I bought an Arkel Big Bar Bag for cheap off Craigslist because I really wanted to rid myself of my backpack without having to add a rack and panniers, but it has thrown off the bike somewhat - all the weight makes it hard to carry when I do have to carry the bike around, and it causes the front wheel to go nuts every time I try to park the bike. It's nice, sure, but I'm not real thrilled with it so far.

My only problem with a rack/pannier setup, and I'm pretty sure this could be overcome with work, is that I can't stand it when my legs touch something when I ride. I'm 6-3, so I know that's gonna be a problem. I know it's crazy, but it would drive me insane to hit the back of the pannier as I pedal. That's why I bought the handlebar bag, but the more I use it, the more I'm tempted to eBay that sucker and try to find a way to make sure the rack/pannier setup would work without scraping my legs on the bag. I'd really like one of those pannier/backpack things.