bsyptak

Here's what I carry every day in my panniers:

-tube, pump, tire levers
-velcro reflective pants cuff tie down thingy
-waterproof/breathable pants and jacket with hood (just replaced non-breatheable junk)
-trash bag liner & twist tie (who knows why, in case I need to really keep something dry I suppose)
-balaclava (3 seasons only)
-2 bungee cords if I need to strap something large onto my rack.
-the day's clothing in an Eagle Creek Pack-It sac
-lunch (tupperware container, fruit packed in an old knit hat to keep from bruising)
-leakproof 16 oz nissan thermos/mug that I can drink out of. I stop at Einstein Bagels for power bagel and coffee
-u-lock (nevermind the BIC pen fiasco). It's heavy, but I hate the tightly wound cables-can't extend them much.
-oh yeah, also a minimalist messenger type bag I shove in one pannier to transport the clothes, lunch etc from bike to shower to desk.

It doesn't feel too heavy on my Giant Cypress SX. I average over 15 mph roundtrip which is 17.7 miles. I figure it makes me a better rider when I get on my lighter road bike on the weekends. I feel much stronger.

So, am I nuts?

sbhikes

-tube, pump, tire levers

I let the bike shop guys fix my tires.

-velcro reflective pants cuff tie down thingy

I just stuff my pant leg into my sock.

-waterproof/breathable pants and jacket with hood

It never rains in southern california

-balaclava (3 seasons only)

It's never cold in southern california (by the way, both those last two comments are lies)

-2 bungee cords if I need to strap something large onto my rack.

One tiny bungie cord.

-the day's clothing in an Eagle Creek Pack-It sac

I wear my clothes. I don't sweat, I glisten. (I'm female in case you were wondering)

-lunch (tupperware container, fruit packed in an old knit hat to keep from bruising)
-leakproof 16 oz nissan thermos/mug that I can drink out of. I stop at Einstein Bagels for power bagel and coffee

Get my lunch and coffee at the office cafeteria.

-u-lock (nevermind the BIC pen fiasco). It's heavy, but I hate the tightly wound cables-can't extend them much.

I hate the tightly wound cables, too, but that's what I have.

I have:
- arm warmers,
- a reflective runner's vest,
- some allen wrenches and
- some leaves and junk that fell in (I've got a shopping-bag style panier).
- money and related wallet stuff

I don't like to carry much.

super-douper

that's a lot more stuff than I carry, but your commute is a lot longer. I can go home during lunch if I forgot something or to eat lunch.

My commute is only about 1.5 miles, but I often take the long way home 5 miles. Still a whole lot shorter than your commute. Here's what I carry every day.

- cycling clothes in case I want to go for a fitness ride after work
- multi tool
- patch kit
- spare tube
- mini pump
- first aid kit
- bungee cords
- extra velcro straps
- shower stuff (soap, shampoo, deoderant, towel)
- kryptonite cable lock and old u-lock

I also often take food. I'll usually take fixins to make lunch for a few days. Once I went to the store at lunch time and bought a whole mess of stuff, including a 24 pack of sodas. boy did my bike ride different with all that weight!

PaulH

I carry a U-lock, the bungee that holds the U-lock on, a Gore-Tex hooded raincoat, and rainpants. If the weather is dry and not too cold, I sometimes omit the coat and rainpants.

Paul

digs

about 20 lb of school books
patch kit
spare tube
multitool
mini pump
balaclava & gloves
Tums (electrolytes on the go... plus it kills hunger pangs when I'm riding home before eating dinner)
backpack (which everything goes into once I get to school)
no extra clothes (I wear an undershirt on my ride to school, which I hang up once I get there), but extra shoes (which will change as soon as I get paid again... next paycheck buying me some shimano sandals)
no lock... I leave my bike in the office I work in on campus
deodorant & hair gel

emgNH

<teasing>
Do they come to the side of the road at seven in the morning? Or do you carry a cellphone for someone to bail you out?
</teasing>

But, more seriously, my LBS charges exorbitantly for fixing flats, something you can do for yourself in just a few minutes. Personally, I like knowing that I can fix my own flat in a few minutes, rather than looking for somewhere to call home, waiting for a ride, etc.

I carry:
work clothes and shoes
lunch
wallet
tubes and tools in wedge
mini-pump
tailight and light

I keep at work:
a towel
anti-bacterial wipes
face wipes
sometimes spare shoes
deoderant

Will add as the mercury drops:
full-fingered gloves
ear warmers
balaclava
full booties
windpants

520commuter

I carry less then most, simply because I don't need to lock up at work (bring the bike in my office). I do take:

---Tool kit (minitool, SRAM powerlink, zip ties, patch kit, tire boot, etc.)
---Minipump
---Spare Tube
---Bungee Net
---Digital Camera (never know what you might what to take a picture of)
---Nite Rider Roadrat when needed
---waterproof covers for the panniers

During the winter I might take raingear, in the summer I just get wet. It doesn't rain much here anyway.

In the winter:
---Arm warmers
---Knee warmers
---Ear band
---Glove liners to use under my usual riding gloves

John Ridley

I have a wedge under the seat with a multitool and a patch kit.

Panniers contain (every day):
Lunch, wallet, PDA, cellphone, work ID card (RFID entrance key).

Sometimes I pack the right one if I have stuff to carry to work or to mail.

Work clothes are in a gym bag at work. I keep about a half dozen polo shirts and a couple pair of pants, plus a half dozen sets of socks/underwear. The socks/underwear go home every day, and when I run out I transport another load in. I alternate the other clothes over a couple of weeks, then pack them home in the right pannier and their replacements come back the next day.

If it's cold in the morning and warmer in the afternoon, extra layers are in the bag.

The panniers rack holds my SLA battery for the halogen & strobe (I'm too cheap to go NiMH, would rather carry an extra 2 pounds).

PaulH

SHould I add that I don't use either backpack or panniers and carry the stuff on my rack?

Paul

bsyptak

I suppose you don't have to worry about flats too much, as you could just jump on the subway--or maybe your commute is not too long so that you could just walk home??

crucible

I carry the following items everyday in a small Camelback Hawg backpack:

U-lock
Crank Brothers 17 bit multitool
small Vice grips
spare tube
patch kit
Park tool truing key
3 tire levers
Princeton Tec Aurora LED headlamp
Cat-Eye LED light
contractor grade trash bag
cell phone
bandanna
chamois hiking towel
spare balaclava
capilene glove liners
Marmot windshirt
small first aid kit
ziplock back containing GU and granola bars
comb, anti-perspirant and tissues

SaskCyclist

I love my panniers. I was carrying everything on my back until this summer. I normally carry the following:

-Shoes for work,
-clothes for work,
-clothes for the ride home (quite often 20C warmer in the afternoon than the morning ride)
-multi-tool
-pannier rain covers
-lunch
-bottle of water
-wallet

In the past I have carried the following:
-golf clubs
-coffee
-ice cream
-groceries


I opted for the largest panniers I could find. It is very rare that I notice my bike handles different with the panniers jammed full.

Thanks.

Jay H

I have a 10 mile commute and all I carry is

1)tube
2)bike tools
3)pump
4)sandwich lunch (banana is in my jersey pocket)
5)Cell phone and house keys
6)shirt and undershirt for the day

Every now and then I'll have Snapple for drinks when I run out of my cache and a magazine to read at lunch if I run out.

Everything else I stash in a locker at my cube at work.

Jay

PaulH

That's right -- it's just a ten mile commute and the subway is available, although laughably slow. There are numerous taxicabs. I also use the heaviest, must flat-resistant tire I can find -- have not had a flat for a year.

I think we all carry just as much stuff as we need, and the differences reflect riding situations more than they do personal preferences.

Paul

canonball

I carry a biking backpack with an extra tube, jacket, wallet, keys, papers I've been grading.
I have a mini pump plus another extra tube and patch kit under my seat.
It's cold in the morning so usually I'm wearing extra jerseys that go in my pack on the way
home. 64 mile commute round trip 3-4 days a week.

operator

10" Adjustable Wrench (Yeah i know)
Screwdriver with 10 heads.
Scissors
Cable cutter
Spare derailleur cable
Pump
Spare Tube
Zip Ties

5 potatoes & 1 Banana
1 to 5 notebooks
and my wallet.

rog

I carry the patch kit, tube, and multi-tool in a wedge, and I have a frame mounted mini-pump. In my paniers I carry work clothes and shoes (which I'll start leaving in my locker at work once I build my legs and wind up enough to commute every day), and food. On sundays, I stuff all my laundry in and ride over to my parents house for a visit. ;-)

wfin2004

Man Purse?

sbhikes

Go ahead and tease me but I have never had the strength to stretch the wheel back on to the rim. If worse came to worse I would lock my bike up and take the bus, or just walk, or call someone for a ride.

larue

No rack and panniers as of yet.
In my wedge:
Tube.
Patch kit.
Levers.
Multi-tool.
Wallet.
Phone.
Keys.
Clif bar depending on distance.

On bike:
Co2 inflator.
2 water bottles.

obscenesimian

Multi tool
tire levers
2 spare tubes
patch kit
mini pump
work clothes

Bottle of water

Everything else is at work, or at home. I guess I carry as little as possible.

gahaya

In a rack trunk:

Tire levers
Patch kit
Mini-pump
Chunk of a great painter's soap in a small ziplock (super for washing bike grease off skin)
Glasses mirror that I occasionally try to get used to, then get annoyed by and put back in the bag

Tailight (tied to back of trunk)
Water bottle (nestled on top of trunk)

Wallet, which gets always wet from the water bottle slowly leaking on top of the trunk. I want to get a cage but I've got a non-braze-on, girlie-frame bike and I'm not sure what kind of cage I could put on it.
Cell phone, keys, datebook
Ipod
Work clothes (work shoes stay at work)
Whatever novel I'm reading
NYC 5-borough bike map - I don't often need it but I like to look at it sometimes because I love maps.

Headlight on bike, Krypto chain & padlock around waist. All other bike clothes for the day on body.

Chris L

Apart from my clothes and shoes (yes, I insist on carrying those), I carry the following:

Topeak Alien Multi-tool (including tyre leavers and about 83 other functions)
Spare Tube
Pump (mounted on my frame)
Camera
House Keys
Water bottle

The shoes probably give me more weight than I need to carry, however I don't mind that on my commute. I just look upon it as training for my next tour.

latortilla

on a raleigh c40 hybrid
in a medium size messenger bag from courierware
i carry the following:

white coat (with stethoscope, flashlight, tuning forks, etc.)
shirt, undershirt, tie
sometimes pants + dress shoes if in the OR & clinic that day
laptop, power cord
notebook, pens
wallet, cell phone, PDA, pager
Nalgene water bottle
city map
tire levers
spare tube
patch kit
mini-pump
U-lock, cable
handlebar opticube light, rear LED
waterproof, breathable rain coat, pants, or a sweatshirt if necessary

Hemlock

Not much. I have a rack trunck bag. In the little pocket on the back I have a spare tube, levers, and a patch kit. In the main compartment are a change of clothes and lunch. Cell phone, wallet and keys go in the pocket on the lid. I have lots of tools available at work in case something else goes wrong, but so not much has happened.