Cargo options?
 

Hi folks. First post here. I am glad to find an active biking forum. Please move this thread if it is in the wrong place.

I am a student and community 2.5 miles each way to school and back nearly every day. My backpack is really heavy so I am looking into cargo options for my Torker U-District bike. I really don't know where to start. All I know is something that I can strap the bag to would be amazing. Do you all have any suggestions or options? Thanks, folks!!!!

consider a Big front Basket, Wald has many options,
and they are good sturdy products
still made by your country-persons in the USA.
your backpack can go in the basket,
and It will be right in front of you .

stop and do some shopping and you can put the pack on,
and your Groceries in the basket.

No doubt that would be a good choice. I don't carry a regular backpack, tho. I use a rolling back. It's somewhat square, with a frame and a telescoping handle. Would that fit in a basket? Can you suggest a basket?

I just bought a Wald 198GB basket and I love it. Cheap and sturdy. 2 gallons of milk fit in it.

http://www.amazon.com/Wald-Front-Bic.../dp/B001B16T8O

The price isn't bad. I'll have to do some measurements with my bag to make sure it'll fit in. How much does this sort of basket change the feel of the ride? Does it throw off balance?

the big ones, ...
http://waldsports.qbsoft.com/index.c...eshbasket.html

http://waldsports.qbsoft.com/index.c...157basket.html

http://waldsports.qbsoft.com/index.cfm/whatsnew.html

How about the setups that are on the rear of the bike? Any leads on those?

Basics?, Same guys ..http://www.waldsports.com/index.cfm/...rcarriers.html

of course once you put a really solid rear rack on, it can be widened,
with a platform, detailed, to lash you wheelie bag to

I've been using the Vario rack successfully for carrying my backpack. Velofred's site says the maximum load is 5kg, but my rack has 7kg stamped on it. I weighed my backpack in at 12 pounds, but this semester I didn't need to carry any books, so I'm curious to see if it will be ok if I add another 5 pounds worth of books.

http://www.velofred.com/product_info...roducts_id=586

Do you have a medical condition that requires you to use such an abomination?

Back to the topic- any option, front or rear, is going to affect the handling. If you're an aggressive rider, you're not gonna be happy with any of them.

You could just strap it to the rear rack and take it nice and easy. As someone else pointed out, you could make the platform of the rack wider. I did this (see below) for a while, before coming to the conclusion that I can live with the weight on my back in order to have a more responsive handling rig.

I would get the weight off your back when you ride. I used to carry a back pack when I rode and it sucked. Put the weight ON the bike... NOT on your back! just my opinion! :)

I put my backpack into a Topeak basket mounted on a Topeak rack. I can remove the basket when I need to. When i stop at the store to pick up some groceries i can mount my backpack on my back and use the basket for my goods. REI carries Topeak as does my LBS:

http://images2.snapfish.com/23232323...58532%3Anu0mrj

Yes I do. If I lift something too heavy then I can increase my closed intrathecal pressure and blow a hole in my spinal dura, thus leak out spinal fluid. It's a connective tissue disorder.

I'm not too aggressive. I ride in the bike line, don't zigzag through traffic and stop for red lights. Your feedback has been really helpful. Thanks!

Okay, OP has a condition that requires the use of one of those annoying rolling backpacks. Question: If carrying the load can be harmful to you, then wouldn't lifting the same amount of weight to put in a bike basket (and then take back out again) be just as potentially harmful?

Anyway, have a couple of thoughts to help lighten your load:

- Tell the school that you have a medical condition that precludes you from carrying/lifting heavy objects. You'd prefer to get your texts in digital format. A tablet PC/iPad/Kindle/eReader doesn't weigh nearly as much as college textbooks do.

-Depending on your schedule, do all of your reading at home and leave the books behind.

-Take really good notes. Most courses can be passed just by taking notes during the lectures without actually reading the corresponding text. Note I said 'Pass', not make the Dean's List.

-See if your school library keeps copies of textbooks on hand in their reference section- mine did.

-Barring all of that, get yourself a two wheeled kiddie trailer to put your backpack in. You would never have to fully lift the entire load again. :)

Lifting the bag gently and slowly into a basket isn't a problem. It's the force of the constant impacts against my back from riding that can cause a major problem.

Yeah, aware of all these things. Thanks.