Today was the first day I did what I considered a "fully loaded" ride to work. This is the ride where I bring in everything on Monday for the whole week so I can ride without a ton of bags Tues-Friday. Here's what it looked like:



Felt like I was heading out on a cross-country tour . I'd say the whole thing weighed in at over 40lbs easy (bike is 27lbs by itself before racks and bags).

I felt a little weird having so much stuff on my bike considering most of the people I saw on the trail had one bag at most and only a few even had racks. At least I get to ride "light" the rest of the week.

My bike fully loaded for a commute looks pretty much the same as what it does when I take it on a group ride. I have a frame pump and under-saddle bag for tools. Everything I need for work (change of clothes, lunch, laptop, misc) goes in my backpack.

Mine has the Ortlieb L Office bag (laptop, papers, tablet, etc) on one side, and a cheapo Ibera pannier opposite. The top rack is either empty or has my Polar Bear soft cooler strapped to it. Also have a Handlebar bag as well that I put my wallet, keys, tissue, etc in.

I do this everyday that I commute (26Miles RT). Been trying to get it where I can unload it Tuesday-Friday, but have not been successful. The Ortlieb bag gets used even on days that I use the truck for commute.

T

i'm pretty much the same, minus the laptop. each of my bikes has a small saddle bag for spare tube, multi-tool, patch kit, levers, and CO2 pump.

for the commute each day, i load up a change of clothes, lunch, wallet, keys, and phone in my backpack. keeping it simple helps keep it light.

fridays are my lightest day because my office does a group lunch where we order carry-out from a local restaurant, so i don't even have to pack a lunch.

I got +20lbs easy, more when I have to carry a laptop.

I'm on 32c's right now, been debating getting a new bike so I can roll with bigger tires. It just seems so sketchy riding with so much weight on 32c's. Of course, I'm only 145 so I guess +20 on top of that isn't so bad...

I'm putting this much weight on 28c's along with my 165lbs of engine weight ... should I be worried?

I don't have a storage area where I work so I have a backpack I strap to my rear rack. I keep flat repair, a c02 pump, rain clothes, and work clothes. Not to heavy but it's definitely a chore to attach /detach on a daily basis.

• fully stocked trunk bag with pump, spare tubes, spare tires, patch kit, full set of tools short of major overhaul, waterproof pannier covers
• lights as needed when riding in darkness
• pannier containing lunch box
• pannier, handlebar bag or front trunk containing lock & work shoes
• pannier containing work backpack with work clothing, wallet, cellphone, eyeglasses, etc
• when/as needed, extra pannier for grocery purchases on the way home; or bringing laptop computer home & back

Normally I'm able to keep it down to two panniers, the rear trunk, and a front trunk or handlebar bag. In case it's not obvious, I have multiple bikes I commute with, hence the variety of cargo devices. On my work bike I'm able to fit 4 panniers in addition to the front & rear trunks, which typically happens only for major shopping outings.
I don't commute carrying a backpack, but I've been known to wear a hunter's style ginormous bum bag with a shoulder harness, to augment total carrying capacity for major shopping trips. I'm not keen on getting a sweaty back and having a high centre of gravity resulting from a conventional backpack.

I carry a pump, a tube, a Cruz Tools multi tool, a Park allen (tri-shaped thing with three sizes), my Pedro's levers (2), a camel bak, a shirt, an Apple MacBook air, and maybe some documents in a redweld. All these fit in my messenger bag.

That's the price you pay for the luxury of a bike ride to work. I too carry a lot of gear, but it beats the alternative.

Mine is pretty similar. I have two jobs, and a four-day work week. On Mondays I take in the week's worth of clothes to each job (two different dress codes, so I can't wear the same thing at both jobs) and fruit and snacks for the week at each place. And the lock I leave on the rack at my morning job. Plus library books. (It's an occupational hazard.) The empty panniers stay at work, one at each place.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, I carry a sandwich in a jersey pocket. And my sunglasses. I can ride any old bike I want. (My old steel crit bike gets the nod for tomorrow.)

On Thursdays, I fill the panniers with laundry (and more library books) and haul it all home.

EDIT: Tonight we had a pot luck dinner at the library for staff and the Friends of the Library group and our volunteers. In addition to the usual, I had a casserole and pan of gluten-free brownies. Had to leave early to drop that off at the library, then double-back to my morning job.

Fully loaded is as little as possible and only what's necessary. Laptop, pants, and shirt in the pannier. That's fully loaded in my world.

Everything else lives at work: like shoes and misc. sweaters and vests. Or it lives on my bike: pump and a small seat wedge w a tube, patch kit and mutltitool. Each of my bikes has it's own set.

I know me and I figure the less I have to haul the less chance I have to forget stuff so I designed my world around my shortcomings.

I've gotten to where I haul in a weeks worth of scrubs and underclothes one day a week, which all fits in one Ortlieb pannier. Lunch and phone, wallet, keys, glasses case, tools, pump, spare tube, etc, all ride in my big saddlebag (18L Zimbale) on a Carradice quick release bag support. The saddlebag I carry everyday. If it is going to be windy I'll skip using the Ortlieb and just cram one days worth of clothes at a time into the saddlebag along with everything else, which often means taking advantage of the "long flap" feature.

I'm very lucky in that the bicycle commuters locker room at work is an old locker room for the OR's that is no longer used except by a few doctors and a handful of cyclists. Out of something like 100 lockers, at least a third of them are empty so I snagged a couple for stowing work shoes and clothes.

I am back in college again, last quarter my class was online so didn't impact my commuting at all, but now I've got a book bag strapped to the top of my front rack most days as well. I'll have to snap a pic. I wanted the smallest possible bag that was able to hold my book, binder, lab logbook, calculator, and paper notebook. Turned out I had a perfectly sized rubberized military surplus satchel amongst that kind of thing that I tend to collect. I bungee this to top of the rack, which is more handy off the bike than any of my panniers, and centers the load, instead of having all that weight hanging off of one side. I'm used to riding with a fair amount of weight on one side of the front wheel, but don't like to do it every day*.

* I leave the book bag at work Friday night, carry the dirty clothes home Saturday morning, bring the clean clothes in Saturday night, and take my books back home Sunday morning. The bike I use for commuting doesn't have a good way to attach a rear rack, so I've just got a front rack and the saddlebag on it.

Every week or two I'll swap clothes at work (which consists of a few pair of socks and underwear, a pair of jeans and usually 3 shirts). Generally I'll drive to work at least once every couple of weeks and I'll take care of it there. If not, I wedge that stuff into a backpack.

Apart from that, the load consists of a wedge pack with a tube and tools, a mini pump and water bottle, and an Ortlieb medium handlebar bag with breakfast, lunch and EDC gear - phone, kindle, pocket knife, small flashlight, keychain (with glow stick and thumb drive), wallet.

My load is similar. I ride a long wheelbase recumbent with a "brainbag" on the back of the seat that has tools, pump, inflator, CO2 carts, Rainjacket, light gloves and odds and ends in it. On the rack over the rear wheel I have cheap panniers with my lunch in an insulated bag on one side, and my Forest Service uniform complete with belt. There is room in the brainbag for a smaller bag with cell phone, knife, wallet, keys, glasses and the like, from which I fill the uniform pockets. On the back of the seat are bottle cages and I usually carry one water bottle with sports drink in the morning, and ice water in the afternoon. Darn thing is heavy all up, but it can't be helped. I don't carry a laptop back and forth, which saves some weight, and my two pairs of boots live in the office year round, along with a heavy coat and various hats.

Tractor Tom in Okeechobee, FL

I have a different approach. I try to keep my load fairly light -- that is, what will fit in a Carradice Barley seatbag -- most of the time. I restock bulky and heavy items (bath towel, slacks, spare shirts, extra food for the office, etc.) on days that I drive, which usually works out to one day a week, and also take home dirty laundry. I keep a pair of shoes at the office along with extra clothes, towel, bath supplies, etc. My daily load usually consists of a shirt, t-shirt, underwear, wallet, lunch, tools, spare tube and repair kit, small cable lock, spare batteries. All of this easily fits in a Barley bag with room to spare. On sunny days with no rain in the forecast, I often ride one of my fenderless bikes with even lighter loads.

On rare occasions, I ride my touring bike with rear panniers, just for the "fun" of it. However, I don't understand why someone would choose to ride with panniers every day unless they had no other options. It just seems like you would be lugging around a lot of extra weight and creating a lot of wind resistance, and my 30+ mile commute is enough work already.

The most loaded I get is a backpack full of clothes/food and a small saddle bag I carry on almost all rides (tube, levers, quick link, pump, multitool w/ chain tool, patch kit). If I'm carrying extra stuff for cold/wet days it usually fits fine in my jersey/jacket pockets.

I also keep a spare multitool, 2x tubes, gloves, socks, bike shorts, blinkie, water bottle, drawstring backpack, and extra u-lock (as well as my main one) at work. That way if I flat in the morning I'm not obliged to ride home without a spare tube, and if socks/gloves/bike shorts don't dry in time on wet commutes I have spares. Also, if I really need to carry something home and didn't come in with a backpack, I have the spare bag.

I use the Burley Travoy to carry my full commute gear when needed. I carry a laptop, food for the day, clothing, and whatever misc stuff I may have had to take home for working purposes.

One pannier with a multitool, spare tube, and patch kit in the front pocket; and my lunchbox, a lock, a pair of pants, and a shirt in the main pocket. I've thought about taking in a bunch of clothes at the beginning of the week, but I would still need to bring my pannier for my lunchbox every day.

How do you like the burley? Any downsides to it? Any issues? Would you buy it again?

I take the same load every day.

-small saddle bag with lube and tools
-small pump mounted to frame with tire changing tools and patch kit
-two smaller-sized rear panniers on the rack containing a change of clothes, lock, lunch, and phone/wallet/keys.

I'd say the total load is about 15 pounds. Bike is roughly 30, "engine" is 145. This all rides along nicely on 700x32 tires inflated to 70-80psi.

I pack rain gear 3/4 of the year.. or am wearing it ..

I love it. See my thoughts so far here: https://www.280dude.com/2013/04/24/oobe-burley-travoy/

I would certainly buy it again. A cart would hold more but I don't need or want that much. It tracks great and it is right about the width of my handlebars so where I can fit it can fit. I normally only have a bit of stuff on it and I don't notice it's back there. It is also going to be able to hold my full camping pack for times when I (and a buddy) ride to a camp ground, etc.

I paid $299 for it with a rain cover included.

Must need smooth roads with that trailer. On my commute I imagine that thing would be bouncing around wildly and would probably make it very difficult for me to maintain a reasonable line. Lots of torn up pavement, sometimes washboarded gravel if I go that way.

I have a travoy and I drag it through San Francisco and the peninsula on all sorts of junky pavement.

My SOMA in Soma (also use a Bike Friday with this trailer):

P1080030 by What Photos Look Like, on Flickr



That said, I keep a wardrobe at the office and use a local dry cleaner... Rare are the days when I am fully loaded. I have never driven to work at this office.

Standard Load, either this or a small msgr bag with a Chromebook & some tube tools:

Commute Ready by What Photos Look Like, on Flickr