Originally Posted by
Justin J
I use one pannier on the left because I like not having a backpack, but I get other commuters blowing by me everyday and they're all using backpacks. Granted, most of them are on road bikes, and I'm rocking the Navaro Fusion
, but there's plenty of people on other hybrids or mountain bikes just zipping right by me.
Now, I have no qualms about being passed - does't hurt my ego or anything. But my 10 mile commute takes me between 50 - 65 minutes depending on wind conditions, and it would really help my daily routine if I could get that time down in the 30 - 40 minute range.
Obviously, I don't know what other riders carry in their packs. I'm carrying a big old IBM Think Pad that weighs a ton. But I left it at work yesterday for the ride home, and I was only a little bit faster, not a lot.
Do you have ANY IDEA how much more power you are going to have to put out to knock 20 minutes off your commute? Switching from pannier to backpack isn't going to make the difference for you. Sustaining 20MPH speeds, even in favorable conditions, for ten miles is not an easy task no matter what the bike or how it is equipped.
It was a little depressing the day I figured out the difference between "taking it pretty easy" and "riding pretty hard" on my 18 km (that particular route) commute was about 5-7 minutes.
EDIT: for the record I prefer a SMALL pannier over a backpack or messenger bag for my commute, or anything really. more comfortable, doesn't seem to add too much drag. my big panniers make their presence known a little more.