Laptops in Panniers??

dannyfrankszzz said:

Hi, I'm planning on going touring for a few months and was
wondering about the viability of taking a laptop with me
during the trip.

I know that laptops are more safely stored in a backpack
whilst cycling around; Crumpler and Timbuk2 both have a
great range of bags designed to carry laptops.

However, I have seen panniers that have laptop
compartments. This has struck me as being a bit odd
because I always thought that any electronic goods carried
in a pannier would get shaken to bits no matter how good
the cushioning was.

So should I just forget the laptop option and just rely on
internet cafes that I come across?

If anyone has any experience of this, I'd appreciate
your advice.

Thanks. Danny.

--

I regularly carry my compaq Evo N400c laptop in a briefcase
in my pannier on my 8 mile commute. Never had any problem.

Mike

dannyfrankszzz said:

So should I just forget the laptop option and just rely on
internet cafes that I come across?

Yep. There are internet cafes everywhere. You don't need to
carry the extra weight. I doubt I'd use a laptop much anyway
-- too busy cycling/eating/drinking/sleeping/swimming.

dannyfrankszzz said:

So should I just forget the laptop option and just rely on
internet cafes that I come across?

Yes. Don't rely on internet cafes though, learn to live
without t'internet and write/use the phone. On my Trans
America Ride I sent a postcard every Thursday and now
have a pictoral record and a note of my changing thoughts
of the trip.

dannyfrankszzz said:

So should I just forget the laptop option and just rely on
internet cafes that I come across?

Sheesh! Don't these people have iPaqs?

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. chapmancentral.co.ukchapmancentral.co.ukOpen ↗

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
Washington University

[email hidden] schreef ...

Quoted message said:

If anyone has any experience of this, I'd appreciate
your advice.

An acquaintance of mine works in a school where people
are confronted with dead laptop batteries if they ride in
below-zero (Celsius, that is) temperatures. So if your
ride will take you in such areas, either remove the
batteries and store them on your body or leave the laptop
at home entirely.

--
Regards, Marten

On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 11:44:43 GMT, in
<[email hidden]>, dannyfrankszzz

Quoted message said:

Hi, I'm planning on going touring for a few months and was
wondering about the viability of taking a laptop with me
during the trip.

Buy a Psion Series 5 instead. I believe Guy has more than
one to spare ...

--
When one is on a bicycle, all roads lead to roam.
www.artybee.net (same [censored], different layout)

dannyfrankszzz said:

Hi, I'm planning on going touring for a few months and was
wondering about the viability of taking a laptop with me
during the trip.

Certainly possible - we sometimes carry a laptop in a
pannier and it has never come to any harm. However I cannot
see it being worthwhile lugging it around just for the sake
of having it on tour. Get some sort of PDA instead, if you
really want something like that. A psion 5 is just about
perfect for writing a journal, there are probably beter
choices if you want a wifi web/email connection.

James
--
If I have seen further than others, it is by treading on the
toes of giants. ne.jphomeOpen ↗

James Annan said:

dannyfrankszzz wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Hi, I'm planning on going touring for a few months and
was wondering about the viability of taking a laptop with
me during the trip.

Quoted message said:

Certainly possible - we sometimes carry a laptop in a
pannier and it has never come to any harm. However I cannot
see it being worthwhile lugging it around just for the sake
of having it on tour. Get some sort of PDA instead, if you
really want something like that. A psion 5 is just about
perfect for writing a journal, there are probably beter
choices if you want a wifi web/email connection.

The Psion 5mx is the one to get, significantly better
than the 5.

When away from my desk I sometimes post to this newsgroup
from mine, using a mobile phone as modem. It's a bit old,
out of date, and no longer in production, but I hang on to
it because nothing in the PDA market yet seems to offer its
nice combination of good battery consumption (low battery
means you have a few days left), good keyboard both for
serious writing two-handed on a table, or used in
"thumbing" mobile-phone texting mode while sitting in
busses, walking round shops, etc., and solidly reliable
adaptable software, with such things as scripting macros,
programming language, etc..

There's plenty of much flashier stuff, colour, super fast
processors, etc., but IMHO nothing which simply works as
well as a seriously portable computer.

I might have to buy another as a spare, since the market now
seems as disinclined to produce a seriously good palmtop
which is actually a good standalone computer as opposed to a
Micros**t Windoze accessory, as it is disinclined to produce
mobile phones which just simply are good sound phones,
modems, etc., without bells, flashing lights, and whistles,
or as it is disinclined to produce sensible utility
bicycles, or even a bike helmet which actually does what it
says on the tin.

It was a really really really stupid mistake to give
teenagers so much pocket money. It's screwed up the entire
world market for useful entertaining gadgets.

--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
["]http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

Chris Malcolm said:

The Psion 5mx is the one to get, significantly better
than the 5.

Seconded, but ours spends most of its time in a box and I
had forgotten the letters!

I use a Revo most of the time now, the smaller size is worth
the drawbacks for us. But on a long trip (especially cycling
and holiday), the 5(mx) wins out cos of the AA batteries (I
just worked out that the revo can easily be charged from a
PC USB port, which may be handy in some circumstances).

Next may be a sharp zaurus, but we aren't yet quite sure
that it will
(a) do what we want and (b) that we really want to do what
we think we want to do! Which is to run LaTeX and give
presentations without carrying a laptop (and without
having to finalise the presentations before setting
out). I agree that most of the current crop of PDAs are
not really much use.

James
--
If I have seen further than others, it is by treading on the
toes of giants. ne.jphomeOpen ↗

I am regularly commuting with my PowerBook Titanium inside
an Eagle-Creek Computer Vault inside Ortlieb panniers. After
a few months, the latch broke, so now Velcro strips are
keeping the lid closed ;-). I haven't had a problem since.

But I do agree with the others that you should think
carefully whether to take a heavy, breakable and highly
nickable labtop along. I wrote parts of my PhD thesis on a
Palm m500 with attached keyboard - for emails and diary a
PDA is certainly enough. Photographs are a different
issue, though.

Let us know what you decide to do !

Karen
--
remove underscore and seven from my email address

On 19/4/04 5:03 pm, in article
[email hidden], "Karen Lipkow"

Quoted message said:

I am regularly commuting with my PowerBook Titanium
inside an Eagle-Creek Computer Vault inside Ortlieb
panniers. After a few months, the latch broke, so now
Velcro strips are keeping the lid closed ;-). I haven't
had a problem since.

The latch broke on my powerbook too. It ends up either slung
on my back in one or other of the targus cases (briefcase or
backpack one) or stuffed into the rucksack, or as a last
resort, stuffed into the briefcase pannier (in the briefcase
targus bag). Last friday I had to pick up a parcel from the
post office. Ended up with the parcel on the child seat, and
opening the parcel to stick the laptop (in bag) inside.

Quoted message said:

But I do agree with the others that you should think
carefully whether to take a heavy, breakable and highly
nickable labtop along. I wrote parts of my PhD thesis on a
Palm m500 with attached keyboard - for emails and diary a
PDA is certainly enough. Photographs are a different
issue, though.

I've been looking at the little things from archos which a
couple of guys in the lab have and like. These can take a
compact flash card and allow you to view your photos.

..d

Quoted message said:

Let us know what you decide to do !

Karen