Any Students?

[HipGnosis6]

I have the strange fortune to be a fashion design student. So far I've managed to take my bike with me to school exactly twice. There are no bike racks there, so if I want to take the bike I have to chain it up to a light post in the designated smoking courtyard.

Getting the appropriate amount of stuff to and from was crucial - I could only do it on days where I didn't need to pack my patterndrafting rulers, which are large and unwieldy. And then I'd have to pack my clothes (had to change into street clothes at work, back into bike gear for the middle part of the commute, and then back into street clothes for class) and two meals' worth of food. That pretty much stuffed my 80's vintage Traveler panniers, which are fortunately quite easy to take on and off the bike and carry around. I had to take a backpack as well to get my books and supplies to class.

I hate riding with a pack or bag on my back, and would rather have a pannier by a long shot. It keeps the center of gravity low, you know? So instead of wearing the backpack as I rode, I used a cargo net to secure it to my rack. It seriously looked like I was headed out for a weekend junket, but compare that to the crap most people drag around with them every day in their car....

[uk elephant]

It is supposed to be cooler here in the UK, but I think someone forgot to tell the local weather gods. All summer it's been hot and humid. Maybe not by central CA standards, but certainly for me. But I still cycle to work with my backpack. I guess I don't worry so much about being a bit sweaty for a bit. If it's a big deal I'll bring a dry t-shirt to wear once I get there. But if it's that hot I'll be sweating like a pig just sitting at my desk anyway so what difference will a little bike ride make? I hate hot weather!!! When is winter coming!!!! (sorry, it just came out...I've calmed down now)

[xeney]

Ha, okay, so that is the real difference. Here in California, if you arrive to work all sweaty, you will get hypothermia from the air conditioning once you get to the office. (Although classrooms are a lot less likely to be air conditioned.)

My standard commute outfit is some kind of thin linen sleeveless shirt, which I cover with a thick cardigan as soon as I get inside.

[xeney]

Reviving this thread for a moment to report on how it all worked out: he's been commuting with a Cannondale CyPod pannier, which he really liked, and in fact he was thinking of getting a second one. He can fit most of his stuff in there, but it's easy to carry as a messenger bag around campus, and it looks good enough for client meetings. Once in a while he has to carry his laptop separately in its own messenger bag, but usually he can fit everything he needs in the Cypod pannier.

Except ... this morning I got a call about fifteen minutes after he left for class, asking me to come pick him up, because the plastic hook that holds the pannier on to the rack just broke in half. So the $120 pannier is useless after only about a month and a half, and this afternoon he is going shopping for an old-school Wald wire basket.

Fortunately he bought it from REI so he can get his money back. Not a good design, there.

[pll]

I commute to work at a university and have to carry a laptop, papers and some books on occasion. I have a rack and two wire baskets (the kind that can be folded, under $15 a piece). Most days, one is enough. I also use a vertical bag, an older version of the Ultimate Barista bag, which has a padded laptop pocket: http://www.ultimatedirection.com/pro...=86&page=urban
Instead of carrying the bottle in the bag, I usually use that space for my glasses and a detachable bike light... The bag does not bounce out of the basket - the weight keeps it down. If I need an extra bag, it will be typically a plastic bag or a cloth grocery bag if the extra weight is planned.

[xeney]

Yeah, those are the baskets he's getting. I have them on my commute bike, and he mocked me at first because they are so heavy and kind of dorky, but they really do seem to be the perfect mix: they hold a lot, they are fairly theft-proof (and you don't have to carry them with you), and they are CHEAP. Mine were $12, I think.

[pooks]

I've been eyeing panniers ever since I got my bike and have had trouble making up my mind. I'd love waxed canvas but it's expensive. I wouldn't mind the wire ones -- are they easily removable or do you leave them on all the time?

The computer question particularly interests me. I have a really nice sleeve (http://www.sfbags.com/products/sleev...leevecases.htm) but have wondered if it would still rattle/shake too much in a pannier, and if a wire one would be harder on a laptop than some other one. I did wear it on my back recently but I wouldn't like to go far that way.

Also -- how do you pronounced pannier? Pan-ear? Or pan-yay?