Recommendations for hauling laptop around?
 

Hi there, I'm planning to start riding my bike to the local library for high speed access a couple times a week (~7 miles each way, hilly, twisty turny back roads - should be fun :) and wondered if anyone had recommendations on how to bring it with me. I'm assuming I'll go with a backpack, but am totally open to other suggestions.

I'm a fan of panniers and racks to keep the load off my back. Depends on your laptop, though; a big laptop might require a huge pannier, which would then be 95% empty.

I commute with panniers. I put my laptop in a sleeve, then wrap it with a plastic trash bag. I can then ride in pouring rain and still protect the laptop. Just don't ride through deep water that submerges the pannier...

I have used a The North Face Bandwidth for years and I love it. It has a padded pocket in the main pocket that protect my laptop very well.

your choice. I use panniers most of the time - the laptop has only fallen off twice. ;-) Backpacks are fine if you don't mind a sweaty back. A messanger bag can give you the benefit of the backpack without the sweat, its just not as stable on your back (i.e. it can swing around depending on how you ride).

I've dropped laptops a few times too, but never do now. My old bike rack didn't have a bar far enough back to prevent the panniers from swinging into the spokes. When it did, it would throw the pannier off the bike.

My bikes are now equipped with better racks to prevent that, and better panniers with good retention mechanisms.

I carry my iPad, not a laptop I know, in a standard backpack but I line the backpack with a sweater or put the iPad in a beanie, my office gets cold, to add extra protection in case I fall. I have carried heavier things on my back before as well when riding. It does cause a bit of sweat but I tend to ride around in a tank top anyway then when I get to my destination I dry off then put my real shirt on over it so they sweat is not too bad.

Never ran panniers.

I think the key to not stinking if you can't shower is to have a COMPLETE change of clothes, i.e. not a single article of clothing is shared between normal working time and while riding.

I've been running near my office on my lunch break for several months now. I don't shower afterwards, but not a single stitch is shared between running and desk time, and I end up not really smelling at all after I change. And yes, other people have verified this. :p

The secret to not smelling is to shower BEFORE you ride. I do that everyday I ride. It is not the sweat that smells but the bacteria that lives on you and the sweat combining and that is when you get smelly. The shower cleans off the bacteria so nothing is there to make the sweat stink.

"In humans, the formation of body odors is mainly caused by skin glands excretions and bacterial activity.[SUP][1][/SUP] Between the different types of skin glands, the human body odor is primarily the result of the apocrine sweat glands, which secrete the majority of chemical compounds needed for the skin flora to metabolize it into odorant substances.
Body odor is influenced by the actions of the skin flora, including members of Corynebacterium, which manufacture enzymes called lipases that break down the lipids in sweat to create smaller molecules like butyric acid. These smaller molecules smell, and give body odor its characteristic aroma[SUP]"
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So you remove the bacteria and no smell.

The only thing I do when I get to work is dry off the sweat so I don't soak through my clean t-shirt I pulled from my backpack and slap it on. Not a complaint has been had.

This is what I use: http://www.arkel-od.com/us/review/pr...29/category/4/ . It's expensive, but I've had it for five years, and it's held up beautifully. I prefer to let the bike carry the weight, not my back. If you're interested, I can pm you a coupon.

I recommend the Ortlieb office bag.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I do think I'm going to buy a rack & a pannier, and suspect I'll go with one of Old Man Mountaineering (any thoughts on the pioneer vs sherpa?) - I love that they're made in the USA, and in the long run it'll be worth it to be able to strap things to my bike and I'm just hesitant to buy another backpack since I already have several and think I'd rather not ride with one anyways - definitively sounds hot!! l

I see that you have already made your choice, but here's my $0.02. If it's not a far ride to the library, I'd go with the backpack, as they are generally easier to carry around than a Panier, once you're at the library. If you already have a few backpacks, why not give one a try to see if you like it before you buy a new anything? Granted, I'm all for getting new bike stuff, so I would be tempted to buy a new bag too.

I have a Basil Preston Laptop bag for when I need to carry my laptop. It's very nice.
http://orangecycleorlando.com/mercha...bags17238L.jpg
I bought it on sale; I don't know if they offer it any more.

I just bought this winner:
http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/phoenix-backpack

I also got to test out how durable it is during a wreck on Tuesday. I slipped on some railroad tracks and did a little beached whale move in the middle of a busy street. The laptop in my backpack was still ok and functional, but my body did break the bag's fall. The only thing I don't like about the backpack is that i can't seem to get it to sit upright on its own when there is only a laptop in there. This makes it hard to load the pack up, but it's only a minor annoyance of mine.

Or ride with waterproof panniers. I rode with my Ortliebs through water that went part way up the reflectors on the back and they didn't leak.

If the water level is over the top of the panniers you'll have bigger concerns than whether any gets in to the pannier.

OK, so I've ordered a rack for my bike, and am now looking at pannier options - of which there are a seemingly mind-boggling variety!! Its raining today, which has shot my plans for riding to the library, since I don't want to kill my laptop in the process. But, in the mindset of hoping to get to ride my bike even when it *is* raining... any suggestions for waterproof panniers? Don't need to be super big, and I'm not in a big hurry as my dad has a set of old basket-styles for his bike that I can use in the interim (though, still not when its raining... stupid rain!). I'd prefer to buy ones that *aren't* made in china, but I realize thats kinda hard to find.

I actually found that the best idea was to get a used iMac for the office (500€) and keep the MBP at home. I have them sync automatically. The price of a good bag or rack/pannier options tends to run between (100€ and 150€). Plus, I don't have to haul the laptop around. However, this may not work in your "library" situation. Shouldn't they have publicly available computers anyway?

Yeah, but I'm writing code & testing it... I suppose I could serriptiously boot into a USB thumb drive running Linux, but I doubt they'd be thrilled. Does make me wonder what they'd do though... :p

I use the Inertia Designs Business Pannier. It has a built-in padded laptop compartment. It's easily removed from the rack and carried like a brief case. You can also fit a lot of other stuff in there too.

As for the Old Man Mountain rack question... The Sherpa with 40 lb. rating is more than adequate for day to day hauling. It's the one I use and it's great. The Pioneer is rated at 70 lbs. and is built like a brick s**t house. Unless you're going to do fully loaded touring or carry really heavy cargo around town, its probably overkill.

Ortlieb panniers are waterproof. Mine have survived rides through torrential rain, hailstorms, and riding through flooded roads deep enough to go over the bottom bracket and about half way up the reflector on the panniers. They didn't let a drop of water through.

I used to carry a net book and converted my case into a pannier with after market clips... I have switched to a smaller tablet which can be slipped in my jacket pocket if need be and gave the net book to my daughter who now has the case.

I have ridden through torrential downpours with my Ortlieb office bag. Absolutely no leakage. I also like the quick release system. Never had any problems with the weight(I load up the bag with a heavy laptop+clothes and other sundries) on the QL3 or it coming loose. Expensive, but worth every penny.

What sold me on backpacks was my time moving electronics at a major aerospace firm. When I carried the electronics in my backpack, the failure rate was zero. When I attached the electronics directly to the bike, the failure rate was much higher.

Putting your computer in a backpack allows you to protect it from the worst shocks by simply standing on the pedals. And your greater mass acts as a shock absorber anyway.

Ain't nothing stopping you from riding in the rain with what you got available now. Assuming one of your dad's baskets is large enough for one of your backpacks. The pack goes into the basket when riding and easier to carry when off the bike than most panniers. Waterproof by using trash/shopping bags, or dry/stuff sacks. Put your backpack into a bag (and I'd suggest then putting that into another bag).