Folding Bikes - Bike Friday tikit Luggage options

hey everyone, ive had my bike friday for about a week now, and I cant say ive used the washington DC metro now more than once. Wonderful thing a bike can do for your commute :) that being said, i currently have been biking with my northface backpack on, and I find that after any commute i have a very hot and sweaty back. Id love to get a pannier or two for my standard tikit rack, or perhaps a backpack that can act like a pannier or rackbag. I know the tikit rack though has issues with heel striking, as ive found out when trying to strap my ungangly northface to it. what solutions have you guys found? is there some snazzy backpack that also happens to strap to the tikit rear rack well, or perhaps a unique pannier that somehow clears heel striking? thanks!!!

I don't think you'll find a pannier for the rack that will work. Your options are...

1. Get the front rack that will allow a full sized pannier. It can only hold one, if I recall correctly.
2. Use a trunk bag. These sit on top of the rack, thereby avoiding all possibility of heel strike.
3. If you don't carry a lot of stuff, and like looking stylish, you could try the Zwei bag (http://www.iam2.com/english/main.html) that comes with a Klickfix attachment for your handlebar

I'm sure other folks will have suggestions too.

--sam

are trunk bags skinny enough to avoid heel strikes?

I think that will depend on the bag, but I think you should be able to find one that will work. One other thing, I've heard a rumor that Bike Friday will be coming out with a different rack that will be able to handle a normal sized pannier. I think Vik mentioned it somewhere.

--sam

yeah i read about that, but it will also affect the fold, which im not too keen on. Im thinking about getting a wald front basket: https://waldsports.com/index.cfm/store.html?category_id=39

do you think this would work on a tikit? judging by my bike i dont think it would interfere.

There are some panniers that will work with the standard Tikit rear rack. The ones made by Detours for example. I don't have the link handy and I'm in a rush, but if you check the comments of my blog post about the rack I believe someone posted the info there.

No one has mentioned a saddlebag, so I will.

Carradice and similar saddle bags hold a lot. The Carradice SQR lets the bag get on and off of your bike quickly. No rack is required, so it doesn't affect the folded size. It doesn't hurt handling because the load is under your saddle. Most are made of cotton duck fabric which is waterproof and durable.

Something like this:
http://www.wallbike.com/carradice/camper.html
or this:
http://www.acornbags.com/lgbag.html

If you can sew then they are easy to make.

alex

I have one of these:
http://www.rei.com/product/764699

and it works reasonably well. If you place the part with the reflective grey Novara hoop toward the saddle, it is narrow enough to avoid heal strike, at least for me. I've also been able to use the expandable side thingies with success.

The main disadvantage to this bag is that you can't fold your bike without taking the trunk bag off. I've starting looking into saddle bags and created my own as a test!

how much can sattle bags hold? are they limited to light weight? also awetmore of the two links you listed which do you reccommend? i noticed that the acorn was like half the price of the carradice, any reason for that?

Minor tip. My tikit presently has an Axiom Adriondack (http://www.modernbike.com/itemgroup.asp?IGPK=2126174905) handlebar bag tied to the right side of the rear rack as far back as I can place it. Just a little plain bag, but when folded, it tucks neatly between the wheels. My feet just barely miss it on pedaling, though your mileage may vary. I've found it much more useful than a seat bag.

how much can sattle bags hold? are they limited to light weight? also awetmore of the two links you listed which do you reccommend? i noticed that the acorn was like half the price of the carradice, any reason for that?

Transverse saddlebags come in a lot of sizes with different capacities. Most are about the size of a single front pannier or a rack trunk.

The Acorn is half of the price because it is sold directly by the manufacturer and made in the US. The Carradice bags are made in the UK and the UK pound is worth much more than the US dollar. Carradice prices were much closer to Acorn prices 8 years ago before the US$ went into the toilet. The Carradice bags came in many more sizes and are easier to find.

alex