Backpacks/Rucksacks

Goodson1974

Hi all

I'm getting my first road bike in a couple of weeks (my physio has told me that mountain bikes are no good for me following a serious hand injury, and advised me to get a road bike) and i'm going to need a rucksack to use on my daily commute.

I'm currently using a 25L knackerred old bag that i commanderred from my girlfriend but it's in danger of falling apart and it's a tight sqeeze fitting all of my stuff in.

I'm going to need to carry my shirt, trousers, lunch, mobile, towels, etc, and i'd like something that is rather robust, preferably a hard shell type thing that'll offer my stuff a bit of protection if/when (realistically when!!) i fall off.

I've seen some on the web, but they were rather expensive and rather small.

Does anyone know of anything that might fit the bill?

ride_whenever

Any of the camelbaks, you should be able to get all your stuff into any of the ones bigger than the chaos. They are pretty waterproof and very hardwearing, and they'll come with a bladder for easy drinking on the go.

cakewalk

ride_whenever wrote:

Any of the camelbaks, you should be able to get all your stuff into any of the ones bigger than the chaos. They are pretty waterproof and very hardwearing, and they'll come with a bladder for easy drinking on the go.

Most of the bags available these days are utter pants. They are sold on 'features' (not quality) - e.g. lots of pockets; ipod hole, etc. etc. They will not last - they will frustrate.

I've just switched to a Ortlieb Velocity Rucksack. Great value; will last for years ; Totally water proof ; very visible (buy the yellow one). Went on holiday with kids last week and wife proclaimed it to be fantastic - so easy to open/close. I also brought the laptop sleeve which is A1.

If your journey is more than 5-6 miles I'd consider a pannier though ..

ride_whenever

I'd agree with panniers, the camelbaks are pretty well constructed out of some pretty heavy duty nylon or cordura IIRC.

hugo15

Can you not find somewhere to leave your towel, shoes, trousers at work?

I drive on Monday and bring in the shirts I need for the week. I then use a Deuter Race X backback on commuting days, which is 12L capacity. It's light enough for it not to be a pain to wear but has enough space for tools, waterproof, lunch, phone, money. etc.

Steve_F

I use the cheap bag approach then if I do fall and go through it I don't care.

Saying that the eurohike one I carry my work stuff in seems okay.

Just stick any gear you don't want to get wet in a poly bag inside your bag, job done dry as a bone (what if the bone is outside in a rainstorm - where do these daft sayings come from!?!).

Goodson1974

hugo15 wrote:

Can you not find somewhere to leave your towel, shoes, trousers at work?

We've just moved into a new office building and they've only got lockers that can be used during the day which is a pain and a dumb rule, but that's the public sector for you!! They decided to go for the minimalist look in each office, so there's hardly any storage!! Genius!

il_principe

Get a courier bag, capacious, comfy and hard wearing. I got mine from these fellas: http://www.reloadbags.com/ but I'm sure much cheaper ones can be found.

Mine has been bombproof so far, It'll take loads of stuff, has an internal pouch for all my tools/spare, and external one for locks and is totally waterproof.

mattster12

I have just bought a deuter race back pack which is 10 lt and has room for a bladder, its really comfy and i can fit a change of clothes in it. It has a airflow on the the back to stop your back getting hot.

hugo15

Goodson1974 wrote:

hugo15 wrote:

Can you not find somewhere to leave your towel, shoes, trousers at work?

We've just moved into a new office building and they've only got lockers that can be used during the day which is a pain and a dumb rule, but that's the public sector for you!! They decided to go for the minimalist look in each office, so there's hardly any storage!! Genius!

I'm really lucky that I have two lockers, one near the showers and one near my office. Would you get away with an archive box under your desk?

marcthehammer

Get yourself down to soccer sport(or whatever its called now) and get a Karrimorr airspace.A great backpack that doesnt sit againt your back,I got mine for bout £15.

k-dog

Edinburgh Bicycle have a range of decent of backpacks - all designed for cycling and with the space between your back and the bag. From £30 up.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLq ... 119c003128

geoff_ss

Being retired I no longer commute but when I did I always used a Caradice Camper Longflap cotton duck saddle bag for my daily 27 miles. I would never even contemplate using a back pack except for very occasional emergencies when there was no other alternative. The bike is there to carry the load the rider shouldn't usurp that function.

Any decent commuting bike should have lights, mudguards and a rack for year round all-weather use. That doesn't mean it has to be an unresponsive lump. I mostly used a Mercian 531 touring bike and my commute was treated as a training ride as well as a mini-tour in fine weather when I sometimes upped my ride home mileage to 30+. I wouldn't have wanted to carry a back pack on those rides.

Geoff

GyatsoLa

I'd agree that carrying your kit on the bike is invariably better than a backpack (unless your commute is very short), but if you feel you want a backpack, then I'd suggest looking at the Deuter range - they have a lot of good bike specific backpacks, depending on the size/design you want. I wouldn't bother getting a Camelback or anything with a bladder if you don't intend using the bladder, as these add a lot of weight, cost and unnecessary complication to a backpack (Camelbacks are very god, but they are ridiculously overpriced, IMO).

Deuter backpacks tend to be a little heavier than the alternatives as they have lots of bike specific 'extra's - things like waterproof covers, lots of sub-pockets, etc, even built in gilets. If you want something simpler and lighter, then Vaude and Ortlieb make very good bike specific packs.

I'd suggest getting a pack a little on the small size, but with either an expandable main section (most Deuter packs have this), or with external helmet/bottle netting. You'd be amazed what you can shove into these if you need extra capacity.

If your commute is long, I wouldn't recommend a courier bag - these are great, very practical for buzzing around the city on your bike, but they don't distribute weight on your back and shoulder as well as a good backpack.