Originally Posted by
nuclear_biker
I'm an out of shape grad student who is going to start biking to the lab to save money, avoid the summer bus schedule, and to get exercise.
I did my first (short) commute today, and I quickly realized why people don't like to wear backpacks while commuting! They are very uncomfortable in the 'biking' position (they're designed to be worn when standing after all) and cause balance issues, especially when turning and climbing hills.
Another grad student here. I ride 24miles RT 4 days a week with backpacks 95% of the times. Can be uncomfortable if you have a bad bike fit that has you in a very over arched position but shouldn't cause any of the issues you're having. I actually find that panniers throw off my balance a lot, especially when I ride with a single pannier since it disproportionately weighs down one side of the bike. It also slows me down on hills, since it puts more weight on my rear wheel. At least with a backpack the extra weight actually helps to propel me forward when I move to a standing position.