Folding Bikes - Safe rear rack for Laptop

My Giant Halfway is almost ready for what I want it (do my daily recreational 10-20 miles before/after the gym, comute to work once a week on casual fridays, get ready for a century ride and do a brevet in 2006) BUT I do use it to ride from one college to another while in campus (I am a full time student, taking classes in 2 different departments, aprox. 4 miles apart). Finding a parking spot is a nightmare, so once I find one, I use the bike for the rest of the day. Faster, healthier, one less car around, your know the benefits.

For that use, I need a rack/pannier set that can let me take my computer and some books. I was ready to buy Thors' Pletscher QuickRack Suspension:

http://www.thorusa.com/sdahonquickrack4.jpg

I wasn't really thinking about using the computer all the time, but now I will need it with me in both colleges, and I believe I can benefit from a rear rach that is NOT directly attached to the rear wheel. Instead, it's attached to the seatpost. This way, the rear suspension is actually working for my comfort AND protecting the equipment. My only fear was stress to the seattube, but after reading about some riders' weight from this forum, I believe my 162 pounds + 10 pounds of books + a 14" laptop still makes my package lighter than some (if not most) of the folding bike riders.

Any suggestions for a rear rack, seatpost attached, with quick release, pannier ready + a pannier/rear bag that can hold books AND a laptop? Maybe a hard shell ones (never seen one) could be even better for the extra protection in case of an incident.

Thank you,

Rafael

It you go with a setpost style rack, get one that has the rails that hand down or are removable. I have 3 from Performanc bike (as well as the Pletshcer). The Pletscher does work quite well though from personal experience. It doesn't seem to inhibit the suspension at all. Keep in mind that most of the seat post racks WILL mark your seat tube. I use and old inner tube as a sleeve to prevent this.

Almost any seat tub rack whill work for the little weight you have. I can personally attest, but don't suggest to do this, that it will support a small child. One a bike ride with one of my kids and their bike broke a wheel. Shuffled my kids around to different bikes and put my daughter on the rack. She is 70lbs + my weight + rack weight + accessories = definitely over 300lbs on my Dahon. We rode 4+ miles like this back home to get the car. Rack showed no issues at all and neither did the bike. I had to tighten up the seat post a bit so it wouldn't slip down but that was it. I wouldn't make a habit of it but I don't think you will have an issues.

FYI, any rear rack seems to make a decent fender. So when you take it off, clean underneath it so you don't get muck everywhere if you bring it in the house. I really love the Pletscher though. I have carried my laptop and a bunch of other stuff with no ill effect. I of course have a padded case for it. The Pletscher will transmit some shock to whatever it is holding of course (as you know) but I like that the support rods work more effectively to keep panniers and bags out of the rear wheel than most clamp-on racks. Just food for thought...

I am glad you mentioned Performance Bike. For 30 bucks they have this one that, as far as I know and as long as nobody has anything ugly to say about it, is really close to what I want (no quick release though):

http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/400/20_1982BLK.jpg

However, I haven't seen a nice set of panniers from performance bikes. Any other source?

Rafael

I have 3 of those racks. No quick release BUT it held my daughter. I keep a mult-too with me anyway. I do have a few generic QR seatpost racks but the PB rack was one of the few that would fit my Dahons. Most QR ones won't but with the Downtube it isn't such an issue.

Dpends on the bags you want but I have several styles I use. My favorite for daily usage are the Trek grocery bag panniers. They work pretty well with this rack but don't seal well if you need to worry about rain. Like their name they are designed almost perfectly for a grocery bag to fit inside them. They fold up flush (very flush) against the rack when not in use. I got a shoulder strap to hold it rather than use the handles all the time. I also have a rack pack that has fold down sides that are small panniers. I think it is a Banjo Brothers bag. I take my laptop bag and usually stuff it in the Trek grocery bag pannier or bungee it to the top of the rack.

FYI, the PB rack that you see in your photo WILL slide for and aft for adjustment. This was a big help on one of my bikes. It isn't a lot but it was enough to keep the bags from hitting my heels! I also mounted a little tail light on the back as the rear reflector is pretty lame and not near as good as the Pletscher.

It's probably good they don't have quick-releases. Most people in the commuting forum state that the quick-releases don't hold tight enough so that those types of racks have a tendecy to move side to side when loaded; on a fast sharp turn, the rack may twist sideways and into the spokes.

I went to a decent bike store and I am just not happy with any rear rack that I saw. The one that really matched my bike and would work fine was the Topeak MBX series with a expandable bag, but I'm affraid ALL racks (besides the ones featured on the 06 Dahon for loaded touring) will be too close to my chainring and my feet will touch it.

In other words, I may just consider upgrading my backpack. :(

Rafael Guerra

I was trying to find something that my 14 inch laptop would fit in to. I saw this interesting hard shell case (http://www.otivia.com/cargocache.htm) that looks like it would fit in easily. The problem is how will it affect the fold? Perhaps with a Quick Release rack, you could just pop off the whole assembly and fold the bike. Of course, then the locking capability will not be used.

http://www.otivia.com/cargocache.htm
http://www.otivia.com/RearSideWB1.jpg

Even though some of my racks are not QR, since they are mounted to the seat post I just remove the entire seatpost and rack together. I have had no issues with folding like that. Generally though my seat is pretty high so the rack doesn't hit anything anyway.

Most of these suggestions seem only suitable for non-folders. One other option would be to buy and fit a Brompton/Dahon etc QR luggage block, these attach to the head stock. The front bag on a Brompton is ideal for a computer, plus it's right in front of you, where you can keep an eye on your expensive luggage!
You can, with most folders, fold the bike without having to remove the bag.
My GoBike is one bike that needs some kind of modification to make this work, the reason is that the handlebar stem is angled forward and so fouls the bags when you try to turn. Will have to either angle the block or fit some kind of extension behind it.

A front bag big enough to carry my laptop would be perfect, but within the U.S., the biggest one I got was the Topeak Tour Guide (or something similar), not big enough.

Rafael

A front bag big enough to carry my laptop would be perfect, but within the U.S., the biggest one I got was the Topeak Tour Guide (or something similar), not big enough.
Hmm, I can think of a French make that has a Klick-Fix front laptop bag, but no US dealers.. pity!

So how about the Carradice SQR Slim, or one of the other Carradice SQR bags? The Slim seems to have dimensions that should take a reasonable sized laptop. There are loads of US dealers. My impression (for what it's worth) is that Carradice products are pricy but also high quality, at least all the reviews I've seen seem to rate them highly.

http://www.carradice.co.uk/sqr-saddlepacks/index.html

./Magnus

my wide screen Samsung fits into a QR Brompton front bag no problems with about 4" to spare widthwise and bags of room for other stuff. Plus it has to small pockets which sit each side of the forks. Brompton bits are easily available in the US

http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/400/20_1982BLK.jpg

Rafael,
should you go the route with the rear rack, make sure you get a very sturdy bag. Especially with something heavy inside (like books/laptop) most pannier bags tend to flap around quite a bit. I had one get caught in the spokes once and it stopped my rear wheel faster then I would like.

Don't forget, if it's behind you, you could lose it and not even notice. In a front mounted bag, you'll be able to keep an eye on it and in a jiffy, click the QR and take the bag in with you should you need to stop.

I agree with Chop to some extent on this. So if I am in a BAD area I use my backpack to carry it. It is a special laptop backpack that will cushion it if it falls. In some areas I have had people try to steal my stuff off my rack. A team would work together. One would try and distract me and the other would try to steal the bag. Just be careful if you are in a bad area.

Arkel (www.panniers.com) makes some pretty sweet commuting panniers, as well as a rather robust laptop pannier/briefcase. I use the "bug" to commute to work and I am absolutely amazed at the quality of construction and design. Part of the rack design is a rotating "lock" that would make it difficult to steal the pannier if one didn't know the workings.

They are available through US retailers, or alternatively you can order through CA dealers. They give great dimensions of each bag on the website, so you can calculate your heel clearance, which was a MAJOR issue for me with my size 14 feet.

-Lammy

Arkel makes great stuff. Definitely top notch. Sometimes difficult to find but high quality. They had great buckles on their bags.

I solved the "laptop issue" using an old North Face backback from my days of racing. It is really just under 6 miles/day and as Chop said, expensive stuff shouldn't be falling without you noticing.

I checked Arkel. Pricey, but nice. I am considering doing a Brevet in 2 weeks, and I think the Tail Rider (http://www.arkel-od.com/panniers/tailrider/overview.asp?fl=1&site=) is a perfect match for my bike. Should I spend EIGHTY bucks on a rear bag for my brevet?

Rafael

IMO, you don't really want to put a laptop on a rear rack no matter how sturdy. There's just too much vibration back there. If you carry the laptop in a backpack, your body acts as a shock absorber to protect the computer.

Yep, figured that out. Lap top is on my back, and the winner for the bike rack was the tail rider. When I get back from my brevet I'll have some images.



Rafael

Before I retired, last year, I commuted 19 miles R/T with my dell laptop on my back for about 4 years. The 7 to 10 lbs of weight was not a problem and I got used to my artificial hunchback, but when I rode my bike shedding those extra pounds off my back was exhilarating especially during the hot months.

Hmm, I can think of a French make that has a Klick-Fix front laptop bag, but no US dealers.. pity!
I should have posted the address, but I couldn't remember the name ;) Here it is: www.cyclobag.com They also do a round handlebar bag with interchangeable front panels. Check them out too! (The whole collection under "presse")


Check out the laptop bag on bike, it looks huge! I wonder if it's a Photoshopped image? Anyway, you get the idea:
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/cyclobag/hd/e_bag_velo.jpg



So how about the Carradice SQR Slim, or one of the other Carradice SQR bags? The Slim seems to have dimensions that should take a reasonable sized laptop.
As an aside, I stopped by one of my LBS with my laptop yesterday. The 12" iBook inside its laptop case fits easily in the SQR Slim, some room to spare around the sides and I could probably have fitted two - one on top of the other. So I guess a 14" screen laptop might fit though probably without any extra padding. I was very impressed by the workmanship of the bag, though I wish that the Slim also had external pockets like the Trax or the Tour..

I will check the site, but this image is edited ("photoshoped"). The handlebar/wheels are turned, the bag is not.

Looks nice though...


Rafael

this image is edited ("photoshoped"). The handlebar/wheels are turned, the bag is not.
DOH! It's so obvious now you pointed it out but I honestly didn't see that one! I just knew it didn't look right..