Originally Posted by
acidfast7
That's a nice mutlimodal commute. Do you go with backpack or pannier. That commute would be prime backpack territory for me but I get a lot of blow back on BF from the pannier-only crowd.
Oops, do you take the bike or have a bike left outside on each end (that's what I'd do over here). If you take the bike, I can see the use of panniers.
My commute starts in New Jersey, where I live. I rent a bike locker at the train station, which costs me $90 per year. After the train ride I end up in New York City, where there is a bikeshare program (Citibike) and I have an annual membership of that. So the bike for the longer ride is my own, and it sits safe in a locker all day. The bike for the shorter ride is a different one every time --but they are all the same as far as I'm concerned.
I've been doing this for almost twenty years, and my technique has evolved. For a while I was doing the whole thing on a folding bike, which I would take on the train with me. For a while I used a bike with a rear rack and panniers, and at that time I kept a jacket in the bike locker. But I've now given up on the panniers, and I use a messenger bag.
Here's the bike in front of a row of lockers:
