Bike to Work

[neilmc]

I am on day 2 of riding to work, have to say im feeling great and loving the cycle and exercise.

 

One thing I realyl don't like is carrying my bag on my back, does anyone know of a reasonable bag that will attach to my bike for riding but also can be used as a backpack for when im not. (does anything like this even exist?)

 

Any other accessories I could do with or cycling?

[flyinghaggis]

What you want is a called a pannier rack IIRC. Basically you buy a rack that bolts onto the rear of your bike and bags that then clip onto it either side. You need to make sure your bike has eyelets to attach the rack to the frame though. Most will but some bikes (typically drop bar or fixed speed)don't have these

 

Some example pannier racks

Front and Rear Carriers (Pannier Racks) and Spares

 

Pannier bags themselves

Pannier Bags

 

In terms of other accessories I'd also suggest full length fitted mudguards for commuting.

Bicycle Mudguards - Traditional & Spares

 

The type of pannier rack and guards you'll need wlll vary depending on your tyre size and width so it may be worth checking with a local bike shop if you aren't familiar. Happy to offer any advice if you're unsure though.

 

I've seen a couple of bike bags that have pannier fittings but they were quite expensive and I personally think it's probably easier to buy a regular pannier bag and just put a backpack inside it. The other problem is that if it rains whatever bag you have will get covered in spray, water and dirt off the road so you don't really want to be carrying that around as muck off it will rub onto your top/jacket if you use it as a combo backpack/bag aswell. Most pannier bags come with fittings so you can simply unclip them from the bike if required anyway. If you have a bag inside your pannier it keeps it dry and you can always zip tie or get a loop through bike lock to prevent anyone stealing the pannier if you leave it on the bike.

 

This was probably the closest thing I found but it's too expensive IMO and I had doubts about whether a combo bag/pannier was ultimately a good idea.

 

http://road.cc/content/review/117269-altura-meta-versa-messenger-bag-and-pannier

Edited June 30, 2015 by flyinghaggis

[Mark182]

Something like this?

 

Do you use this ?