Panniers on a fixed?

dhope

I know, the very thought of it is abhorrent to the purists.

I'm about to start a fairly short commute to work (7 miles) and will have a few bits to take - gym kit and a few folded shirts (that'll be in an Eagle Creek folder so should stay flat).
I have a fixed Langster and curious on people's thoughts on whether I should get a decent messenger bag, a backpack or panniers.

I'm still a novice so no skip stops or skidding in the wet just yet. Will panniers affect the handling of a fixie more than they might a single speed or hybrid or would the weight shifted further down rather than on my back not really make much difference? Or should I just not have panniers on a fixed and instead get a couple of spoke cards and embrace my inner fakenger?

Ta

lost_in_thought

Ah get some panniers. Why the heck not. You only get the one spine.

I've got them on my fixie, and I'll have them of the new fixie too. There's no difference between a fixie with panniers and any other bike with panniers.

Skip stops? Skids? Are you 13?

asprilla

I have panniers on my fixed. Mine is not a tarty fixed that comes with tight jeans, spinny gearing and floppy hair. It's a functional fixed with a rack, sensible brakes and mudguards.

dhope

Skip stops? Skids? Are you 13?

Was a bit tongue in cheek, as was the embracing my inner fakenger

dhope

Asprilla wrote:

I have panniers on my fixed. Mine is not a tarty fixed that comes with tight jeans, spinny gearing and floppy hair. It's a functional fixed with a rack, sensible brakes and mudguards.

Don't have the hair for it either. Panniers sounding promising, and no sweaty back when I get to work is always a bonus.

notsoblue

dhope wrote:

I know, the very thought of it is abhorrent to the purists.

I'm about to start a fairly short commute to work (7 miles) and will have a few bits to take - gym kit and a few folded shirts (that'll be in an Eagle Creek folder so should stay flat).
I have a fixed Langster and curious on people's thoughts on whether I should get a decent messenger bag, a backpack or panniers.

No idea, but thanks for the Eagle Creek tip off, could do with one of those! (Though if you're riding a fixed rather than just a SS, should you really be putting more weight on your frame?)

dhope

notsoblue wrote:

dhope wrote:

I know, the very thought of it is abhorrent to the purists.

I'm about to start a fairly short commute to work (7 miles) and will have a few bits to take - gym kit and a few folded shirts (that'll be in an Eagle Creek folder so should stay flat).
I have a fixed Langster and curious on people's thoughts on whether I should get a decent messenger bag, a backpack or panniers.

No idea, but thanks for the Eagle Creek tip off, could do with one of those! (Though if you're riding a fixed rather than just a SS, should you really be putting more weight on your frame?)

I've not used the folder yet but a few others have said they're decent. I'm not so fussed about the weight, I'm 75kgs so I'd hope I'm not about to snap the frame with a few more pounds

lost_in_thought

notsoblue wrote:

dhope wrote:

I know, the very thought of it is abhorrent to the purists.

I'm about to start a fairly short commute to work (7 miles) and will have a few bits to take - gym kit and a few folded shirts (that'll be in an Eagle Creek folder so should stay flat).
I have a fixed Langster and curious on people's thoughts on whether I should get a decent messenger bag, a backpack or panniers.

No idea, but thanks for the Eagle Creek tip off, could do with one of those! (Though if you're riding a fixed rather than just a SS, should you really be putting more weight on your frame?)

Wha? Why not? A fixed is just a normal bike, people. Only you can't freewheel. No biggie.

Clarion

lost_in_thought wrote:

Ah get some panniers. Why the heck not. You only get the one spine.

This.

And you can breathe if you're not carrying kit in your back.

Having said that, I should admit I don't have a rack on either of my fixed.

I have Carradice saddlebags.

BentMikey

Carradice saddlebag is my preferred option. On a langster for that matter.

notsoblue

lost_in_thought wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

dhope wrote:

I know, the very thought of it is abhorrent to the purists.

I'm about to start a fairly short commute to work (7 miles) and will have a few bits to take - gym kit and a few folded shirts (that'll be in an Eagle Creek folder so should stay flat).
I have a fixed Langster and curious on people's thoughts on whether I should get a decent messenger bag, a backpack or panniers.

No idea, but thanks for the Eagle Creek tip off, could do with one of those! (Though if you're riding a fixed rather than just a SS, should you really be putting more weight on your frame?)

Wha? Why not? A fixed is just a normal bike, people. Only you can't freewheel. No biggie.

More forward momentum for you to have to work against through your pedals when you're slowing down.

lost_in_thought

notsoblue wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

dhope wrote:

I know, the very thought of it is abhorrent to the purists.

I'm about to start a fairly short commute to work (7 miles) and will have a few bits to take - gym kit and a few folded shirts (that'll be in an Eagle Creek folder so should stay flat).
I have a fixed Langster and curious on people's thoughts on whether I should get a decent messenger bag, a backpack or panniers.

No idea, but thanks for the Eagle Creek tip off, could do with one of those! (Though if you're riding a fixed rather than just a SS, should you really be putting more weight on your frame?)

Wha? Why not? A fixed is just a normal bike, people. Only you can't freewheel. No biggie.

More forward momentum for you to have to work against through your pedals when you're slowing down.

Don't

Leg

Brake.

Problem solved.

PBo

notsoblue wrote:

More forward momentum for you to have to work against through your pedals when you're slowing down.

Surely this isn't right?

You are braking to stop the whole system - rider, luggage, and bike, surely? Doesn't matter where the luggage is....

dhope

Ordered a Carradice SQR Slim, shall post back with first impressions.

Right, so no excuse not to commute next week...

Fixed, not too tarty though (Langster): 5
Non cycling: +2
Pannier/saddle pack: +1
Helmet/Sunglasses: 0
Toe Clips: 0

FCN: 8

majormantra

lost_in_thought wrote:

I've got them on my fixie, and I'll have them of the new fixie too. There's no difference between a fixie with panniers and any other bike with panniers.

There is one difference, at least with my setup. I use panniers on my Pompino for shopping etc. and when heavily loaded it becomes impossible to do my usual lean-on-the-brake-and-lift-rear-wheel-to-rotate-cranks thing. What that means in practice is that it can be a 'mare to get going again after stopping if you fail to come to a halt with the cranks in a useful position. A little anticipation deals with the problem though.

lost_in_thought

MajorMantra wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

I've got them on my fixie, and I'll have them of the new fixie too. There's no difference between a fixie with panniers and any other bike with panniers.

There is one difference, at least with my setup. I use panniers on my Pompino for shopping etc. and when heavily loaded it becomes impossible to do my usual lean-on-the-brake-and-lift-rear-wheel-to-rotate-cranks thing. What that means in practice is that it can be a 'mare to get going again after stopping if you come to a halt with the cranks in a useful position. A little anticipation deals with the problem though.

Quite, as I've learned over the past few years of riding a fixie with panniers, you need to stop with the pedals in a good position for starting off again!

Norky

PBo wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Wha? Why not? A fixed is just a normal bike, people. Only you can't freewheel. No biggie.

More forward momentum for you to have to work against through your pedals when you're slowing down.

Surely this isn't right?

You are braking to stop the whole system - rider, luggage, and bike, surely? Doesn't matter where the luggage is....

PBo and LiT are quite right. notsoblue... meet physics, physics meet notsoblue. No matter where it is placed, it is the exact same amount of weight (ignoring the negligible weight of the rack itself, and assuming pannier bags weigh the same as a back pack) and therefore momentum you are going to have to stop. Arguably having the weight distributed lower (thus lowering the overall centre of gravity) and further back will improve stability and reduce the chance of locking the rear wheel compared to having the weight on one's back.