Bolo Grubb

Been looking at several different options for carrying what I need on a commute.

It looks like a backpack and a Wald wire basket may be a very good option for me.

THe main problem I see is that most rear wire basket do not seem large enough to take the back pack I am thinking of buying, but a front wire basket is larger and would hold the back pack easy. Just not sure how it would affect handling. Maybe I could buy a larger front wire basket and mount it on the rear anyways?

Of course I would also have to move lights and such.

Here is the backpack I am thinking of getting

https://www.trisports.com/zospztrbag20.html
I have a few gift certificates to this store so I can get it very cheap here and Tri-sports is local to where I live, so no shipping.

It has the chest strap and waist strap. It has good compartments for taking a change of clothes, towel, shower stuff and room left over my lunch. It is nearly the same size as the Arkel bug, but better for use as a back pack should I need to ride my road bike instead of my commuter bike.

I have looked at the arkel bug, but was told (by people on this forum) that it would not be good to wear as a backpack for my commute if I had to ride my road bike.

I am looking at Wald wire baskets, but again the measurements on all the rear baskets are small compared to the measurements of this bag.

Another reason I am thinking about this bag, is I could commute with it on my road bike, if there is a problem with my commuter.

My commuter bike has a rear rack for attaching baskets, panniers or whatever I need. Currently I have a modified milk crate with locking lid on the rear, but this is not big enough to put the backpack in. Also the weight is high being on top of the rack.

If I can figure out some sort of basket that will work with a backpack then I might take off the Milkcrate and use a smaller toolbox to lock my lights and flat kit in when the bike is parked for my early physical training class.

I would use it primarily on my commuter bike. In the event that my commuter bike is out of service, I would like to be able to use it on my road bike.

Here is where I got the sizes on Wald Wire baskets. The problem is the size of the baskets. If I can find one big eough and able to mount it on the rear then that is the best solution I think.

My commute would be about 10 miles one way
What do you all think?

chipcom 

I'm missing something here...you want a basket to carry your backpack? Why not put the backpack on your back...I believe that is what they are made for.

I have a similar problem...my my touring bike has a rear rack and I can throw panniers on to carry stuff on my commute, but my cross bike has no racks. I don't like backpacks, so I use a messenger bag when I ride that bike and need to carry stuff. Usually I shuttle...ride the Fuji one day, loaded with clothing for the week, then ride the Bianchi for three days, carrying nothing, then the Fuji on Friday to take fresh clothes in and haul dirty clothes home.

Bolo Grubb

On my road bike I would need to wear it as a back pack, but most of the time I would ride my commuter bike.

Arizona gets very hot and I do not want to wear a back all the time if I can hook it to the rack on the bike, but I need to carry it like a back once I get to campus. I work on campus as well as taking classes, so I am looking for something is several situations.


I have tried a messenger bag and do not like it, moves around too much.

wild animals

i have two collapsible wald baskets and i kind of hate to use them. they make a lot of noise and my feet hit the corners and they're a pain in the butt to take off and put on (although i bought velcro "cord keeper" straps and use maybe 4 of those to hold each basket, which is easier than hardware and perhaps less noisy). it's just generally an awkward deal. i have about an 11-mile commute one way and i rode with one basket for one day--and took it off that night.

if you can find another way to attach that bag to your bike you'll probably be happier. every time i hit a bump on the bike the sound is like shopping carts crashing into each other, whether the basket is collapsed or not. it's okay if you're just going to the store, but every day for 20 miles...that would suck.

it might be better if you could bungee the bag to the top of the rack or construct or buy a system to attach the bag to the rack's side. just my opinion though! if the noise doesn't bug you and you don't have heel strike, baskets might be good.

edit: ps: if you don't stuff the bag too full, i bet you could stuff it into the wald basket. maybe you could try it at a local store?

squeakywheel

Just get some panniers. The size depends on what you are carrying.

Hey, maybe you need two panniers of different sizes for different days.

chicbicyclist

wild animals, did you use the mounting hardware that came with the wald? I ditched those and used plastic zippers instead.

Bolo Grubb

Panniers would seem to be a pain in the butt to hand carry from class to class.

CaDan

Maybe grocery panniers?

wheel

You could always get a bob trailer

Cyclist0383

The Arkel Bug is a pannier that converts to a backpack. I have one and love it. It's BOTH a good pannier AND backpack.

Stay away from the Nashbar pannier/backpack, it's a total POS.....

DogBoy

No mention of the milk crate?

I have an arkel bug and I like it a lot, but when temps get low, I don't like having to fiddle. I zip-tied a milk-crate to my rack and it works like a charm. It also makes your bike more ghetto

I pretty much just use the bug for day-tours and summer/dry commuting. In winter I much prefer the milk crate. If you can't stomach the milk crate, you could always buy the wald front rack and mount it to your rear rack, but that might make it fairly difficult to mount the bike.

TheBrick

Buy some pannier and soe on a shoulder strap on each one then you have nothing for you back and can carry them around campus when you get there. Then just get a small back pack for when you need to use your road bike.

wild animals

chicbicyclist, i did at first! then i used the velcro straps and that was better, but still noisy and annoying to put on and take off. velcro (or zip ties too, i'm sure) is much better if you need to adjust the baskets though, since the hardware takes so long to move around.


dogboy, arkel has panniers with shoulder straps. ortlieb's panniers can be turned into backpacks with their adapter. jandd has two different commuter bags, carradice has one (i think), and then there are others! if you had both a backpack and a pannier bag with a decent strap, it'd be more expensive but it might be more pleasant.

Junkdad

I have something like this on a rack and my backpack slips right in. Great for hot weather commuting.

CBBaron

Would your backpack fit into something the size of a paper grocery sack:
Nashbar Townie Pannier
I don't like having that much weight on the front tire but I have seen delivery bikes loaded up with a heavy front rack.
I don't think those large front baskets will work well on the rear rack. It will require alot of modifications to make it fit correctly and then it probably won't clear your heels.
It sounds like you have quite a difficult problem on your hands. You want to carry a bag off of you back on your commute, but need to be able to easily carry it around campus once you arrive. In addition you want to be able to use it as a back pack for a long commute incase you ride a different bike. And it sounds like you have a pretty big load requirement.
The Bug is probably best for day to day use and could be used on your road bike in an emergency but is probably not a good solution if you want to use the road bike more often. Other than that I think you may need to think about two different solutions. One for the road bike and one for your commuter.
Craig

eibeinaka

https://www.wallbike.com/carradice/bikebureaunew.html



Very stable on the bike, nobody would know it was a bike bag off it. Cinch the shoulder strap correctly, and it would sit on your bike while you rode, if necessary.

noisebeam

For what its worth, I find having a messenger bag in AZ (phoenix) to not cause any extra heat.
Actually I think if anything it keeps the back cooler as the bag insulates from the direct rays of the sun. (Similar to how a helmet feels cooler in the summer here, but feels hot in fall/spring when temps are in the 80s) This is my experience commuting year round, 118+ sometimes for my ride home in rush hour.
As to messenger bag, that is what I use (timbuk2 laptop bag) and the bag came with a waist strap and I called them and they sent me the parts for a x-strap (I understand now it just comes with a x-strap, which alone is very effective at keeping bad from moving.) But I use both and the bad doesn't shift at all. I don't even notice it when riding.

Al

Vatn

I'm quite happy with my setup, which is much like the one you consider: Cheap rear basket, and a 30-litre backpack (not too stuffed).

I wanted to get the weight off my back. I wanted to avoid carrying panniers around, or leaving expensive panniers on the bike. I wanted to pay as little as possible - I already had the backpack.

The basket fits the occasional plastic bag of groceries too, and it cushions falls. (Yes, I forgot to clip out yesterday, and tipped over. It was bound to happen some day ...)

Bolo Grubb

I am currently using a milk crate, but it gets kinda top heavy if I put too much in it. Also I custom made a locking lid for it and with the lid the backpack is a bit too big.

I am startin to think more about getting an Arkel bug though and be done with it. I will spend some time searching reviews and see if it might not be my best option after all.