Originally Posted by
Burton
Last week a young lady came into the shop and explained that she felt the bike she had recently bought was too heavy. Would we accept it as a trade-in against a more light-weight model?
A little surprised but always willing to help out, I had a look at the bike (which was in immaculate condition), picked it up and winced, and asked her what was in the rear carrier bags. She gave me a short list that included a laptop.
So I pulled out a Giant hybrid, asked her to pick it up and if that was more to her liking. You should have seen her face light up! Yup! It was great! So much lighter than hers!
Then I broke the news to her - it was exactly the same make and model in a different color as what she had now! Except that it didn`t have fenders, two bells, a rear rack, saddlebags, a 5lb U-lock and chain, a portable computer, her purse, lunch a kickstand, headlight and two full waterbottles.
Suggested simply that leaving half that stuff at home might make her life a lot simpler.Why do people carry locks on trips where they never actually get off the bike anyway?
Not too long ago at my favorite LBS we weighed my top bag, it's a Sunlite Pak and Rak. It weighed in at 14lbs. In it I carry my tire levers, disk brake shim, first aid kit, two locks (U-bolt/cable weighing about 4lbs), my purse, an extra waterbottle, windbreaker/rain gear, reflective vest.
In my saddle bag I carry an extra tube, patch kit, CO2 inflator, and cash. In my pannier bags I carry in one my maps, extra copies of the Florida Streets Smart Guide. In the other one I carry a bungy cargo net, if I'm going on a longer ride I'll carry extra waterbottles. In the smaller outer pockets I carry extra batteries for my lights, as well as business cards for my favorite LBS, as well as for the pizza joint that I go to.
And there is still plenty of room in them if I need to stop at the store to pick up some food or milk.