I would chime in support of Patrick's observations. It certainly does depend on how long your commute is, and how much you carry. 1500 cc isn't all that much, but it wont support 30 lbs, unless you're accustom to transporting silver bars to and from work. My commute is 30 miles, across a variety of surfaces, with lots of hills. Here's what I've learned. My bike is outfitted with the Nitto large rear rack and small front rack, but most of the time I rely on the Carradice SQR attached to my seat post and a small (Barley) bag, which will hold a jacket, assorted stuff, and some groceries, like a baguette and a bottle of wine. The SQR is the fastest way to get a bag on or off a bike. I use a Carradice Nelson when I think I will have a lot of clothes or groceries on the return trip. But if things get heavy, I find it works better to move the weight lower. If I'm carrying my Macbook I use a Carradice commuter bag, or if I expect to do a lot of shopping, I use an Arkel Shopping bag. Most of this stuff has been collected over time and second hand (off this list!). In summary... I prefer to carry a light load in a saddle bag, above the fenders, where it stays dry, and a heavy load lower down. Because my commute is long, I find it worthwhile to have a variety of options to optimize my cycling pleasure.
Michael On Feb 13, 10:34 am, Patrick in VT <psh...@drm.com> wrote: > consider whether or not you'll be commuting in the rain. a basket > might not be ideal unless you always carry around a waterproof bag of > sorts. also, if you carry a bunch of smaller items, a duffel bag > isn't all that convenient. not a big deal i suppose, but i like > compartments/pockets for wallet, keys, spare change, etc. rather than > just having everything float around together. > > i use a pannier(s) (carradice shopper) and a saddlebag (carradice > barley) for commuting, which has been a great set-up for my routine. i > can do some monster shopping with 2 of those panniers - they're huge > (32 liter) and the nice handles make them easy to carry around. easy > on/off the rack too. when i don't need them, the barley is plenty big > for my tools/change of clothes/breakfast or lunch, and normal > commuting stuff. > > it's also nice to be able to use a pannier and have the top of the > rack available to bungee down oversized items (paper towels/toilet > paper), as opposed to having a basket interfere when trying to strap > down bulky stuff. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
