Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Commuting
Reload this Page >

How do I load my non-commuter bike?

Notices
Commuting Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.

How do I load my non-commuter bike?

Old 10-09-10, 06:47 PM
  #1  
Probably Injured
Thread Starter
 
beebe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 303

Bikes: Kona Paddywagon, Surly Crosscheck

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
How do I load my non-commuter bike?

I commute to school with a backpack on my 2009 Kona Paddywagon. My bike is substantially less fun to ride with weight pushing me down while I ride in the drops and straps constricting my breathing. I'm sick of the large patches of sweat wherever the bag touches me, and I dread the bulk of my bag on top of my heavy winter coats. I want to put it on a rack.

I've heard the old Paddywagons had rack braze-ons, but they stopped using them. Should I worry about overloading my rear triangle or damaging the tubing with p-clamps? I'm also concerned about loading the weight of all my school books on one side with a pannier or backpack-pannier. I originally thought to just get a waterproof backpack or messenger and bungee it to the top (or use my current bag wrapped in plastic). Is this the best plan? Are there large trunk bags (or something that sits on the top of the rack, rather than the side) that are meant to be detached and carried the same way as the Ortlieb and Arkel combo pannier-backpack/messengers?

I'm not interested in buying a new bike yet.

Thanks for reading. Thanks to anyone who replies, especially if you're good looking or helpful.
beebe is offline  
Old 10-09-10, 06:55 PM
  #2  
Prefers Cicero
 
cooker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto
Posts: 12,870

Bikes: 1984 Trek 520; 2007 Bike Friday NWT; misc others

Mentioned: 86 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3939 Post(s)
Liked 112 Times in 87 Posts
If you have too much weight for one pannier you can certainly use two. Trunk bags generally have a smaller capacity than a pannier. Or you can get a commuting bike. You need fenders as well as a rack. N+1, baby!
cooker is offline  
Old 10-09-10, 06:56 PM
  #3  
Senior Member
 
Seattle Forrest's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 23,208
Mentioned: 89 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18883 Post(s)
Liked 10,645 Times in 6,054 Posts
I have a weird, old rack that screws into braze-ons near the seat post, but then uses clamps to attach to the rear triangle, above the wheel. It's rated for 55 lbs; if you could find a similar rack that also clamps to the seat post, like clip on fenders, it should have a decent weight capacity.

How much does everything you want to carry weigh? Books are heavy, but how many do you bring with you at a time? I've been carrying a single book and a few other things on my rack, in a kayaking dry bag for the rain.
Seattle Forrest is offline  
Old 10-09-10, 08:17 PM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 437

Bikes: late 80's bianchi campion d'italia, early 90's trek 2100, early 90's shogun selectra, mid 90's aluminum marin xcMTB, dept. store grade but upgraded columbia double eagle tandem

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Just looked up the paddy wagon: Shame on Kona for not including proper braze-ons for fenders and racks on what is obviously supposed to be an "urban" bike.

I wouldn't worry about P clamps damaging your seatstays. for the mount points near the hub. for the mountings near the seat cluster, use either a seat post collar with rack mounts, or just the mount that goes around the seatpost, but doesn't secure the seatpost to the frame itself. be sure to get a rack specifically for short chainstay bikes that allow you to mount your load farther rearward to avoid heel strikes.
kludgefudge is offline  
Old 10-09-10, 08:30 PM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 782
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I'll let others chime in on the wisdom of using p-clamps, etc, but I'll throw in my vote for just bungeeing your backpack onto the top of the rack. I guess some of that depends on how much you put in there & how much it weighs, but I use my pack this way every day. The advantages (as I see them) are 1. the weight is distributed right over the wheel so it's pretty even & 2 you can use your backpack when you are not on the bike. Lugging panniers around off the bike is a pain for me. If you use the backpack off the bike much, the versatility of a backpack is something to consider.
MK313 is offline  
Old 10-10-10, 06:23 AM
  #6  
Probably Injured
Thread Starter
 
beebe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 303

Bikes: Kona Paddywagon, Surly Crosscheck

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Thanks for the replies. I'll see if my mechanic can hook me up with a sweet rack.
beebe is offline  
Old 10-10-10, 07:53 AM
  #7  
Born Again Pagan
 
irclean's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Southwestern Ontario
Posts: 2,241

Bikes: Schwinn hybrid, Raleigh MTB

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
I use my pannier loaded with school books and a laptop hanging on the non-drive side of my bike. I estimate that I have often carried 20 pounds in the bag and the only time I notice the bike being off-balance is during mounting/dismounting. I have used p-clamps successfully over the years without causing any damage to my seatstays. One of my bikes has no braze-ons for the upper rack mounts so I use one of these seat post collars (as was suggested by a previous poster):



Here is my rack mounted on said bike:

irclean is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
bikemig
Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling
7
12-30-14 02:55 PM
no1mad
Commuting
15
05-17-12 07:46 PM
Igo
Commuting
38
10-30-11 07:57 PM
vol
Utility Cycling
9
09-04-11 07:45 PM
cmherrmann
Commuting
8
05-17-10 11:43 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.