Commuting - Peanut butter

If I carry a jar of peanut butter on my bike, it might weigh almost as much as my battery. If I also carry
an extra jacket just in case, that's a little more. What about keys, spare change, tools, belt...

What I carry with me on the bike might be 50% of my total bike weight!

Oh, no, I forgot about those extra 5 pounds of fat I need to lose! At the rate I'm going, I might as well be riding a 40-lb junker!!!

:cry:



;)

I carry a fair amount of stuff in my back as well... I actually kind of like riding with stuff on my back. I don't know why, but I feel naked without my backpack. I carry the charger for my headlight, usually an extra shirt, deodorant, shampoo, body wash, extra gloves, balaclava, shoe booties, cellphone charger, topeak toolbar, topeak alien, pen, teflon lube, air gauge, and some axe body spray. :p

Oh, and the reason I carry a lot of that is because I end up sleeping over at a friend's house on a regular basis and I never know when it's gonna be... so I just carry stuff with me so I can take a shower and shave and not smell bad. :)

I seem to carry a fair bit of gear as well, though mostly it is in the form of extraneous mathematics textbooks. Yet, when I tour or backpack, I end up taking almost nothing.

my gear is limited currently by my bag, but panniers and a bigger backpack are on order....backpack should arrive shortly, still debating on panniers...anyways...Topeak Mcgyver, Topeak toolbar, therma gloves, open finger gloves, bala clava, gerber, lighter, super sharp knife, sunglasses, prescip glass/contacts, bus schedules, and a wind breaker that I bungee to my camelback.

tubes, gears, peanutbutter and condoms.
But lately I've been thinking perhaps i can skip condoms since I always carry at least two tubes...

Are you serious about the peanut butter? I was when I commuted to work, had to have some around to put in my oatmeal or spread on a bagel but the group home I worked at always had the cheap stuff or kept the stuff in the fridge for some reason which drove me crazy. I bought a small nalgene jar (like the 2 oz. one I think) and just refilled it from home and left it in my panniers. And look at carrying a load as a training exercise, when you strip all that stuff off and go for a ride you'll be that much stronger.

You can buy peanut butter in tubes or if you simply go to a camping store, cochlans make easy squeeze tubes that are refillable. put Peanut butter in one and Jelly in another and you can make instant PBJ sandwiches without a knife!

Jay

If I carry a jar of peanut butter on my bike, it might weigh almost as much as my battery. If I also carry
an extra jacket just in case, that's a little more. What about keys, spare change, tools, belt...

What I carry with me on the bike might be 50% of my total bike weight!

Oh, no, I forgot about those extra 5 pounds of fat I need to lose! At the rate I'm going, I might as well be riding a 40-lb junker!!!

:cry:



;)

It might be good to consider becoming a weight-weenie! You can carry many supplies as you need by getting them out of the original container. i.e., a 3oz deoderant stick actually weighs about 8oz w/the container. But you can put about 2weeks of deoderant gel in an old contact lens case that weighs less an 1oz.

Agree on what others said about PB...put as much as you like in a zip lock sandwich bag (or even double-bag it). Then just pour out what you want (no knife needed).

Put the peunut butter IN the condoms...ready for anything!

And as someone mentioned in a Touring thread you could cut the labels out of all your clothes to save a few more micrograms. :D

It all adds up! My old max limit was 15lbs incl. bag. New limit is 3lbs for winter 2 or for summer (including the bag/rain cover/clothes/deoderant/makeup/towel).

Switching from a 6lb bag to a 1lb bag (with 6oz rain cover).
A bigger weight saving is to take out unused compartments from the panniers or bag.The cardboard/plastic inserts weight about 8oz each!

[CENTER] My chain lock and cable alone feel like feel like a Lay-Z Boy strapped to my back nevermind the tube/ multitool/ flashlight I carry for long trips. When I pack food it's pre-made like a sandwich or baggie of fig bars or cheese crackers or whatever (very light) .

You are right and the differance is that the stuff you mentioned is actually ON the bike rather than in the back pack.

Like the spare light is actually a 3oz LED that is on the bar. And the 8oz lock hangs off the rear rack and tire repair kit si actually in a seat bag. That stuff must add an extra 2-3lbs

I carry quite a bit of gear also, and I don't mind hauling it around because its just part of the daily routine. But, yesterday I received a turkey from my employer and hauled it home in the panniers. What a difference that one commute made -- this morning I felt like I was riding a sub 20 pound bike to work! It felt so light and agile as I danced around up the hills.

Sure, a significantly lighter bike will allow you to ride faster, but if you get strong enough to ride the weighted bike at a decent speed, then why care? I'm not racing (well, usually) and I know that if I'm surprised by sudden inclement weather, a breakdown, or severe cravings for peanut butter, I have the right stuff on hand to deal with it.