Originally Posted by
Sy Reene
I like your design, but did you give the off the shelf options a shot? Before I got a dedicated commuting based bike rig with full fenders and installed rack, I just ran a Topeak QR beam rack with an MTX Trunk bag with the zipout fold-down side pannier. I'd throw the laptop (in a neoprene sleeve into this). The whole apparatus could be removed with one QR lever at the seatpost.
Reviewers say that it's not big enough for a laptop - it probably depends on the laptop.
My rack is roughly equivalent to the Topeak QR, except lighter and cheaper with no quick release. Which is OK for my purposes since I know that I'd rarely take it off anyway with a daily commute. I had considered the MTX Trunk bag also but decided against it, mainly because I don't want to be taking it on and off all the time. My rack and (permanently attached) bag together weigh less than the Topeak beam rack without the 3-pound MTX bag, and has almost zero aero penalty so I really prefer it that way.