jhhall

Hello - i'm new to this board and new to commuting on my bike - glad i found this place! here's my question - does anyone know of a backpack panier? i guess i should explain a bit more, i'm doing a 16 mile commute to work. i started out by hauling a backpack around on my bike and off my bike (to the showers, office, etc.) but what i can't stand about this is having it on while i'm riding. i also have paniers but it's not as convenient to start lugging panniers around to the gym and office. so what i'd like to find is a back pack that fits well on a panier (maybe a backpack/panier combo) - that way while i'm riding i put it on the panier but when i'm not i can wear it around. i tried the bungee thing on a topeak qr, but didn't work. any ideas would be greatly appreciated. gracias!!

mjw16

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=

I just got two of these, the other for a friend. It's pretty nice. I use it exclusively as a backpack and she uses it as both a pannier and backpack.

landstander

Take a look at the Arkel Bug... it isn't cheap, but well worth the cost IMO. It locks securely in place on your rear rack (no way it'll fall off while riding), and is fairly comfortable when used as a backpack. It's nice and sturdy (with an excellent guarantee), and has a pretty good capacity as well.

I acquired one about 2 weeks ago, and am very happy with the beastie.

d2create

I second the Arkel Bug. I just wish it was as waterproof as my Chrome messenger bag.
Everthing stays dry except for my shoes at the very bottom which get just a little wet.
For the most part its pretty water resitent even in heavy downpours. It just needs an interior lining like my chrome and then it would be perfect.

Actually, i don't think I've taken it with me off the bike yet. But it's an option if I ever need it.

Cyclist0383

Don't get the one from Nashbar. It's a piece of rubbish. I gave mine away. I now happily use an Arkel Bug. It's worth every penny. Check out this link on the subject.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...el+bug+nashbar

landstander

That's an excellent point, and one which had completely slipped my mind. It's probably a good idea to purchase the waterproof rain cover as well, unless you're quite certain that you'll never be caught riding in the rain.

I experienced one heckuva downpour just last week, in fact, on my ride home from work. I'm happy to report that the rain cover worked as advertised.

Cyclist0383

The rain cover is great. I use mine for the whole of the wet, slushy, miserable Latvian winter.

d2create

how does the rain cover work? Like how do you install it? Is it easy?
You can't tell from that pic on their website.

landstander

It's got an elastic drawstring which goes around the rear of the cover... you just have to slip the cover over the bag from the front, and then pull the string tight. There's a small spring-loaded fastener which keeps it from working loose as you ride. Also, the end of the drawstring is fastened to the cover, so it can't be blown into your spokes.

It takes about 15-20 seconds to setup, after you've done it the first time.

jhhall

thanks everyone - great suggestions!! looks like the arkel is the more popular choice here. i checked out the site - and yes that thing is pretty pricey. but seems to be worth the price. has anyone had issues loading a commuters worth of stuff in it (work clothes, laptop, papers, lunch)? also, do you need a high end expedition style rear bike rack or will a standard light touring rack work?

Walkafire

Hey there jh...
I went up to a bike shop here in Northern Colorado...only place I could find "The Bug". I would suggest you find a shop that has one. It will not fit on my bike as my heal hits it... but.... It will work with a longer rear rack... I tried it out, works great... now I have to find another rack. But if you are gonna fork out that kind of money, I would check it out IN person.... my 0.02

milank

I use the Arkel Utility Basket and think it's great. I can fit everything with little trouble, especially if the shoes I'm going to wear are already at work. I'm even thinking about getting a second one.

I use a strap and it's pretty much a shoulder bag, although the attachment hardware can be a little uncomfortable after a while.

I think the Bug would be more comfortable and I believe it is a little bigger than the UB.

You would only need a bigger rack if you have heel strike issues (large feet, long cranks). Arkel hardware is very adjustable.

Marylandnewbie

I highly reccomend the Jandd Commuter Briefcase Pannier https://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FCBP It has a ton of room and a convenient shoulder strap for carrying it away from the bike. I hooks on securely to Jandd and most other racks. It also has a built in rain cover that is very water tight except under the most extreme conditions. I have hauled a laptop in it although they do make a separate computer pannier with better padding. I have even carried 4 fifths of alcohol on the trip home so it is very versatile. On a daily basis I have no trouble fitting a change of clothes, lunch, spare tubes, mini-pump, tools and some office paperwork in the bag and its pockets.

Cyclist0383

Check out this link.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ight=stuff+bug

CBBaron

The Bug looks like a nice Pannier/Backpack, I have the Arkel Utility Basket I use for groceries and it works really well. However I'd thought I'd mention another option and that is get a pannier large enough to allow you to put your backpack inside. That way you can quickly extract the backpack with a minimum fuss and a suitable pannier is probably alot cheaper than the Bug.
Craig

jhhall

hey Craig - what an awesome idea!! i never thought of that. i actually do have a good size panier, i just need to see if my backpack will fit in it. the only downside i see to this is potential theft of the panier by leaving it on while i'm at work all day. but it's a MUCH cheaper alternative, especially since i own everything already - you see i'm so glad i posted this morning. so many awesome suggestions!

Walkafire - i just called a local arkel dealer and will stop by tomorrow (my driving day) and check it out. i'll bring my commuting bike with me to try it out.

jhhall

wow - that's a lot of stuff in the BUG. okay - so i know i won't have a problem fitting a change of clothes, some spare parts, lunch, and a laptop in it.

Seanholio

Seems to me that this shouldn't be a problem. In dealing with Arkel directly, I must say that you're unlikely to have any problems with them. Happily, I dealt with them extensively while ordering my T22's, and I'm a high-maintenance customer.

CBBaron

Last night I thought of an idea even less expensive and very unlikely to get stolen, but definately ugly. Instead of a pannier attach a milk crate to the top of the rack and throw the back pack in that when on the bike. A bungie or cargo net across the top of the crate should keep everything in place and it provides a nice place to haul shopping home. Ofcourse it may be too ghetto for most people. I'm thinking of doing it for my winter bike if I can figure out a way that still allows me to use the Arkel Utility Pannier.
Craig

jhhall

hey - just wanted to update you guys on what I did. I decided to get the Arkel Bug and mounted it on the Blackburn Expedition rack. I tried it this morning for the first time - I really like it! It was so nice to ride without anything on my back. I could barely tell (at least with balancing) that the thing was back there.

Okay - so the downside. It did feel like I was towing a decent amount of weight. Now this will obviously change as I get stronger. I also need to work out what to keep at work and what to take with me. It's much smaller than my Timbuk2 bag, but I think if I can work my shoes to either go on the outside or leave them at work - I'd be golden. One more thing, the back of my foot periodically hit the bag. While at first it was quite irritaing, after a few miles it was actually a comforting feeling every once in awhile - just to know the critter was there ; )

Overall Assessment - I love the thing!!!! And it was so nice to take it off the rack and put it on my back and head to the showers. No worries about pannier theft!

gurana

Glad to hear it worked out for you. I've been toying with the idea of getting something like that, but have been putting it off. One of the reasons is that I just assumed that they would throw your balance off, if it was just on one side. Apparently that's not the case. Still, the idea of having just one pannier is an affront to my sense of balance, at least in an aestetic point of view.

Walkafire

... Glad it is working out for ya....
I gotta ask ya... How big are your FEET? Does your heel comes close to the BUG?

I am putting off on getting one myself, will cost about 200.00+ with the bigger rack I need for these big feet... 13.5"-14" tis why I ask how big the feet are.

As far as hauling the weight, I have hauled a bunch of stuff to work in my old "Kirtland" panniers. I might hang on to these for a while longer. Just sprayed them with Coleman Water Resistant.

jhhall

gurana - ha - i had the same issues with having just 1 pannier. But I gotta tell you - at least for me, I could barely notice. The only times were when I was stopped. I actually had to start thinking about which foot to clip out of when I was coming to a stop b/c I didn't want to clip out of the opposite foot and have all the weight on the other side. But I'm sure this will come naturally once I get more accustomed to it.

walkafire - wow - you do have some big feet! i actually have quite small feet (about a 8.5 -9.0). But I'm riding a 15.5" Rockhopper - so it's a bitty little bike. Yes, my heel comes very close to the bug - infact, so close that I do feel it every once in awhile. Usually only when my foot is on a slight angle outward. I also noticed that the bug creeped up a bit on the rack. I bought the Blackburn Expedition rack b/c it got good reviews - only downside I read was the size (too small). I almost got one a bit bigger from Old Man (Arkel site) that was bigger, but didn't want to spend more money - as you know the bug itself isn't cheap.

CBBaron

The Arkel mounting system is very adjustable and may allow you to move the bag out of range of your feet even with a cheaper rack. I use an Arkel Utility Basket on a Trek 400 with my size 12 feet without much problem. You may just want to give it a try on your current rack first before buying an expensive rack.
Craig