Seriously, I tried to make it work out. I posted a thread recently documenting the new rack I was trying to use and the major heel strike issue. Suddenly, it occurred to me to weigh my panniers. They weren't even large panniers. LG Beta 46 models or some such, but together the weighed a whopping 4 pounds 6 ounces. The seatpost mounted rack I was reduced to using weighed one and a half pounds. The cheapie traditional rack was about 14 ounces.

I was racking my brain looking at longer racks, shorter, wider panniers, etc. Then looking at some lightweight touring info online, some genius had the simple idea of just strapping whatever pack he was carrying lengthwise on the rack. When I go to school, I'm sticking my backpack, a perfectly fine holder of items, into another bag that weighed over 2 pounds for my 7 mile one way commute. And then I was putting my extra clothes and toiletries in the other 2 pound bag. So if I had to carry my laptop, another five pounds, it got pretty hairy.

So I mounted up the lighter rack, settled on another backpack I had at home that could hold my school items and clothes, and now my commuter bike is nearly 5 pounds lighter. Plus, when I leave my bike locked, I no longer have to worry about anyone running off with my panniers and tools/tube/pump.


Just thought I'd post my conclusions. If panniers work grand for you, then that's wonderful and keep on rollin' on, but if you're looking to lighten your load, this might be an option to consider.