Originally Posted by
Ickyacky
Now that the weather is starting to get nice again I am wanting to commute to school a few days a week on my bike.
I ride a 54 cm Trek 1.5 with (I think) 23 mm tires.
I have about 50 lbs of books to carry, plus ~15-20 lbs for clothes, food, and laptop.
I'm already planning on putting 25 mm tires on to start, I just don't know much about hauling things with me!
I've looked at some racks and panniers and really didn't know what was good, so I figured is ask you guys an gals
!
Which product would you recommend and why?
Should I look into a backpack that attaches to the rack or just stick with panniers and a book bag inside?
Are mudguards a good idea as well?
My price range is about $2-300 for the rack and whichever pack I choose.
Thanks in advance to everyone!
I know this doesn't answer your question but I'd buy a scanner before trying to carry 50 pounds of books daily.
I have a feeling that it's too bulky to use only a rack, and if you use rack and panniers the weight is going to make handling a challenge eventually. I'd go with backpack in addition to a pack on the rack, you probably need one anyway to carry around on campus right?
It's not the weight per se that concerns me. Just look at any of the threads "how much does your commuter weigh?" that pop up from time to time, lots of them weigh more than your Trek plus 50 pounds. I'm worried about all of the weight on the rear, especially if it gets to swinging if you bungeed it on the rack for example.