Originally Posted by
alathIN
Last year I was pulling a gol-darned trailer for all my stuff: gym bag, work clothes, work food, and my emergency kit was basically my entire bike-specific tool box.
This year, I've trimmed it down to where I just look like I'm going off touring: two rear panniers to contain my much trimmed-down gym bag (swimming gear and shave/shower/grooming stuff only), I am leaving some of my work clothes at work; still taking the same food with me (I eat a lot of fresh fruit and veg so an 8 or 12 hour day's worth of food tends to be bulky), and a minimal bike emergency tool kit. I'm also a bit addicted to chains for locking up, so there's some bulk and mass there.
Still, moving down from 4 wheels to 2 has increased my avg mph and shaved a bit of time off, and the panniers are a lot better to drag into a headwind than the trailer.
Maybe some day I will get down to where my commuter bike looks about like a sensible person's weekend bike camping rig.
First look at what you
need, not what you
want. What is there to "swimming gear"? Honestly, if you have a list of "swim gear" like nkfrench's
Originally Posted by
nkfrench
I carry fins, pull-buoy, kickboard, goggles, hand-paddles as well as shower sandals, swim cap, swimsuit, towel, minimal toiletries.
You are carrying too much stuff. Sorry, nk, but why do you need fins, a pull-buoy, kick board, and hand-paddles? Sandals, maybe googles and a towel would should be all the "swim gear" you should need if you are riding a bike to the pool. It seems to me that you have several pieces of equipment that are working at cross purposes. The fins, hand-paddles and kickboard make it so that you can go easier but you have to add the buoy to make it harder. Why not just dispense with the gadgets and adjust your swimming speed to match the intensity you need?
As to the other stuff you carry alathIN, can you leave the shave/shower/grooming stuff wherever you take your shower? I leave all my toiletries and a towel at work. I change out the towel when I feel the need and, hopefully, before it becomes sentient
I also leave a pair of shoes at work.
As to tools, carry only what you need to make minimal adjustments and repairs. You can't really do that much on the road outside of adjusting cables (slightly), tightening a loose bolt (tighten them before you start riding), making minor fit adjustments and fixing a flat. Carry only the tools you need to make that kind of repair. Some allen wrenches (4/5/6 will cover 99% of the stuff on a bike), a flat kit, a tube and a pump is all you should really need even if you are going for a long weekend.
Finally, how many locks and chains are you carrying? If your bike looks like the bike in Pee Wee's Big Adventure, you are carrying too many. Pick a single good lock and maybe a lighter one for deterrence and lock your bike where people are constantly tripping over it (not
actually tripping but put it in a conspicuous spot). If people are constantly walking past your bike, thieves are less likely to try to remove the lock.