Old Man Mountain rack, which attaches through the rear axle so you don't need braze-ons.

And then I use a single Arkel commuter pannier, which has a detachable shoulder strap so it's comfortable to carry around if I'm not on the bike. There's a little pocket at the top for my entry pass to the bike storage room, and I stuff the strap into one of the side pockets when I'm on the bike and not using it. Keys fit into the other side pocket. They really thought this pannier out. I love it.



I tried riding with a backpack and with a messenger bag and hated both. Back got sweaty, and I felt totally off balance all of the time.

Rear axle racks getting annoying especially on older bikes as every time you have to remove the tire you have to realign everything with the rack on. I have one on my cheap commuter, but for my nice bike I use a seatpost bag and backpack.

Until I replaced my inexpensive aluminum rack with a much more rigid steel version, I wouldn't have guessed on how much the difference in the bike's handling characteristics would be from the reduced flexing of my rear rack while carrying heavy loads.

i started off as a commuter with a rack and trunk bag, but i eventually switched to a back pack for a variety of reasons:


1. aesthetic purity - none of my bikes need to have a cumbersome rack attached to them. this is especially important for my titanium road bike.


2. i'm gonna sweat no matter what - my daily commute is 14.5 miles each way; there's no casual cruising at 10mph for me, i like to hit it hard, so i'm dripping with sweat when i get to work whether i'm wearing a back pack or not.


3. handling - i prefer having the extra weight on me as opposed to on the bike. it just feels more natural to me to have the weight on my back, it makes the bike feel zippier and more maneuverable, especially when out of the saddle.


4. comfort - i tried a lot of packs, but eventually settled on an REI pack with multitudes of micro-adjustment straps that allow me to cinch the pack down in all the right places to get that perfect feel where the pack simply becomes an extension of my body rather than something i'm wearing. waist and sternum straps are absolutely essential in my opinion for a bike commuting backpack.


5. the backpack always follows me - when i get off my bike, my backpack is already attached to me, so it goes wherever i go without me ever having to think about it.


6. psychology - in my mind, i feel faster/less draggy with a pack on my back than elsewhere on my bike. that notion might not have much basis in reality (if any at all), but it's still there in my head and hard to ignore.


7. simplicity - i try to travel as light as possible. all of my bikes have a small saddle bag for a spare tube, levers, multi-tool and CO2 pump, so the only things that i'm actually carrying with me in my backpack on my daily commute are a change of clothes, lunch, wallet, phone, and keys. that's it. i don't usually carry a lock because i store my bike inside my office. and i leave my work shoes at the office so that i'm not needlessly shuttling them back and forth everyday.




with all that said, it all boils down to personal preference. there's no such thing as a one size fits all answer to the eternal question of rack or backpack. different commutes, preferences, situations, riding styles, and a multitude of other variables will eventually inform each individual's decision as to what works best for them.

Either way I sweat buckets during the warmer months of commuting (Clyde here), but I still choose racks to save my back having to shoulder any unnecessary weight (it has plenty of weight to carry as it is). Topeak Explorer on all my commuters and the Topeak MTX trunk bag EXP with fold-out panniers. I will be trying some Ibera panniers soon, just to see if they'll be a decent fallback option.

I usually prefer a backpack. It's easier to put on than the panniers, and offers less wind resistance. Plus it's easier to carry the load on my back than in the pannier when walking through the hall and down the 2 stairs at home and when wheeling my bike in/out of the office.

The backpack puts the weight on your back and makes the bike feel lighter, panniers put the weight on the bike and make you feel lighter.

Backpack, primarily for security reasons. My bike actually got swiped this weekend, thank goodness I hadn't bought the racks I was going to put on it (front and rear, with bags). Subsequently, I'm going to stick with the backpack. Maybe look into those strapped paniers when I find a better neighborhood.

M.

After using panniers (rack) and backpack, I prefer a large saddlebag.

I am currently using a backpack after a year on panniers. I think its important to get the waist strap tight so the weight is on your waist, not your shoulders. If I dont do this right, shoulder fatigue from an uneven load is a problem.

I did not like the panniers as they made the bike slow and cumbersome. Plus, there is no suspension between the bike and the panniers, so the contents get jostled/vibrated around horribly. I would not trust a laptop in panniers, too fragile. You can use your legs as a very intelligent suspension system between the goods in your backpack, and the bumpy road.

Funny, I feel just the opposite. Having extra weight on my back is more labor than I want to deal with in already uncomfortable winter weather conditions, but in the summer I'm willing to make the trade off of a backpack or messenger bag for the sportier feel of an unencumbered bike.

Of course, it helps that our summer temperatures are usually pretty mild.

I'm certainly a fan of a rack/panniers or even just a big trunk bag rather than a backpack. I commuted for a few weeks with a few different backpacks (different sizes) and nothing felt good. They had two problems for me:

1. Sweaty back ... there's no getting around this one no matter how much a backpack claims to let your back "breathe"
2. Center of gravity. The heavier my bag, the more unstable I felt on the bike on descents (and I have a big one each way on my commute).

For the last two weeks I have been using a backpack and been hating it. Rack and a big trunk bag rather than a backpack any day.

+1 Racks, it's hot here in the summer, plus the wife always has something for me to pickup at the grocery store on the way home.

Bike messengers aren't commuters and have specific needs that other riders don't have. Bike messengers make a lot of very short trips and are constantly getting on and off of their bikes. They may get on and off three times in one block if that have that many deliveries. Because they are always hopping on and off of the bike, it's much more efficient to have something on their back so they don't have to stop and fiddle with panniers. The single strap makes it quick to take off, and the shape is designed to carry large documents without having to fold them. The fact that they can be kind of unstable doesn't matter for the short distance between deliveries.

Commuters, on the other hand, get on the bike at home and off the bike at work, or vice versa. The disadvantage of being able to not instantly hop off your bike is pretty minor when you are only doing it at the end of your trip (and most messengers here just use one small U lock to lock up, relying, I think, on the fact that they won't be inside long, while commuters tend to lock differently if their bike will be outside all day).

For commuters, the disadvantage of having something on your back is compounded because of the distance spent commuting and - depending - on what you have to carry.

Rack and panniers.
I put my clothes and things into polyester ChicoBags, a nice slick material that slides right into the panniers. It's easier to carry stuff in and out without taking the panniers off the bike.

I rode with a backpack for years then made the switch to panniers. For just just riding to/from work, panniers are my choice because, as so many have mentioned, backpacks make your back sweat like crazy (and you say weather is not an issue, but in SoCal your back is definitely going to sweat!). But for going shopping, or making any stops where you want to leave the bike and carry your stuff with you, the backpack wins. So it really depends on your personal mission. If you do go with a backpack, I highly recommend the Deuter line, with a mesh panel that lets your back breath more.

Have you considered a saddlebag? My Zimbale 18 liter bag (similar to a large Carradice) holds my lunch and scrubs and underclothes for work each day, plus my tools, spare tube, wallet, phone etc. In conjunction with a Carradice quick release saddlebag support that clamps under the seat rails, it just takes about three seconds to remove the bag and sling it over my shoulder.

Backpacks are generally unpleasant to cycle with.

Ditto here. I switched from panniers to backpack. I have to sometime have to carry my 17" Macbook pro in my backpack. I couldn't do that with the panniers without risking damage. My panniers once flopped into my spokes - yikes! Panniers also limit your bike selection, and the type of bike I wanted didn't accommodate panniers. I have yet to use the pack in 90+ weather - it does certainly cause sweat buildup on me - but I haven't noticed it until I got off and I have a shower at work.

So far I have found my pack (a Mission Workshop) to be a pleasant experience. It is very light, waterproof comfortable, allows quick access while stopped (without having to get off of the bike), useful all around besides biking, and has all of those storage advantages as others have mentioned. It hasn't bothered my back and I have arthritis of the spine and I can easily get inflamed causing severe lower back pain.

Oh yeah, and I don't have to have a rack on my bike when I ride for fun

Rack, I don't like weight on my back if I can avoid it.

Considering I already work outside, the thought of sweating up isn't that big of a deal to me. It also doesn't really happen to me during the early morning ride, and I'm more comfortable with messenger bag or backpack than most seem to be here. I'm also turned off by the idea of cluttering my only bike with racks.

even imagining the unnecessary grams on my commuters makes me physically ill. racks are for tourers/grocery_bikes not commuters.

+100

Thanks for stating what I could not articulate. Perfect! One More thing. I live on the third floor of my apartment and my bike is heavy as it is. Having the load of a backpack in a pannier just makes it that much more difficult to carry up three flights. My bike feels way lighter and easier to toss around with the load, even a moderate one, on my back. I

I especially agree with 3, 5, 6, and 7. Sometimes it's necessary to carry a real heavy load and then a rack and panniers comes in handy, but that simply isn't a daily occurrence. When it is, it's going grocery shopping which I think is better done every 2 days instead of every week. Fresher produce and less wasted food. I think the ideal weight of a load is between 10 and 15 pounds. If you're carrying a 25 pound load, there's a good chance, you're carrying something unnecessary.

That's the other point. Carrying sensitive electronics feels safer on my back then on my rack. I think my bones and muscle provides way more shock absorption, then a steel frame and fatter tires.

I see. Okay, cool.

Ha, geetings from SoCal.