Personally, I like my panniers, but this time of year I like a backpack to keep my gadgets safe from peril should I lay the bike down. Since I'm already wearing a backpack, I just toss my clothes in it, too. If I have anything extra, I bungee it to the rack.
How about you?
As usual, you need to go to KC Bike Commuting to see the poll. It's in the upper right hand corner.
Results:
GREAT TOPIC!i had my panniers & trunk on my commuter until a few weeks ago,i dug out a old backpack of my sons when he was in high school,i did this when riding my MTB in bad weather,and found myself really liking it better,its a Jansport,but i think my next will be a Banjo Brothers new commuter bag they have come out with, the panniers & trunk will be put back on my bike this summer when i'll do some camping rides,
ReplyDeleteI've been using an old JanSport backpack, but my new Chrome Messenger Bag should arrive today. And just in time too! My backpack is falling apart.
ReplyDeleteI recreational ride at lunch, so I don't want the extra gear on my bike. If I was strictly a commuter though, I'd probably have bags on the bike to keep my body more comfortable.
Can't stand backpacks. Don't really even like CamelPaks, though the longer warmer rides force a certain tolerance. This comes from the years of wearing my college textbooks on my back and hating it every day.
ReplyDeleteMy panniers are great. I got them from NashBar. Though the fit to the rack isn't 100%, I make do. There are pockets on the sides for the soft stuff, and a pocket up top for the more fragile stuff should the bike go down.
One thing missing from the poll would be a trailer of some sort. For 2 years I used a BOB trailer until I had gotten a rack\panniers for my QB.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I missed a few things. Not the least of which are trailer and trunk bag, and the ever-so-popular "plastic grocery sack tied to the handlebars" option.
ReplyDeleteI've been using a backpack for the last 7 years on my 17+ mile commute. Before that a rack mounted to the frame and strapped the backpack to the rack for a year, until the bike was stolen. Tried a seatpost mounted rack on the next bike, but it turned out to be a POS from Performance bike. Didn't even last 2 months. Since then it has been backpacks. I tried a messenger bag for a few months last year while my backpack was getting a warranty repair. Not bad, but 2 straps are a MUST HAVE on long commutes. Ogio makes nice backpacks and stands by them. The first one was a gift, the 2 following were replacements after a zipper stripped after 3 years each of hard use.
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