duane_pipe

I have a road bike, and don't really want to change bikes or buy a second bike just for commuting. I know a hybrid or a tourer would be ideal, but I don't have that. Road bikes aren't set up for carrying gear, but it's ultimately what I need to do. I'll be carrying lunch (2l pack up box), clothes (t shirt, trousers) and whatever other bits and pieces I may need. Occasionally I need to carry tools and stuff for work and don't always like leaving them there. I can keep a fair bit of stuff in my locker which is good news. I'll maximise that and keep my safety boots there. Occasionally though I'll pick up shopping and what not so might need extra storage/carrying capacity. I can minimise this by picking up bits at a time obviously.

I hate cycling with a backpack! Need to keep stuff dry, too.

fietsbob

Saddle Bag With a Quick release mount.. SQR System

+ canvas or CarraDry Saddlebag

Or,CarraDry SQR Bag


Haul lots More stuff? ::Bike Trailer - Travoy Commute Bike Trailer - Burley--BURLEY--

RaleighSport

Also might be helpful to know what kind of road bike, figure out what kind of rack system etc.. assuming you don't mind racks.

KonAaron Snake 

How about a trailer? Racks don't play well because of heel clearance/short stays. They aren't bikes designed for loads either...the handling gets squirrelly.

10 Wheels

Wake up your imagination.

TenSpeedV2

No offense, but I would rather pack everything in my messenger bag or rolltop bag and have a sweaty back than have everything I own strapped to my bike. Doesn't that affect the handling of it? BTW - I am digging the yellow Felt.

pacificaslim

Or...

noglider 

You'd be surprised how well a bike can carry stuff. Carrying weight on the body reduces the body's flexibility. Not that I'm religious about it. I don't put anything on one of my bikes, and I wear a backpack when I ride it, but not with a lot of weight. But in general, I prefer attaching my stuff to the bike. It's more comfy that way. Each bike carries weight differently. Some prefer it on front, some on back, some don't care.

dynaryder

Axiom makes a rack specifically for road bikes that mounts from the caliper to the skewer:
Streamliner Road DLX - Streamliner Racks - Racks - Products - Axiom Performance Gear

spare_wheel

Tubus makes a whole line of racks that work on road bikes (e.g. fly an airy).

Reynolds 

Looks nice, but I wouldn't want to change a tube on a bike with it, esp. when loaded.

KonAaron Snake 

I have the fly...on a road bike expect heel strike. Can you use clamps on CF? Most road wheels/tire widths are also not meant for much weight on the rear.

Says the masochist who used a px-10 to tour Europe. ON TUBULARS!

a1penguin

Topeak DynaPack Bicycle Seat Post Mount Bag with Fixer | Amazon.com: Outdoor Recreation might work. I leave clothes at work to avoid having to tote them. This thing is pretty roomy. Depending on the bike you have, you might be able to have a rack installed.

CliffordK

It depends on the bike and rack system.

I've had a rack on my old Colnago Super for years, mounted with two P-Clips, and an adapter for the triangle in the Campy-Style dropouts.

It can be a trick to get the bags mounted far enough back to prevent heal strike, but not impossible.

chas58

For commuting, a messenger bag works great for me. It allows me to ride a fast bike (not rack compatible) without getting a sweaty back (the bag sits on my pelvis, and I'm leaned over an <45 degrees. I don't like putting weight on the bike as it makes them ride like a truck (where I prefer a lively bike), and of course panniers or horrible on a windy day.

Another option is a revelate frame bag (see photos above). That allows me to carry some weight on longer treks without messing up the balance of the bike or extra wind drag.
https://www.revelatedesigns.com/inde...log/Frame-Bags

I find that my race oriented bikes (mountain or road) that don't have eyelets for racks handle horribly when a rack is put on the bike. If it is a lively handling bike, it won't respond well to racks. While if it has eyelets for a rack, it tends to be much more stable and happy under the weight load of a rear rack.

Jim from Boston

Well now, back in 1977 we did a fully self-supported cross country ride on French Merciers with rear panniers, high quality road cycles for the that time, made with Reynolds 531 double-butted tubing, and ON TUBULARS!

Blue Belly

A bicycle is essentially a one dementional space frame. Most abuse should come from tortion, not downward weight. Of course, it will have limits... Make sure you have an appropriate wheelset & you shouldn't have too many issues.

KonAaron Snake 

Sickos I tell you!

To the group - can you use clamps on CF? I would think that's a bad idea...so would extra weight. Seeing the bike would be helpful.

Jim from Boston

I've been advised that they don't work too well. One problem I have had with seatpost racks is that I have broken off a few from steel seatposts, and I wouldn't want to use one on a carbon fiber seatpost.

I'm seriously looking at a large saddlebad designed by a local fabricator, Dill Pickle Gear, and looks like it could carry enough gear for a self-supported century, and even a short term credit card tour. It is supported by the metal rails on the seat itself.

I visited her studio, and it looks like a high quality item.

noglider 

For those who don't know, a PX-10 is a short-wheelbased low-clearance racing bike. I used adapters in the dropouts to attach a rear rack, and I had a handlebar bag. This was a three-month tour, back in 1981. The two worst things about my choice of bike were that I used Weinmann sidepull brakes and the high speed downhill handling required a lot of work with my arms. I'm pretty scrawny in my arms and shoulders, and it really wasn't that hard. I also had heel scrape, so I had to modify my pedal stroke to point my heels down at the back of the stroke. That wasn't a major annoyance, believe it or not. The choice of tubular tires was very dumb. They were not heavy enough to carry my load, so I got a lot of punctures. I don't remember if they were pinch flats; I think so. Eventually, I replaced them with heavier than normal tubulars, and that solved my problem. Until then, I had a stretch of a month when I got a flat every single day. Every evening was spent patching and sewing and gluing a tire. I got pretty good at it. My fellow travelers at the youth hostels thought I had a strange craft, and it made for conversation over endless pots of tea.

Jim from Boston

Say no more! We had similar experiences. On previous shorter tours in the Midwest, we didn’t have many problems. It always was a tedious drag to have to fix the flats in the evening. We carried six additional tires, and on three different days we had to take unnecessary rest days to stash our bikes in a motel and hitchhike to a city to buy more.

On a few good days separating flats, the stuck on grimy grease from the glue usually had just worn off. Good thing it was our honeymoon, and we could laugh it off.

KonAaron Snake 

^^ sickos I tell you!

I'm glad I went touring AFTER the Japanese brought affordable, functional tourers to market!

Is it just me, or are tires a LOT better these days? I don't remember any tires as flat resistant as Ribmos or Marathons.

Wilfred Laurier

A decent seatpost-mounted rack (assuming your road bike doesn't have rack/fender eyelets at the dropouts) and a quick release bag (or pair of bags) will satisfy all your criteria.
If your road bike has eyelets for a rack then any old rack will work (the Axiom one above is a personal favourite), and panniers are generally very quick to put on and take off so you don't have to leave your stuff with the bike.

noglider 

@Jim from Boston, I was traveling solo, and I think I had two spare tires with me. I never had more than two flats in a day, so I was never stuck on the road. The pin in the valve broke off of one, so I could fill it, but I couldn't measure pressure with my gauge. My solution was to fill it every day. Eventually, I overinflated it, and it exploded. And yes, tubular glue is one of the worst substances known.

@KonAaron Snake, tires have unquestionably gotten better, and not just in puncture resistance. They roll better, have better traction, are more supple, and last longer.

In 1981, Japanese touring bikes did exist, but I only loved racing bikes at the time. My approach was that ounces count, even when touring. Suffice it to say, I was wrong about that.

Klystomane

I commute on a road bike, with an Axiom Streamliner (Disc version) and a DIY "pannier" (old laptop bag).

I initially had a little issue with heel strike but it took just a little bit of tweaking to solve the problem.

My bag usually contains my laptop, a lunch, patch kit, and 1-2 changes of clothes.

If I had to carry what you intend to, I would probably have a trunk bag on top of the rack for tools and possibly have panniers on the front to balance the weight of the bike.