bike bags?

[KnottedYet]

Pooks - no problems with the weight on one side. It's all pretty close to the balance line for the bike, close to the axle/wheel. I pack the heavy things (bike lock, water bottle) closest to the wheel. If I have a lot of stuff to haul, and i know sqeezing it all into the left pannier would throw me off, I bring along the right one. (like when i had all my work clothes and lunch AND needed a bag of dogfood)

I think having it on the left helps cars to realize how wide I am, too.

[Denise223]

Lots of good info here!

I wore a "fanny pack" that someone had given me a couple of years ago -- never used it, now I know why....

I have to carry a lot of stuff with me -

Inhalors, eye drops (very dry eyes!!), lip sunscreen, mace, small towel, kleenex, cell phone, car keys, ID........etc....

When I bought my gloves yesterday, (PI Women's gel lite glove '95), I saw they had some little packs (to put right under my seat), but.......I'm not sure that they were big enough.

I'd much rather MORE room, than less --

So, instead of purchasing something that wasn't going to be "perfect", I wanted to come here first and see what everyone here recommends...

There's way too much information here not to check it out, before I purchase something...

Take Care!

Denise

[Denise223]

Lots of good info here!

I wore a "fanny pack" that someone had given me a couple of years ago -- never used it, now I know why ....

I have to carry a lot of stuff with me - my pocketbook is very heavy b/c I like to have what I need with me!

Inhalors, eye drops (very dry eyes!!), lip sunscreen, mace, small towel, kleenex, cell phone, car keys, ID........etc....

When I bought my gloves yesterday, (PI Women's gel lite glove '95), I saw they had some little packs (to put right under my seat), but.......I'm not sure that they were big enough.

I'd much rather MORE room, than less --

So, instead of purchasing something that wasn't going to be "perfect", I wanted to come here first and see what everyone here recommends...

There's way too much information here not to check it out, before I purchase something...

Take Care!

Denise

[jobob]

Now that the weather is nice I don't really need the large bag anymore. But when the weather is cold or funky, or funkitude is threatening, it's nice to have a place to stash the jacket, tights, and other cool-weather stuff as the day warms up or vice versa. Or to stash other people's stuff for them.

Still, the bag really comes in handy when I stop to buy lunch or Ho-Hos and want to take it someplace else to eat. Or to stash important purchases, like Jelly Bellys.

I don't like carrying things wadded up in the back pocket of my jersey, and I don't like camelbacks, so the seatbag is a good option for me.

Plus the stylin' Carradice canvas bags appeal to my retro-grouch aesthetic. Trouble is, they are heavier than other bags. But that doesn't really matter all that much to me, since there is pretty much nothing one would consider aerodynamic on either of my bikes

I might switch to my smaller Carradice "roll" bag (it's a handlebar bag which can also be used as a saddlebag) on Dusty for the summer, if I can figure out a good way to mount my toepeak morph pump on the frame. At the moment the pump fits nicely in the larger Barley bag.

[dachshund]

Oh, of COURSE we used the blender waiting for dinner on Monday, though it was in a "no alcohol" park so it was bananas and yogurt and ice. All those people who thought I was kidding :-) (that's www.bikeblender.com )

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this blender thing. I did look at the website, but the pictures are small. Is this something that you hook a bike to that powers a blender ?? This would clarify the comment about chasing a bike with a margarita glass.

[donnambr]

I totally want an Xtracycle bike. It's just not going to happen for a year or two. I wouldn't take it to work anyway. Sometimes I have to go to meetings, and I will take the bus or the light rail with my bike in my nice clothes, and then change and ride home. The Xtracycles don't fit on the bus or light rail racks, alas.

I want a Burley flatbed trailer, too. That I think will happen sooner. My brother and I are going to buy one together and share it.

The more I look at the briefcase panniers, the more I'm leaning towards the Carradice. It's really pretty.

http://www.carradice.co.uk/commuter-...e-bureau.shtml

[Geonz]

Yea, the Xtracycle folks do *not* know how to put pictures on their sites that convey their products! It's kinda hard, though, to get the right angle.

The wooden surf-board thingy has four plastic c-shaped clips that snap around the tubes that hold the racks. You take that off - the blender has the same kind of little plastic feet that clip it right over the wheel. It's got a cute little whieel down inside of it that you adjust around so it's wedged against the bike wheel, so that when the bike wheel turns, that little wheel turns, and that makes the blade wheel turn, 'way in the middle of the air, just like ol' Ezekiel said.

You can do it two ways - you can put the bike up on a stand and spin, or you can use the portable industrial-strength bottle-blades and actually blend while you're riding. I haven't done that - it seems like a *lot* of work with the extra friction, and since I can't walk and chew gum at the same time I"m not going to set myself up to explain things at the ER. However, that could easily inspire a salt-rimmed-glass-bearing margarita-seeker to be leaping merrily along behind me.

I change when I get to work - a garment bag could fit in the side bags if I had to look *really* nice, but I generally don't. I love not having to plan how to pack.

[caligurl]

just thought I'd throw in my .02 as I really like my handlebar bag. Its pretty sleek (as handlebar bags go) but I can carry an extra water bottle my camera, my gu etc. and it does become a fanny pack if you wanted to take if off. Here's a picture (ignore the goober rider )

I do also have a bag under my seat as well. I normally ride by myself and just feel more secure having more 'stuff' with me I guess.

Good luck w/your search!

Tracy

oh good picture, tracy!!!!!!!!!

that's the bag i have... and i couldn't live/ride without it! not too big.... but carries a LOT! i can carry 2 propel bottles (that i fill with gatorade).... then throw them away as i empty them.... that still leaves me my 2 water bottles (that i only ever put water in!) i can carry my jacket in there either for when i need it or after i take it off! holds the camera... house key... cell phone (in a little outside zippered pocket! same for the car keys.. they go in the other zippered pocket!) i pin any ride numbers to my bag... i refuse to put pins on my expensive jerseys!

i keep my chapstick in there... it's less apt to melt in the bag then in a pocket! it also holds the battery charger for my edge when i use it!

everything/anything i need... is right there available for me to grab!

oh... and i have my cute little handlebar bag on my ruby pro... yep! that's right!

(my under the seat bag holds my spare tubes, CO2.... tool... etc!)

by the way... it's a topeak! compact handlebar bag.... i got mine at bike nashbar.. they often have it on sale for as low as 19.99! like tracy said... it can be a fanny pack... they give you the strap you clip on... i leave that at home! you also get a yellow rain cover! it has a velcro-able divider... i didn't used to use it... but after i got my new camera... i stuck it in on the end... holds my camera away from sweating bottles... or anything else that may scratch it!

[caligurl]

So it looks funny to you - oh well. I prefer to have what I need.

yeppers! i'm a creature of comfort! and i hate to carry things in my rear pockets! only wear a camelback when i HAVE to! (prefer water bottles!)

[caligurl]

OH... and hubby has arkel panniers and the little boot bag that sits on top for his commuter bike!

[jobob]

Thanks for the topeak link ! (wow, a bag that I did not know about)

Tracy or Cali, do you like the way it attaches to the handlebar? I like how the bag converts to a fanny pack - I often take my handlebar bag with me when I leave the bike and go into a store, and this seems like a good solution.

[caligurl]

i love how it attaches... you have the attaching thingy.... it clamps/screws to your handlebars.... then the bag attaches to that.... you remove the bag... not he clampy/holder thing!

there is also a piece that slides onto the clampy thing that holds your HRM! i LOVED this when i had my polar 720i... cuz instead of undoing it (the HRM strap... i just slid off the holder thingy.. and took it in to my computer!

i still have my garmin thingy attached to it... but i don't have to remove it cuz the garmin is just a little tab! i have a holder on each of my bikes... so i just move the HRM (and bag) to whichever bike i'm riding!

here's a link to topeaks site... off to the side you can see the clampy thing... (fixer 5) in a small pic!

OH! and at the topeak site... see the little cloth "tab above the strap? i guess that's supposed to be the cell phone clip? well i use that to clip my doggie mace! i slide it behind the "stray" but into the loop! it's right there for me to grab when needed! those "straps" also have zippers at the top... so you can store stuff... inside the left one is where i carry my phone and the right one holds my car key/fob when on organized rides! nice and zipped in and safe! (the phone one doesn' zip... phone sticks above it a bit!)

AND! on rides when i have the bag stuffes with .... say a jersey.... or arm warmers or propel bottles still... and i have to remove my jacket... i've ties my jacket around the top handle!!!!!!!

[jobob]

Thankyee kindly !

[caligurl]

i can take more pics of anything you need.... or maybe if tracy sees this sooner she could take some? (i can't take pics til i get home this evening!)

[winddance]

Hmm...bags that clip on to anything kind of worry me. I have ergobars, so they're flat on top and I generally end up zip-tying everything to them. It's a totally high tech solution.

I'm looking for a handlebar bag, though, and that one seems to be the perfect size. Do you think it would work on bars that are slightly differently shaped? or should I just bribe jobob with ho ho's to carry my spare gear for me?