More on the commuting questions

[Aspen]

My commute is 21 miles each way. I've been using a backpack but hopefully no more. Will put a rack on to get the weight on the back of the bike and not me. I need to carry a change of clothes (leaving shoes at work), glasses, personal items, a few papers, etc. Questions are:

Does a seatpost rack have enough stability? Panniers needed?

Suggestions for a dedicated rack bag with or without panniers to carry such a load? What kind of volume do I need?

How about just putting a backpack on the rack with bungees?

The bike I use is a cyclocross bike without eyelets. The seatpost racks seem to mount somewhat high above the rear wheel. If the height of the bag is too high, it's hard to swing the leg over.

Maybe I need another bike with eyelets but would prefer not to purchase another bike. Thanks.

[vaxn8r]

For an occasional commute, anything will do. Once set up with proper bags and racks and it's no longer a chore, it's fun. If your in it for the long haul, get the proper bike atmo.

[bigbill]

Panniers offer the best stability but you also need heel clearance. The best bet is going to be a frame with eyelets for a rack or using small clamps to attach a rack to your existing frame.

My commute is 21 miles each way as well. I usually drive once a week and leave my clothes at work. I carry dirty clothes home on the bike since it doesn't matter how they look when I get home. I have seen the racks that clamp to the seatpost and have pannier supports, but it still looks like they sit high. The point of panniers is to carry stuff and maintain a low center of gravity to not affect handling. You bike needs to be long enough to have the panniers and still have room for your heels to clear the bags when you pedal.

IMHO, a 21 mile commute is significant enough to warrant a dedicated commuting bike. A Surly Long Haul Trucker or something similar from Soma or others would fit the bill nicely without spending too much. I ride a Gunnar Crosshairs set up with fenders and a rack.

[thejen12]

My commute is 21 miles each way. I've been using a backpack but hopefully no more. Will put a rack on to get the weight on the back of the bike and not me. I need to carry a change of clothes (leaving shoes at work), glasses, personal items, a few papers, etc. Questions are:

Does a seatpost rack have enough stability? Panniers needed?

Suggestions for a dedicated rack bag with or without panniers to carry such a load? What kind of volume do I need?

How about just putting a backpack on the rack with bungees?

Maybe I need another bike with eyelets but would prefer not to purchase another bike. Thanks.
First of all, only you know what kind of volume you need, because you know what you need to carry to work. If you can leave shoes at work, can you leave extra clothes at work? Maybe in a gym bag or hanging on the back of a door? A spare set of eyeglasses in your desk drawer?

Regarding putting the backpack on a rack - backpacks usually have a lot of straps and stuff that I wouldn't want hanging around my wheel. If I were going to put a backpack onto a rack, I'd try to put it in a bag first, or wrap it in a towel or something to make sure none of the straps comes loose and get caught in the wheel or brakes.

You could probably get a rack trunk and put it on a seatpost rack, but that does keep your weight up high. Panniers require something below to hook them to, but I think there is a seatpost-mounted rack out there that also has "legs" or something, to hook a pannier to.

Regarding seatpost mounted racks, I don't think you'd want to put one on a carbon fiber seatpost, FWIW.

You can also buy a rack that mounts to the brake bridge and use little wrap-around "thingys" that they sell to wrap around the bottom of your seat stays to mount the rack to at the bottom. But a dedicated bike would be nicer.

Good luck! Jenn

[woolly]

I'd suggest browsing around here a bit: http://www.thetouringstore.com/TUBUS/TUBUS%20HOME/TUBUS%20HOME%20PAGE.htm

Definitely check out the "Fit Solutions" section - some of the better parts/kits I've seen for mounting a rack to a bike that does not have all the proper braze-on's. Their Logo racks are nice, and can provide some extra heel clearance with panniers, if needed. The mounting stuff is pretty cheap, but the racks are certainly high-end. The good side of this is that they tend to hold their value pretty well in Ebay re-sales if they turn out to be not what you wanted.

I do recommend a stay-mount rack over a seatpost-mount one, if you're carrying a load of much weight at all. Get that weight down as low as possible - your bike will handle better and you'll have more fun. Weight that is mounted up high, like with a seapost rack, tends to seem heavier than it really is (more noticeable in side-side motions, especially out of the saddle). At least that's been my experience. I love my Moots Tailgater for carrying a bit more stuff than a standard seatpack, but quickly abandoned the seatpost-mounted rack/trunk for these very reasons.

Good luck!

All of this commuting talk has inspired me to set the Csi build aside & try to get the Big Dummy on the road this weekend. :D

[jthurow]

I use a Carradice Nelson Longflap saddlebag. I consider it one of my great commuting purchases. I carry clothes (except shoes, which I leave at the office), lunch and something to read on my commute. You don't have to worry about a rack and eyelets but you do have to deal with attaching the bag to the saddle. Not a big deal if you ride a brooks saddle w/ loops but otherwise you have to use some kind of attachment, like a bagman, SQR uplift, the nitto attachment riv sells, or some other clamp. The other bad things, which aren't much of problem to me... The weight is high and you can feel it when if you like to throw the bike around when you're sprinting for a light. I don't really notice it after a couple of weeks of commuting. Depending on the set-up, it can brush the back of your thighs when you pedal. I put a PVC spacer on mine to avoid that. The bag does make it more difficult to throw your leg over the bike.

jimi

[thwart]

I'm a lightweight commuter like you... but only 9 miles each way. One (pick the rainy day ;) ) car trip a week gets most of the clothes to work.

I use an expandable "trunk pack" on a rack, which works well, as it's not too tall to swing a leg over easily, and since I don't do work shoes and other such heavy stuff, the weight swinging back and forth when you're out of the saddle isn't noticeable. I've done a back pack as well, and this approach is much nicer---especially in warmer weather. Panniers are good for carrying more stuff, in my experience.

Given the lighter weight carried, you could probably rig up a rack without braze-on frame attachments (as mentioned above) that would work well.