Does anyone else prefer a backpack over racks & panniers?
 

newbie question here, but i've bee reading through A LOT of the threads in this sub-forum and it seems to me that most commuters haul their stuff with racks and panniers, but i actually made the switch to a backpack last summer and haven't looked back. i prefer having the weight on my back because it makes me feel more aerodynamic, at least psychologically if not practically. it also helps keep my bikes "rack-free" which i very much prefer from an aesthetic standpoint.

anyone else prefer the backpack over racks an panniers for their commuter hauling needs?

No.

Recently discussed at length here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ck-to-panniers

I do have to say, love the band, the beer, and the city associated with said beer.

...and yes, backpacks always.

^^ awwww crap, newbie mistake, thanks for the heads up. i should have known to do a more thorough search.

moderators please delete this thread or merge it into the existing topic.

Steely Dan, I'm with you..:thumb: I can't stand having a rack on my commuters (Kona Fixie for rainy days, Lynskey Cooper for sunny one's). The only time I want racks is on a utility bike when I plan to haul more than I can put on my back. I don't like the aesthetics and the handling of the bike with the extra weight on the bike. IMHO I'm much more comfortable in evasive maneuvers required with commuting if I can 'flick' the bike around. I feel like you loose so much control when you have a loaded bike. I compare it to driving a sports car vs a pickup. You've gotta plan wider corners and slow down more. :eek:The one thing that kills me about back packs is the sweaty back factor. Luckly I can shower at my workplace (after 13 miles each way in the Va humidity I HAVE to have a shower!) :)

backpack over here, because a rack is 1 more thing that can be stolen from my bike

note: i see stripped bikes everyday, so don't tell me i'm paranoid because your bike is safe where you live.

sometimes, depending on the commute of the moment. For my current commute I normally use a rack trunk, but if I need to haul my laptop or I decide to ride my road bike, I use one of my back packs or lumbar packs.

There are no hard/fast rules, use whatever works best for you based on your commute, conditions and preferences.

It's hard to get a feel for the actual numbers as far as who uses what and the people in the commuter forum aren't necessarily representative of all commuters. There's a strong contingent that feel racks are pretty much mandatory for a bike to be a worthy commuter though personally I don't agree with that sentiment.

In a way it doesn't really matter. There are pros and cons to each and just because either backpacks or panniers may be the most popular choice for a given group, it doesn't mean that they'd be the best option for a given individual.

i also prefer clean bike lines aesthetically that a rack takes away from, but i had to try one out as riding with a bag on my back was really taking a lot of the positives out of riding. just that feeling of being encumbered on your back made the freedom feel of riding less there.

heavy or not, the bag just makes it a sweaty mess back there on hot days, and the more you carry, the more uncomfortable the ride gets.

only had the rack on one day so far, but i am surprised about how good the bike still looks, ill post a picture later when i go on a ride and take one. and i can say from a test ride that yes, i'd rather have the weight on my back from a center of gravity position, but it's not better than having an uncomfortable back.

for some rides i will just bring along my maxpedition jumbo versipack and just strap it to the rack. for others the topeak bag that clips in. others nothing at all. just cause the rack is on it doesn't mean i have to use it every time so it's fine.

The feeling that the bike is more maneuverable without a rack & panniers is wrong.

If you carry the load on your back, the center of gravity (CoG) is higher, and moving the complete package of you and the bike is actually slower as a result, since the bike turns by leaning. Carrying the load as low as possible (i.e. panniers) is preferable for this reason. I don't like how the wind kicks my butt even more when I have panniers hanging off the side, so I try not to use them, but use a rack bag instead.

For shorter trips, the convenience of a backpack or messenger bag overrides the CoG and on-bike comfort issues.

Also, for the people who "prefer a backpack to a rack & panniers" I have to wonder how many of them actually really tried the rack & panniers instead of just judging by looks. At first, I thought the backpack would be the most efficient, but when I tried a rack and rack bag, I was hooked from the very first ride.

I commuted for several years using a backpack 25kms each way. I was riding a road bike so rack/panniers were not an option. Not that I was unhappy with the backpack. If the weight is reasonable I like a good packpack. Once the weight of my cargo gets heavy or the stuff I need to carry is bulky I'd rather have it on my bike than on my back.

BTW - I own several bikes with racks/panniers so I've got options.

For short rides the backpack is fine if not a little sweaty on hot days. For long distance rides hand down the rack wins. At least for me riding 30+ miles with a somewhat heavy backpack can be a painful experience. I've tried that and my back is usually way more fatigued than my legs by that point.

to each his own, and that's cool. I prefer the rack and trunk cuz it lowers my center of gravity; I'm free to be athletic un-encumbered and nothing blocks cars from seeing my rear facing hi-vis shirt or jacket.

It's ok - common subjects should get repeated, and people can refer to old posts as needed. In fact, on BeginnerTriathlete, which is an excellent and very useful forum, moderaters make it a point to allow repeated asking of beginner questions and not just making hard stickies for them because you never know where the conversation will go. One great beginner thread about basic swimming morphed into a big debate including 2 professional swimmers, a 3-time US Gold medalist, and several elite triathletes. (Yup, hanging out on the BeginnerTriathlete forums).

Backpacks are great for short commutes, especially if you have no permanent place to put your panniers after the ride. Students have this problem, especially.

Lugging panniers around all day SUCKS beyond belief. They make walking a royal pain. It's far, far worse then the trivial incovenience of riding with a backpack. If I know I'd be walking around all day as a student with my panniers, it wouldn't matter how long the bike commute is - I'd definitely go backpack.

I like having options. Haven't owned a backpack in almost 20 years, but I have a huge pile of messenger bags, rack bags, panniers, and assorted crap all over my apartment. Last few days I've been using a Carradice saddlebag for the commute, a few days before that it was one pannier and a handlebar bag, week before it was a messenger bag. The bike I'm riding has both front and rear racks, and sometimes I feel silly using just a mess bag or a saddlebag, but who cares. All three of my bikes have racks, two have both front and rear, I like being able to pick up a package from the post office, a case of beer, and some takeout food at the same time. At some point soon all three bikes will be fully racked, front and rear.

Of course, of all the cars I've owned, my favorite ones to drive were cargo vans. So that may help to explain my perspective. I also don't find the differences in handling to be an issue, don't care at all about putting more weight on my bike, and think that the more clunky crap that's attached just makes the bike look more useful, therefore better. I do lock my Tubus rack to the frame along with my rear wheel but if someone really wants to steal a cheapo aluminum one off my other bikes, they can have at it, as long as someone gets some use out of it.

I prefer the backpack for lighter loads or warmer weather, and found that out after a bit of trial and error using info I learned here.

My favorite is to use my racktrunk, but I often end up taking more than will fit into it.

I have two locks at the office...one for the frame and the other to lock the rack to the frame. Both the locks stay in the parking garage bike rack. Undecided on which I like best. I've tried it both ways and still don't know which one I prefer.

Ride safe,

Jeff

You could get one of these backpack-panniers from Vaude

I "would" prefer a backpack if I could get some airflow between the pack and my back. The sweat is awful though. I've got a Timbuk2 Messenger Bag/Pannier that I'm liking so far

only on my road bike, which can't take a Topeak rack

Made the transition from backpack to rack/rack trunk about 6 months ago and have never looked back. Much prefer the rack and trunk/pannier setup.

As for aesthetics, I prefer the looks of a rack on the bike. Bikes w/o racks kinda look funny to me now...

I have gone back and forth between backpack & pannier. But once I started using my Deuter AC Lite 25 http://www.deuter.com/en/products/34...e20_08_DEU.php and I haven't looked back. The pack is designed not to sit against your back, using a mesh pannel and internal frame.

It is great for me, my old pack gave me bad pack sweat. This pack give some but nowhere near as much as a regular pack.

Basically the only time I use panniers now is if I am going to be very overloaded.

I used a pannier, but hate to have to remove it from the rack. It was packed and then I bought a grocery bag pannier which I mounted on the other side of the rack. Just last week, I had one of those positive brain fart and realized I can put all my stuff in a backpack and toss it into the grocery bag pannier. So I removed the pannier and saved me 2 lbs of weight. On days I need to carry more stuff, I simply wear the backpack and place the extra stuff in the grocery bag pannier.

I like the convience of just grabbing my backpack and taking with me without the hassle of clipping and unclipping. The grocery pannier can be folded up so on windy days I wear the backpack and fold the grocery pannier to cut down on my wind drag. I'm also in the process of finding the largest grocery panneir. As it turns out, having that big hunk of bag sticking out on the left side of the bike keep driver from passing me that much closer.

I use a backpack on my relatively short commute. I guess it depends on what you plan on carrying and where you will be carrying it.