Hey all, new to the forums and new to commuting. I am an experienced rider on the road and on the trails but all tables seem to turn for the daily commute. Im currently in college and work at my LBS. Yes i have ridden to work countless times, but commuting verse incorporating a daily road ride on the way to work is different. I have just purchased a Marin Novato 29er with flat bars and a few accessories to make a solid and bomb proof commuter set up. I now want to commute daily to work (8.5 miles one way) and school (10miles one way) without feeling the need to go fast and wear one of my lycra kits. I wanna just throw a messenger bag over my shoulder in a plaid shirt and jeans and cruise to and from places.

This is my new set up:
2011 Marin Novato 29er
-Topeak explorer disk rear rack
-Niterider minewt 350 headlight
-Numerous rear red blinkies
-cateye micro wireless computer
-onguard bulldog u-lock
-topeak road morph portable pump
(yes I got a bit carried away with accessories considering im new to commuting but i actually had alot of this stuff from my mountain and road bikes)

Any tips for the new commuter, im in North NJ, so weather to dress tips, or anything else? Im truly curious to know people opinions of a backpack or panniers

My 2c (before everyone gets in and gives you the opposite advice, because I'm minority on this): get some bungee cords with hooks, and strap a backpack on the rear rack. Panniers are great, but this is better because panniers get in the way, catch air, sometimes flop around or even fall off, get dirty, aren't convenient to cart in with you, and tend to get stuffed with junk.

Since you're commuting to college, wrap your tubes up with duct tape and paint them matte black. Buy an old used leather seat from Goodwill and rip it up a bit, then tape it with duct tape too. Buy a NY Fahgettaboudit lock and place it into your backpack. Don't invest in panniers or anything else that you can't take with you when you go to class.

Use your time wisely....

Good Luck!

- Slim

PS.

Never Lock you bike up, overnight outside!

See, this i all the reasons why i was leaning towards a backpack. Mainly because going to school would be a pain with panniers and having to lug them through school. Only negative of a backpack that i can see is the potential sweaty back in the hot and humid summer... The whole carrying the weight on my back vs on the bike doesnt really bother me. Also, how about pedal wise and what is better for someone who want to dress for the destination, not the ride. Clipless with sneaker style bike shoe/ change of shoes, toe clips, or just the simple flat platform pedal?

You're just commuting. Go with the platforms.

I've got two strategies for sweating on the heated commute:

1) Wear a fishnet sleeveless shirt.

2) Have two clean T-shirts. One, you commute with getting to your destination. Switch shirts, then go to class. Try to arrive twenty minutes early so that you can hit the washroom, prior to the switch.

Pedals is more a personal decision than anything else. If it was me and I liked clipless I'd just carry shoes in the pack and change at the destination.

Completely (well almost) agree with WPHamilton. I use a backpack as well & in the same way. This gives me the best of both worlds, both on & off the bike. The only thing I do differently is I use Surly Junk Straps instead of bungee cords. I find that they hold the pack more securely on the rack.

Yea all these factors seem very opinion and personal preference based but i appreciate all the info and tips. I will deffidently consider just putting my backpack on top of the rear rack to avoid annoying panniers and sweaty back. As for pedals im going to stick with platforms then maby get a dual platform/spd pedal with pearl isumi x-alp seek IV shoes. Thanks all for the input!

I lean towards panniers. You can carry a ton of stuff and never have to strap a single thing on your body. There are plenty of styles, from completely utilitarian to stylish, office easy bags that look great. I got mine at the touring store - https://www.thetouringstore.com/
I use the sport packer plus bags. They lock on your rack and even with a 8lb kryptonite ny chain in one, they've never popped off.

I love surly products, but dont see the sense in spending nearly $10 for a single strap. I could prob find something similar at home depot in a 2 pack for half the price. Thanks for the idea though i like it and will probably try that.

I didn't know about them, but those straps look pretty awesome!

You can get panniers that convert into backpacks. They're very versatile, and maybe an option to consider for your purpose.

I personally prefer clipless pedals with urban shoes. Or you can change footwear when you get to your destination. Of course, the pedals are a personal decision.

As for clothing, merino wool shirts work very well to wick the sweat off your body, thus keeping you cool and fairly dry.

Good luck!

Then you can look like this. Pretty sexy, eh?

I've tried everything I can think of to hold my bag on my rack & I always had some kind of issue. Most of them were small issues & likely due to the unique design of my backpack (the back is made of smooth nylon & so it never gets a grip on my rack. Using the junk straps really locks the pack in place.

You might, but I was not able to find anything that worked as well. Good luck in finding something & if you do, post it here to let us know. Regardless of what you use to strap the pack down, a backpack/rack combo has been a winning setup for me.

I decided my sleek road bike was too cluttered with racks and lights and such and bought a Hybrid to commute with. It got two bottle cages, Topeak rack and trunk, lights and all the other commuter stuff. I left the blade peddles on and don't have to change clothes to go to work. I even put identical battery charges at both ends of the commutes so I don't worry about light. Just think about everything that will take the work out of the commute less the actual ride itself and you will continue to commute.
I live in the desert where it rains maybe 3 days a year. I decided I can drive the car on those days so I didn't do anything to consider (or spend money on) commuting in the rain.
Now my road bike has nothing but a computer, tiny tool kit and water bottles on it (I call it my sports car) and my hybrid is fully outfitted for commuting. I cal it my pick-up truck.
Here's the new Giant Escape 1 in full kit. Its new so I splatter its picture all over the forums. HAhHAhaa

I use the X-Alp shoes on my road bike. I use platforms on my commuter. Mountain bike shoes on my road bike? I ride a 35 mile paved national recreation trail mostly with the road bike. I like to get off the bike and run to the tops of hills or peaks for a better view so a MTX shoe for me. Flat peddles on the commute? Simply a short cut/time saver to getting where I'm going and some bulk I dodn't have to deal with.

I use the Topeak trunks. I have several depending on what I'm doing that day. Takes half a second to snap off the rack and has a carry handle to take the truck with you.