Carring your stuff on longer rides...

Me and DH have been looking at the calendar of rides and the like, getting excited about the upcoming season, but that posses a question about how carry the stuff I might need on the new bike. I'm not considering touring type stuff, but perhaps overnight trips (hotel/B+B), or need to carry extra food or a jacket type stuff.

New bike, Specialized Ruby, she doesn't have rack mounts. Any suggestions?

I know there are racks that mount to your seat post, but I've also read that these are not so good to use with a CF post, so I'm looking for ideas/options.

I've read a little bit about saddle bags that attach to the saddle and supported by the seat post and that seems like a viable option for the traveling that we are likely to do (DH has ability to add rack to his bike and could carry the heavier stuff.)

Shannon

Have an AL seatpost to change out to when using the bag?

Look at a Camelbak or similar cycling backpack?

Use a courier or have a friend to transport your luggage to the hotel for you?

Axiom makes a rear rack for road bikes that is narrow and takes panniers only. I have considered, but never purchased one. It attaches using the rear wheel skewers and the rear brake bolt. Here is a link: http://www.modernbike.com/itemgroup.asp?IGPK=2126178270

Hope this is useful.

P2

+1 on a hydration pack for extra storage. Some packs have quite a lot of storage capacity outside of the water itself. You could, if you know where you can replenish your water bottles and are comfortable drinking from bottles, remove the water bladder and use that part of the pack for additional storage. You could also just get a larger hydration pack with more storage, like a Hydrapack (just one example - more storage than a Camelbak) just for these trips.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pinsonp2

Axiom makes a rear rack for road bikes that is narrow and takes panniers only. I have considered, but never purchased one. It attaches using the rear wheel skewers and the rear brake bolt. Here is a link: http://www.modernbike.com/itemgroup.asp?IGPK=2126178270

Hope this is useful.

P2

---

I met a woman at Bike to Work Day last year who rode a Cannondale road bike with one of these racks attached. It looked pretty slick and she said it worked well.

2+ on the big hydration pack. I had a Camelbak Mule that I liked a lot. Now I have a Dakine brand pack that carries a lot.

What about a frame bag like this? I have one that will fit both my road bike and touring bike and it's just the right size to carry an extra water bladder for my Camelbak plus snacks. As a bonus the bike carries the weight instead of the rider which will reduce fatigue. :)