Panniers for school books?

Michael Elliott said:

[I did a search of the rec.bicycles.misc archives w/o finding quite

the

Quoted message said:

answer I'm
looking for -- if I used the wrong search terms (panniers, books,
school) then I may have overlooked a commonly-discussed thread. If

so,

Quoted message said:

please point me to it.]

I have a beater bike with an aluminum rear rack. The weather is

getting

Quoted message said:

nice and I'd like to use it to commute to school. What's a nice setup
for carrying school books, etc., on a bike? Something that can detach
easily and pass as a backpack or messenger bag?

OTOH, how about that milk-crate-strapped-to-the-rack "system"? -- is

there

Quoted message said:

a consensus about whether it's a good all-round solution?

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
VW 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
VW 84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

You could try those smaller panniers that are attached to a carry
hook that straps on top of the rack and you can use velcro to snap it
on or off. and you can carry it like a plastic bag with straps. 🙂

Kevin

On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 13:05:34 -0800 in rec.bicycles.misc, Michael

Elliott said:

I have a beater bike with an aluminum rear rack. The weather is getting
nice and I'd like to use it to commute to school. What's a nice setup
for carrying school books, etc., on a bike? Something that can detach
easily and pass as a backpack or messenger bag?

your want a rear rack duffle that can expand. i used to carry a
day's worth of textbooks and sometimes a laptop in one, along
with lunch.

take a look at
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=66&subcategory=1005&brand=&sku=6801&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

Quoted message said:

OTOH, how about that milk-crate-strapped-to-the-rack "system"? -- is there
a consensus about whether it's a good all-round solution?

if you need to haul serious groceries or laundry, get some "town
bags" like
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=66&subcategory=1004&brand=&sku=8641&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

you can ride with them collapsed when they're empty. they work
best on front racks IMHO.

unless it's strictly a training ride, the rack duffle goes with
me everywhere i ride, schlepping cameras, pocket stuff, mail,
books, lunches, even file folders. the outside pockets carry
headlights, tire guage, some clif bars, hand lotion...

it's big enough i can stuff the helmet inside when empty, and my
short pump fits in the top. it comes with a shoulder strap with
rudimentary cushion, but i borrowed a leather one with swivels
off an old briefcase that works better for me.

i used it quite a bit in france during last summer's tour. this
is my second one; the first one lasted 9 years of almost daily
use.

"Michael Elliott" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[I did a search of the rec.bicycles.misc archives w/o finding quite the
answer I'm
looking for -- if I used the wrong search terms (panniers, books,
school) then I may have overlooked a commonly-discussed thread. If so,
please point me to it.]

I have a beater bike with an aluminum rear rack. The weather is getting
nice and I'd like to use it to commute to school. What's a nice setup
for carrying school books, etc., on a bike? Something that can detach
easily and pass as a backpack or messenger bag?

My son regularly commutes the 13 miles to college on his bike. He uses a
tourer with rear rack. He uses bungee cords to strap his bag full of
books/change of clothes etc to the rack. He uses one of these...

<http://www.fieldandtrek.com/product.asp?pf_id=13552&sfile=1&filter_cat=EQUITRAVLUGG&manufacturer_id=LGT&cid=KWUL2GR3LIDET6968KQF3QPPEE2LOHRO&cid=KWUL2GR3LIDET6968KQF3QPPEE2LOHRO>

He won't use panniers.

Having weighed the bag fully loaded with his stuff, it's about 20lbs, so
pretty good resistance training over the winter months ;-) On the plus side,
the rear handle can take a LED light, so it's helpful with visibility in the
dark.

Cheers, helen s

Quoted message said:

OTOH, how about that milk-crate-strapped-to-the-rack "system"? -- is there
a consensus about whether it's a good all-round solution?

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
VW 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
VW 84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

Michael Elliott said:

[I did a search of the rec.bicycles.misc archives w/o finding quite

the

Quoted message said:

answer I'm
looking for -- if I used the wrong search terms (panniers, books,
school) then I may have overlooked a commonly-discussed thread. If

so,

Quoted message said:

please point me to it.]

I have a beater bike with an aluminum rear rack. The weather is

getting

Quoted message said:

nice and I'd like to use it to commute to school. What's a nice setup
for carrying school books, etc., on a bike? Something that can detach
easily and pass as a backpack or messenger bag?

OTOH, how about that milk-crate-strapped-to-the-rack "system"? -- is

there

Quoted message said:

a consensus about whether it's a good all-round solution?

I think the milk-crate-strapped(bolted)-to-rack is the best overall
solution. You need to put some sort of cross member underneath to
support the bottom.

I put my stuff in my backpack, throw my backpack in the milk crate;
when I get to where I'm going, lock the bike (keep lock in crate, too),
& put the backpack on. Simple. The milk crate is also much easier to
toss stuff in for errands than fussing with strapping to a rack.

Fold-out "shopping bag" panniers work pretty well, too. They're
basically canvas/cordura bags with a folding frame that hooks to the
rack. You can fold them flat when empty and carry them off the bike
when full with their loop handles. OK for shopping, probably not that
great for books-to-school.

wafflycat said:

"Michael Elliott" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[I did a search of the rec.bicycles.misc archives w/o finding quite

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

answer I'm
looking for -- if I used the wrong search terms (panniers, books,
school) then I may have overlooked a commonly-discussed thread. If

so,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

please point me to it.]

I have a beater bike with an aluminum rear rack. The weather is

getting

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

nice and I'd like to use it to commute to school. What's a nice

setup

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for carrying school books, etc., on a bike? Something that can

detach

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

easily and pass as a backpack or messenger bag?

My son regularly commutes the 13 miles to college on his bike. He

uses a

Quoted message said:

tourer with rear rack. He uses bungee cords to strap his bag full of
books/change of clothes etc to the rack. He uses one of these...

<http://www.fieldandtrek.com/product.asp?pf_id=13552&sfile=1&filter_cat=EQUITRAVLUGG&manufacturer_id=LGT&cid=KWUL2GR3LIDET6968KQF3QPPEE2LOHRO&cid=KWUL2GR3LIDET6968KQF3QPPEE2LOHRO>

Quoted message said:

He won't use panniers.

Having weighed the bag fully loaded with his stuff, it's about 20lbs,

so

Quoted message said:

pretty good resistance training over the winter months ;-) On the

plus side,

Quoted message said:

the rear handle can take a LED light, so it's helpful with visibility

in the

Quoted message said:

dark.

Cheers, helen s

This has been something I have been thinking about as well. I take
courses during the summer and I think this year I will ride my bicycle
on campus. They hand out parking tickets like crazy and there is not
enough parking. Plus I hate to spend money on a yearly basis parking
permit when I only take classes during the summer. Don't ask why a 50
year old is back in school either. It was a brainstorm I had a few
summers ago. I have an associates degree, but not my Bachelors. I
wanted to finish what I started. If I do take my bike this year I
definately need to lug alot of junk with me. I know I did a bad thing
when I threw my shopping bag over my handlebars, so I have to figure
out what to do before the summer session starts. Sounds like the
pannier might be the way to go. First I have to figure out what a
pannier is. ;-)
All Good Things,
Maggie

I commuted by bike for most of my Jr.High (secondary school) and all of
my high school days, and any tech/trade school I took. Unless you have a
lot of books (do they still use those in school these days?), a simple
knapsack strapped to the rack is usually sufficient. When you get to
school, just unstrap it and throw it on your back and off you go.

If you have to carry more, than a cardboard box ("milk crate"😉 strapped
to the rack will work fine. For a LOT of stuff, use panniers. Too much
weight on the rack could destabilize the bike.

- -

"May you have the winds at your back,
And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

Michael Elliott said:

OTOH, how about that milk-crate-strapped-to-the-rack "system"? -- is
there a consensus about whether it's a good all-round solution?

The milk crates solution rocks!

Well it does in the sense that it's virtually theft proof and sturdy. The
center of gravity is a bit high.

I've got a set of those open top cordura shopping baskets that hang from
your rack (nashbar has 'em for under a twenty) and they work great.

If I'm going to be on and off my bike a lot with an under 20lb. load in
the city, I usually just grab my ginormous timbuk2 messenger bag--a little
uncomfortable, but efficient.

Kev said:

You could try those smaller panniers that are attached to a carry
hook that straps on top of the rack and you can use velcro to snap it on
or off. and you can carry it like a plastic bag with straps. 🙂

Yeah those are great--similar to what everybody in Amsterdam uses which is
basically just old fashioned saddle bags of nylon or canvas that hang over
the top of the rack with a handle in the middle instead of having to be
"clipped" on.

I wouldn't mind a set of those myself...

In article <[email hidden]>,

Maggie said:

First I have to figure out what a
pannier is. ;-)

It's a cargo-carrying thing that attaches to either a
rear or front rack on a bike. Sometimes they're single
units, but panniers often come as pairs.

The next thing is to figure out how to pronounce it.
I go along with 'PAN-year'.

For pronouncing 'coyote' I opt for the British Columbia
interior's colloquial 'KY-oot'.

Getting back on topic, I think the Original Poster of this
thread would be best served by either the milk crate and
backpack combination suggested by Peter Cole, or perhaps
by one of those removable rack trunks that converts into a
backpack. Panniers can be a hassle with the attaching and
removing that would be necessary with parking bike at a school.

One advantage of milk crates over panniers or rack trunks is,
you can pack a small or large (but not medium) take-out pizza.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

On 3/15/2005 7:14 AM Maggie said:

This has been something I have been thinking about as well. I take
courses during the summer and I think this year I will ride my bicycle
on campus. They hand out parking tickets like crazy and there is not
enough parking. Plus I hate to spend money on a yearly basis parking
permit when I only take classes during the summer. Don't ask why a 50
year old is back in school either. It was a brainstorm I had a few
summers ago. I have an associates degree, but not my Bachelors. I
wanted to finish what I started.

Hi Maggie -- glad to see I'm not the only nutty old person around. I'm
55 and don't even have my AA! And I'm going back to school to get a
Master's in Social Work. I got a bit of a row ahead to hoe . . . but
it's turning out to be fun.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

On 3/15/2005 1:20 PM Tom Keats said:

One advantage of milk crates over panniers or rack trunks is,
you can pack a small or large (but not medium) take-out pizza.

I reckon that the ability to carry a pizza should be a minimum requirement.
--
--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

On 3/15/2005 4:56 AM Peter Cole said:

I think the milk-crate-strapped(bolted)-to-rack is the best overall
solution.

It seems the only place that I can find REAL milk-crates -- the truly
sturdy heavy-duty kinda waxy plastic ones that humans can't break -- are
in stacks behind food stores and are stamped "PROPERTY OF SAFEWAY
STORES. THE GUY WHO OWNS THIS BIKE STOLE IT."

The ones available for sale, in places like Target, are made of the same
stuff that Revelle models are made of and will shatter if you give them
a sharp look.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott said:

On 3/15/2005 4:56 AM Peter Cole said:

I think the milk-crate-strapped(bolted)-to-rack is the best overall
solution.

It seems the only place that I can find REAL milk-crates -- the truly
sturdy heavy-duty kinda waxy plastic ones that humans can't break -- are
in stacks behind food stores and are stamped "PROPERTY OF SAFEWAY
STORES. THE GUY WHO OWNS THIS BIKE STOLE IT."

White lettering on red plastic? Get a red felt-tipped pen
and blot out some of the words so it says: " "PROPERTY OF
THE GUY WHO OWNS THIS BIKE." Or just cover whatever words
are on there with duct tape, reflective tape, or "One Less
Car" stickers.

In Vancouver, liquor store loading bays seem to be a good
source of nondescript, heavy-duty milk crates.

Black crates go with anything.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

On 3/15/2005 5:23 PM Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott said:

On 3/15/2005 4:56 AM Peter Cole said:

I think the milk-crate-strapped(bolted)-to-rack is the best overall
solution.

It seems the only place that I can find REAL milk-crates -- the truly
sturdy heavy-duty kinda waxy plastic ones that humans can't break -- are
in stacks behind food stores and are stamped "PROPERTY OF SAFEWAY
STORES. THE GUY WHO OWNS THIS BIKE STOLE IT."

White lettering on red plastic? Get a red felt-tipped pen
and blot out some of the words so it says: " "PROPERTY OF
THE GUY WHO OWNS THIS BIKE." Or just cover whatever words
are on there with duct tape, reflective tape, or "One Less
Car" stickers.

In Vancouver, liquor store loading bays seem to be a good
source of nondescript, heavy-duty milk crates.

Black crates go with anything.

Surely you are not advocating that I /steal/ them. That would be wrong.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

On 3/15/2005 5:41 PM Tom Keats said:

Tilted pie is a catastrophe.

I'm printing that on a t-shirt.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
KG6RCR

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott said:

On 3/15/2005 1:20 PM Tom Keats said:

One advantage of milk crates over panniers or rack trunks is,
you can pack a small or large (but not medium) take-out pizza.

I reckon that the ability to carry a pizza should be a minimum requirement.

A small pizza box plops right inside the crate. A large one
sits nicely on top, where it can be bungee'd down. But a
medium one goes in at an angle. Tilted pie is a catastrophe.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Tom Keats said:

But a
medium one goes in at an angle.

Amateur. :P

A medium pie is placed at an angle to the crate so the whole deal forms an
8 pointed star.

Carrying a selection of bungee cord lengths can be handy as to apply
optimum restraining force to said pie.

"Michael Elliott" wrote...

Quoted message said:

I have a beater bike with an aluminum rear rack. The weather is getting
nice and I'd like to use it to commute to school. What's a nice setup
for carrying school books, etc., on a bike? Something that can detach
easily and pass as a backpack or messenger bag?

A messenger bag would hold your books and pass quite nicely as a messenger
bag.

In all seriousness, I've been commuting with a Critical Mass bag from
Patagonia for almost a year now, and a Canadian made messenger bag for a
couple years before that. The "T" strap suspension works better while riding
a bicycle than any backpack I've cycled with, and it makes a great shoulder
bag when I'm not on the bike. The newer Critical Mass bags apparently have a
pocket for a laptop, which could be nice for a student.
--
mark

In article <[email hidden]>,

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott said:

Surely you are not advocating that I /steal/ them. That would be wrong.

No, not advocating; I'm just off-handedly saying. But
purloined crates do have a certain cachet. Look at it
this way -- in an industrial/commercial environment, a
milk crate is exposed to all kinds of duty-cycle-shortening
abuse. It'll end up as useless landfill long before its
time. Wastefulness is wrong, too. By liberating it you'd
be giving it a long and fruitful new lease on life. So you
wouldn't really be stealing it -- you'd be removing it from
harm's way while assuming the role of its responsible
foster parent. Rig up a quick-release mechanism for it, and
you've got a quisling milk crate that you can discard and
replace at the drop of a hat.

Besides, you do say you prefer sturdier crates.

If guilty feelings or ethics are an issue, one could
possibly discretely swap for one from Target.

Boy, the rationalizations I just described could be dangerous.
If applied to /people/, next thing ya know you've got slavery,
or occupation of Iraq for their own good, or other horrible stuff.

Anyhoo, the worst crate colours are white and green (chartreuse.)
Yellow is iffy. Try to get a black one. Getting two is even
better. Having spares and keeping the bullpen warmed up is good.

cheers, & people aren't to be treated like milk crates
(except in MLB,)
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca