haha [MENTION=168928]Cyril[/MENTION] as a former SBUX employee I think your avatar is awesome.

I have both a commuter bike with rack/pannier and commuter bike without rack (Chrome bag on this bike). I ride the non-rack bike most of the time. I only use the pannier bike for days I'm hauling groceries to the office.

As stated in other posts, dress with fewer layers to account for the added warm of the bag. As somebody that rides straight through Minnesota winters, I LOVE the extra warmth my Chrome bag brings with its below zero!

I'm with you, OP. I hate a backpack. I just ordered a Carradice Barley. I have a Brooks on my Synapse so I am looking forward to switching that out between my synapse and old Raleigh for commutes/century rides. I shouldn't need the quick release with saddle tabs, but it is good to know that they QR will fit posts as small as 25 mm, if I ever do go that way. I do use a messenger bag when I have short (~5 mi) distances to ride. I've used it once for my full commute and after around 5 miles am just not comfortable carrying anything on my back.

I used my backpack 2 winters ago before getting the rack and trunk bag. On sub-freezing mornings I found that my inner base layer was far more soaked with sweat when I used the backpack vs. when I did not, by the time I arrived at work after 75-80 minutes of strenuous riding. It felt gross to me.

Sorry to say, sub-freezing is still warm in my town.

I have gone out over dressed and arrived wet with sweat. I'm not a fan. I've been keeping a spreadsheet with temps and gear to help me dial it in. Also I use a lot of wool which is the best for managing moisture.

Yeah but are you out in those temperatures on a bike for 1 1/3 hours at a time?

My typical winter commute is 1 hour; 11 to 13 miles. My coldest commute was 11 miles at -18F, took just under an hour. My longest sub-zero ride, 24 miles took over 2 hours, temps started at -10F and 'warmed' up to -5F by the time I got home.

January 5, 2015 at -10F on the way to work, stopped to open vents (getting too hot) and took this selfie:



Footnote: I'm an oddball, I can't ride with goggles or glasses, the fog over and freeze up. So I get the frosty eyelashes.

Edit: Adding this photo of the gear I wear when it's sub-zero:

And just for balance, I'll note that I did my "other" kind of commute today -- rear pannier loaded up with a week's worth of clean clothes and a bag of apples to snack on at the office. No idea on the weight, but that particular bike is just under 30 lbs before the pannier, lock, pump, water bottle, and lights when so equipped. It was kind of a slog.

I'll be taking home all the week's dirty clothes when I leave today. Can't wait.

My coldest is 0F, -20F wind chill, at night with an 8 mile commute. It took me almost an hour to get home. The added warmth of my messenger bag on my back was welcome as it prevented some of the heat inside my jacket to not escape. Not sure how you don't use goggles Hypno Toad, there is no way I could ride those temps without eye protection. I picked up a set of Oakley snowboarding goggles and have had no issues with fogging unless I am looking directly down and breathing at the same time. While riding, they are fog free.

The dark side!

I use a backpack, I sweat and it's all good. (Showers at work though.) I used to use rack/panniers on my commuter but like the backpack better.

I've been competitive snowboarder and instructor for 15 years; I have a ton of goggles. But I run hot and fog up everything from standard glasses to goggles. I have the best luck with an old pair of aviator shades, they give enough air flow to keep fog free. But if I hit a long stop light, the fog sets in and then it all done, there's no way to clear them at that point. And I repeat, I'm a freak, MPLS is full of winter riders and very few ride with bare eyes.

Reference: 2011 USASA Nationals BX:

I'm in between. For school I used a couple of different Osprey bags and they were awesome. For work, where I only need clothes and lunch, I love my Revelate tail bag. But taking the tail bag on and off really bites. I'm thinking of switching back to the backpack as it gets colder now. I might end up where I use the tail bag for summer and backpack for winter.

It's apparent that the amount of time one is on the bike matters.

As I mentioned I prefer a backpack but my commute is only 3.5 miles each way. It takes a max of 15 minutes so it really doesn't have enough time to get uncomfortable, especially in the morning when that matters most...

I love my packpack.

Does my back get a little sweaty on my 45min bicycle ride to work? Yep. But I change my shirt, have a spare deodorant in my desk (should I smell goat-like) and do a quick wipedown w/ a wet towel when I get in.

I really got it for motorcycle commuting years ago and it's wonderful for carrying lunch, coffee, change of clothes and my laptop. I don't really want extra bags on either bicycle or motorcycle.

7 miles each way, 14 miles RT.

The images with the "Googleusercontent" URL don't work.

What do you do for footwear? That's my primary concern, as pretty much everything I've tried still leaves me with freezing toes after 45 minutes or so. One time they were fully numb when I got to work, which I think is pretty dangerous. Part of the problem is that my toes (2nd toe especially) are as long as my pinky fingers.

My e-bike is pedal assist only... no throttle, so I do have to do some work. I'd estimate that my effort is about 80 percent of what it is with the road bike. The e-bike weighs about 70 lbs with my panniers loaded up for work. The carbon fiber synapse weighs 19 lbs. back pack about 7-8 lbs loaded. With the 80% effort, my average speed on the e-bike is 19-20 mph. My roadbike effort results in an average speed of about 14.5 mph on the way in (railroad grade downhill) and about 12.5 mph on the way home (railroad grade uphill.) With either bike, I expect a little sweat. However, the ride with the backpack had me pretty much soaked... I attribute that the the venting being covered as well as the surface area of the pack covering my back.

On the way home last night, it was 68 degrees, the uphill portion of the ride is completely shaded by a tree canopy - so it was probably about 60 degrees on that stretch. I only wore a "tech tee" and shorts. The only part of me that was wet from sweat when I got home was the area on my back covered by the back pack - everything else was dry. I probably had on too many layers in the morning - even for 47 degrees. This morning it was the e-bike. Just a little sweat. (this morning's commute was 53 degrees.)

I prefer a backpack over panniers for commuting, and just factor in the warmth from it while I'm getting ready in the morning. This time of year the weather changes so much that I end up being prepared for most any temperature and the warmth from the backpack isn't a problem.

Grrrr.... I'm always struggle with images some work and sone don't. I'll try to repost when I'm bank at a computer. Fit feet, I use thick knee high wool socks with Gortex giving boots. And in the coldest conditions, I typically get off the bike and walk for 5 minutes per hour. Biking does not get the blood circulating to your feet and walking does. Oh, and make sure your have weight room in your shoes, tight shoes will make it harder to keep your feet warm.

That's the homebrew version of Osprey's AirScape system, right?

I swore off backpacks back when I was a stupid teenager. A friend and me decided on the spur of the moment to cycle 75 miles to see his grandfather. We packed everything for a week of camping in our framed backpacks. This was back in the 1970's, long before the word ergonomic was invented. 12 hours later, we struggled up the road to my friend's grandfathers house on foot because my back could not take it anymore. The next day, we called my parents to come and pick us up. I could barely walk and I could not get on the bike. I never put anything on my back when cycling ever since. We were stupid, so stupid we did not even have a way to fix a flat. We didn't have a flat.

I use a Timbuk2 Hunchback Rack Trunk. It holds lunch, tools, inner tubes, pump and winter gloves (sometimes needed in summer). Sometimes, I stop at a grocery store, on the way home from work and I can still fit more stuff in the trunk. My back has reciprocated my good care by not giving me any problems or pain.

For me it depends on the bike - longer chainstays on the touring rig, load up the panniers, carry 100#! Short chainstays, like the 2 roadbikes, it turns out the load just makes the bike ride poorly anywhere but a backpack, to my taste. I wound up taking the cool lightweight rack off the roadbike w/ eyelets because panniers just make it too unfun.

For me, this week, in the 30s early on, on the Oly woodland trail, I still stuck to just a lightweight smartwool t-shirt (long sleeves) and shorts. I did wear shoes and socks instead of sandals though and after Monday I went for gloves w/ fingers instead of the fingerless ones. I also go uphill in the am and downhill in the pm. Bring a shortsleeve t-shirt for the ride home this time of year.

I know, right?! I only use my bike with the rack and panniers when I have loads to carry. Although when snow and ice season hits I will have no choice but that bike since it's the only one to fit 35mm studded tires. Winter riding isn't fun already, and this would make it even less so.

Good point!

My commuter is a Curtlo road frame and it would be a crime to mess up its sweet handling.

I have had tourers in the past and they are nice and stable but that's about it; adding panniers and packs just doesn't seem to matter...