the club you ride with rides fast. A couple of years ago I showed up for a club ride with my touring bike and panniers because I thought they were a casual riding group. Nope, they were a fast aced group and I felt like I nearly killed myself trying to keep them in sight.

To SMS, not everyone wants or even needs all those brazeons you mentioned. Many people ride for fitness or for race training.

Cheers

On Thursday, April 10, 2014 3:11:51 AM UTC-7, Duane wrote:
Sir Ridesalot wrote:
snip

Another reason to prefer a backpack is if you have a bike that doesn't

support panniers. A Tarmac has no braise-ons (can I still say that with a

CF frame) and even if it did I don't think there would be enough clearance

for the pedals.



Your suggestion for the bag that attached to the seat post was an

alternative. Or I could just use my touring bike.



But for several reasons I'm opting for a backpack. One of my favourite

reasons is that on the days when I can't ride the next day I just leave the

pack in my locker and ride home like I wasn't commuting. Lol.

Apart from the lack of braze-ons, a short wheelbase bike can be problematic with panniers. You get heel strike with some bags. My son's Kona Dewdrop is an over-grown MTB with a high BB. It has a rack, and I whack my knee on it dismounting -- something to do with swinging my leg so high to clear the saddle. Racks have some minor issues. I do like carrying heavy stuff in a pannier on that bike, though -- and of course, racks and panniers are a must for touring. For commuting with a minor amount of stuff, I use a backpack.. If I were commuting regularly with a laptop or lots of stuff, I would use a pannier and kludge a rack on my CX bike.

-- Jay Beattie.

On 4/10/2014 10:12 AM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Thursday, April 10, 2014 9:16:13 AM UTC-4, Duane wrote:
On 4/10/2014 8:52 AM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:

On Thursday, April 10, 2014 6:11:51 AM UTC-4, Duane wrote:

Sir Ridesalot wrote:



On another thread someone was looking for a new backpack to carry his



commuting gear in it. Many people suggested panniers instead.







There are times when a backpack has advantages over panniers. One



advantge is that the backpack is immediately ready to go with you and



leaves your hands free. Another advantage is that the backpack makes it



far easier to go up stairs if you have to carry your bike. I rediscovered



that again today when I went to go out to the grocer for some milk and



other items. Our elevator is out of service yet again. The idiots here



keep holding the door open with their hand and that trips the sensor that



is there in case someone falls and blocks the door. Even with 20 plus



pounds and the bike it was a lot easier carryig the bike up the stairs



than it would have been if those twenty pounds had been in panniers at



the rear of the bike making it unbalanced towards the back.







I think that a lot of commuters prefer a backack over panniers because of



the convenience of the backpack especially if they make stops to do



something and leave the bike, the loa is only a few pounds or they carry



their bike up any stairs.







To stop my backpack from moving around over my nylon jacket I use a



leather toestrap as a cheststrap and it makes the pack quite secure



whilst allowing it to ride lower on my back. That also helps a lot with cooling.







Cheers







Another reason to prefer a backpack is if you have a bike that doesn't



support panniers. A Tarmac has no braise-ons (can I still say that with a



CF frame) and even if it did I don't think there would be enough clearance



for the pedals.







Your suggestion for the bag that attached to the seat post was an



alternative. Or I could just use my touring bike.







But for several reasons I'm opting for a backpack. One of my favourite



reasons is that on the days when I can't ride the next day I just leave the



pack in my locker and ride home like I wasn't commuting. Lol.



--



duane



Some handlebar bags are a pretty good size and if loaded are better mounted behind the seat as an oversize seat bag than mounted on the handlebar where weight or size can affect steering. A handlebar bag or one mounted behind the seatpost also cures the heating problem on the back of your body.



Here's one MEC bag.



MEC Rando Handlebar Bag



http://www.mec.ca/product/5026-252/m...10+50002+50156



But a decent backpack isstill more convenient to load and move about with. I have a rather inexpensive pack I often use and fortunately don't find it too hot. Then again, if I'm riding 25 kilometres (15 miles) I usually opt for a small pannier or the trunk bag or the large handlebar bag mounted on the seatpost.



I looked at bags like you posted but opted for a good backpack. I'm

headed to MEC shortly.



BTW, what material is your Tarmac frame made of?





The Tarmac is CF. I also have a Bianchi Volpe from the early 90s that's

lugged cro-moly. I could use that for long distance commutes but for

the moment it's on my trainer in the basement. When I bought the Tarmac

I thought about a Roubaix instead that is more of a touring geometry but

I preferred the Tarmac after testing both.



I'm mostly doing club rides these days and commuting when I can. Out of

maybe 6000km in a season, probably 2000km is commuting. I thought I'd

use the Bianchi for commuting but the Tarmac is more fun to ride.



Cheers



I had a MIELE Equipe Pro Columbus SL tubing racing bike with all Dura Ace on it back in the mid 1980's. I used it for my commute because it was fast, quick handling and accelerated really well. It was really enjoyable. Fortunately Blackburn made adapters that fit the dropouts so that you could use a light rack and bag. It also camouflaged the quality of the bike. I actually used that bike for a lot of unsupported overnight rides. I could put a Bike 'N'Lite tent and lightweight sleeping bag on it.


My Bianchi Volpe was a similar bike. I call it a touring bike but it's
what was referred to as a sport tour bike. The geometry is similar to a
Roubaix and it is set up with all the braze ons that you can imagine. I
used it for years as a road bike.

I agree that a club riding bike shouldbe more dedicated to fast riding than a touring bike if the club you ride with rides fast. A couple of years ago I showed up for a club ride with my touring bike and panniers because I thought they were a casual riding group. Nope, they were a fast aced group and I felt like I nearly killed myself trying to keep them in sight.


We have guys that ride bikes with racks. Even a couple with hybrids but
they usually change eventually. These are usually pretty strong riders
though.

My club rides are pretty much performance oriented but the speed depends
on which group you ride with. What's probably more important than a
fast bike is to have a bike that is stable enough to let you keep a
line, even in cross winds. Brifters are good to allow you to keep your
hands near the brakes for close pack riding. My Bianchi has bar end
shifters which are less useful under those conditions.

To SMS, not everyone wants or even needs all those brazeons you mentioned. Many people ride for fitness or for race training.


Yeah, but he knows that. (sorry, couldn't resist)

On 4/10/2014 10:31 AM, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, April 10, 2014 3:11:51 AM UTC-7, Duane wrote:
Sir Ridesalot wrote:
snip

Another reason to prefer a backpack is if you have a bike that doesn't

support panniers. A Tarmac has no braise-ons (can I still say that with a

CF frame) and even if it did I don't think there would be enough clearance

for the pedals.



Your suggestion for the bag that attached to the seat post was an

alternative. Or I could just use my touring bike.



But for several reasons I'm opting for a backpack. One of my favourite

reasons is that on the days when I can't ride the next day I just leave the

pack in my locker and ride home like I wasn't commuting. Lol.

Apart from the lack of braze-ons, a short wheelbase bike can be problematic with panniers. You get heel strike with some bags. My son's Kona Dewdrop is an over-grown MTB with a high BB. It has a rack, and I whack my knee on it dismounting -- something to do with swinging my leg so high to clear the saddle. Racks have some minor issues. I do like carrying heavy stuff in a pannier on that bike, though -- and of course, racks and panniers are a must for touring. For commuting with a minor amount of stuff, I use a backpack. If I were commuting regularly with a laptop or lots of stuff, I would use a pannier and kludge a rack on my CX bike.


Yeah, that's what I was saying. Tarmac has a short wheel base. I
wouldn't have clearance for my feet with a rack on the back. If I had
more to carry, I'd take the other bike. Or if I had a longer commute.

On 4/10/2014 10:31 AM, jbeattie wrote:


Apart from the lack of braze-ons, a short wheelbase bike can be problematic
with panniers. You get heel strike with some bags. My son's Kona Dewdrop is
an over-grown MTB with a high BB. It has a rack, and I whack my knee on it
dismounting -- something to do with swinging my leg so high to clear the
saddle.
Racks have some minor issues. I do like carrying heavy stuff in a
pannier on
that bike, though -- and of course, racks and panniers are a must for
touring.
For commuting with a minor amount of stuff, I use a backpack. If I were
commuting regularly with a laptop or lots of stuff, I would use a pannier
and kludge a rack on my CX bike.

Seems to me the heel clearance problem with panniers could be solved by
a minor redesign of the rack, no?


--
- Frank Krygowski

try nut spacers in the dropouts if horizontal.

The Kelty packs have eternal bracing ! I may have a Redwing but no eternal supports.

a stiff metal internal support or a plastic knifelike form isn't necessary.

the smaller suggests in bike jargon a plastic surface doing what ? I dunno. The stuff supports the bag not bag supports the stuff.

On Thursday, April 10, 2014 10:31:58 AM UTC-4, jbeattie wrote:
********************

Jay, dismount as if ura riding a burro....lean the burro over then swing leg.

there's a French phrase...... en jule montour ?

On Thursday, April 10, 2014 8:06:55 AM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 4/10/2014 10:31 AM, jbeattie wrote:





Apart from the lack of braze-ons, a short wheelbase bike can be problematic

with panniers. You get heel strike with some bags. My son's Kona Dewdrop is

an over-grown MTB with a high BB. It has a rack, and I whack my knee on it

dismounting -- something to do with swinging my leg so high to clear the

saddle.

Racks have some minor issues. I do like carrying heavy stuff in a

pannier on

that bike, though -- and of course, racks and panniers are a must for

touring.

For commuting with a minor amount of stuff, I use a backpack. If I were

commuting regularly with a laptop or lots of stuff, I would use a pannier

and kludge a rack on my CX bike.



Seems to me the heel clearance problem with panniers could be solved by

a minor redesign of the rack, no?

Sure, even a smaller bag might do the trick -- or a bag with more cut-away for heel clearance. I'm sure you've seen people touring on racing bikes. http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/view...php?t=12702169 I've done it, and it was fun -- although I wasn't carrying much stuff. People will tour and practically anything.

-- Jay Beattie.

Chalo claims several multi hundreds on a Schwine. I met a "German" with full Ortliebs ona skinny tired, tight to the seatpost rear tire frame. Doin the Upper Coast to SF....he said at times he was ambivalent but generally pleased.

All fabrics in BLACK.

There's AGAINST THE WIND's Columbia retiree...

I say uhuh uhuh uhuh then examine gleaming bike for dirt spots.

Sometimes I ask how the bike n equippe is kept so freakin clean Dude ?

On Thursday, April 10, 2014 5:38:07 AM UTC+1, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On another thread someone was looking for a new backpack to carry his commuting gear in it. Many people suggested panniers instead.


There are alternatives. On is a large saddlebag, another is a largish handlebar bag. If you already have a rack for panniers, a rack top bag is convenient for carrying with you, and you can get some with small foldout panniers (I had one by Agu and found it very useful for the 12 years it was on my bike), and in high crime areas people might be interested in the hardshell rack top boxes with quick releases sold in Europe. An alternative I like because I live in a low crime area is handlebar baskets as on the bikes of some of my pedal pals. And I like pannier shopping baskets very much for their versatility, though I suspect the roadies, more concerned with their image or weight or whatnot, will think them intolerably stodgy.

My fave pannier basket is the Basil Cardiff and, while I have a pair, I usually carry only one on the bike because that is enough space. There's a pic at the top of this page http://coolmainpress.com/BICYCLINGbu...pedelec4..html showing in the basket a huge, heavy reference book of flora and fauna I wanted with me that day to identify some weed, far too big to fit in the saddlebag or handlebar bag (which were anyway full of electronics I wanted to test), so I popped on the basket; the basket just slips on over the rack rails, very convenient at the shops or when you have more gear than the saddlebag and handlebar bag can handle. Notice that there is no possibility of heel strike because the basket is designed to sit far back on the rack.

A utility bike is a pose job if the owner doesn't have a Basil Cardiff pannier basket. Basil's California pannier basket (called a "side fit basket"; perhaps Basil fears Americans won't know what a pannier is) appears to be made on the same principle (in fact to me seems the same) but may have different dimensions, or may just be a renaming of the same thing with a more familiar name for Americans.

The rack on my bike is a Tubus Cosmo stainless steel job and cannot be as warmly recommended as the Basil baskets, though roadies may find its narrow fit appealing. Everyone else will find it too narrow, too short, and Tubus, for all that money, cheaps out by not supplying all the necessary fittings.. if you order one, order the extended fitting kit (ten bucks plus) to save the second carriage charge; it will be necessary, I guarantee it; in fact, I had to add further fittings from an older rack to make the thing fit my bike. In summary then, overpriced, underspecified in the fittings, irritating. Also rock solid once you've managed to fit it, and impervious to the weather, and surprisingly light considering what it is made of. But the irritation of dealing with Tubus' penny-pinching remains every time I touch the thing. Overall, a rip.

Andre Jute