Conference noted::bicycle

	I've commuted for about an hour and a half with a small day
	pack.  Absolutely no problem with regular bars, even down
	on the drops.  I didn't find it all uncomfortable.  No good
	with Scott bars though.  

	chris

     There are as many types/profiles of cycling luggage as there are
     items to carry. They also mount in every conceiveable spot on
     your bike. Get ahold of a Performance or Nashbar catelogue or
     take a trip to a well supplied shop. It will really get down to
     what shape, what size, what color, where you want to mount it
     and how much you want to spend.
    
     Sounded like no help, but you're the guy who'll have to decide.
    
     Chip

Ken,

I have been commuting for the past three years. When I started out I was
carrying everything I needed for the day in a backpack (towel, shampoo, soap,
deodorant as well as clothes).  This was too heavy.  So I kept a set of shower
stuff in my desk plus a couple of towels. This lightened up the pack a lot. It
made it easier to ride with the pack.  Now I bring my clothes to work one day
during the week and put them in a storage cabinet that I turned into a wardrobe
closet. No wrinkles, no bother in the morning packing and no more pack.  If I
had to bring a lot of stuff back and forth to work every day then I would go 
with the panniers. Though I would try to keep as much stuff at work and use the
backpack. I can't turn my Porshe into a station wagon ;-)

Tom

	- Work is just a rest stop during my bike ride -

    	One person's opinions on the best way to carry stuff:
    
    1. First preference: A 'rack pack' sitting on a rear rack. Some
    are just big enough for a 6-pack, while others are large with extra
    sections on the top, sides, and back.
    2. For convenience: a handlebar bag. Keep the weight down to a pound
    of stuff of less in it or it will start to affect the bike's steering.
    3. When you really need volume: small panniers mounted on 'low-rider'
    front rack. Keep symetrical.  If you only need one, mount it in
    back, hanging off the rear rack.
    4. When you REALLY need volume, all of above, plus big panniers
    hanging off the rear rack.
    		- Chris  (who has vacationed in Bermuda with 4. above)

    	Just one more consideration to all of the good suggestions
    so far:
    
    	If you must attach packs to your bike for commuting purposes
    make sure you purchase the kind that are easily removed when you
    arrive at your destination.  Leaving a $60 bag on your bike at
    ZK is like inviting wolves to a barbecue :-)
    
    	Cannondale makes a real easy to remove front bag (my 1st choice)
    and everyone makes easy to remove rear rack bags (assuming you want
    to spend $25 for the rear rack first)  Try the Nashbar outlet for
    the rear....I picked up a great one their for $19, but it was a special
    they were running at the time.
    
    						Jerry
    						Jerry

    
    RE: .-1
    
    Good advice (removable pack, brought indoors) ... but let me put in
    a vote for the Kirtland handlebar packs.  They snap on/off and hold
    SECURELY while riding (the mounting bracket screws on tightly to the
    handlebar - no shock-cords, springs, whatever).  They are excellently
    engineered and sturdy.  They also come with built-in clear map-pockets.
    
    Cycle Goods in MN offer them - the downside is availability, and the
    price is not economy (but worth it).
    
    -john

    When I first started using a bike to commute I used a day pack to carry
    my stuff.  I found that the lack of cooling air on my back was more
    uncomfortable than the weight.  I found that the best solution was a
    rear rack and panniers.
    
    Rich

one more vote for rear panniers.

i ride more than 50% of the time and i carry my clothes and lunch.  i got a 
basic set at nashbar for $48.  i love them and have really gotten into a 
system, lunch in one bag, clothes in the other.  it's only 7-8 miles but
there are some stand up hills and i often take a longer ride home.  given
that, i'd much rather have the panniers.  also, they've done real well in
the occasional downpour. 

craig

ps.  you know for some reason you'll only forget a towel ONE time.

    	Well, the shortest round trip for me is 40 miles; longest is
    	56 miles. I can dress very casually, so I usually leave a
    	set of clothes at work. I take them home regularly for
    	washing. Of course, if I commuted every day, I'd have to
    	carry clean clothes also. I usually don't carry much
    	except wallet, a few tools, lock and cable, badge, etc.
    
    	If you're not to heavy, I'd go with the rear panniers or
    	something like that.
    
    	Scott

    I ride almost every day, all year and have always used a backpack.  The
    main reason is that you just don't put racks on a Guerchotti!  Well I
    suppose that you could but it doesn't have eyelets.  Actually in the
    winter months I ride my Stumpjumper, again mostly because I can't bear
    to put lights on the Guerchotti.  The other reason I ride the
    Stumpjumper is that the mountain bike tires are much tougher and I
    don't want to be fixing a flat by they light of a bicycle headlamp. 
    Although the Stumpjumper does have eyelets I still don't have racks on
    it.  I guess I just don't like them for some reason.  Since I don't
    need them for weekend rides I guess that putting them on would make my
    bikes "commuter bikes".

    My ride is only 7 miles if I take the most direct route.  That's too
    short so I usually go at least 9.  Over the years my rides have kept
    getting shorter and shorter due to my changing offices and moving. 
    When I first started riding my trip was about 16 miles which I could do
    in about 50-55 minutes.  As I said I'm now down to 7 miles.

    I leave a pair of shoes in the office, bring a clean pair of pants in
    once a week which I wear for that week.  I do the same with towels
    although I stagger the days so I don't have to bring them all the the
    same days.  I bring clear underwear and a shirt everyday.  I have a
    foldable wooden drying racks that I keep in my cube so wet towels and
    sweaty bike cloths can dry.  I have my cube set up so that it's not an
    eyesore.
    


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    I moved the one panel of the cube to the middle making the door on the
    left, then put a bookcase at the door the create the little alcove. 
    Now noone sees my dirty cloths except me.

    RE:.10  You should have seen the nasty-gram we got when the folks
    downstairs discovered that we had "dirty laundry" up here.  It seems
    they like to escort customers around on the sixth floor.
    
    We had to "remind" "them" that customers were not welcome in
    engineering areas.
    
    ed

    
    RE: .-1
    
    Looks like your "dirty laundry" on TTB-6 served as a good reminder,
    kind of like a garlic amulet to ward off evil spirits?
    
    To me, panniers are one step too far.  My compromise has been a
    small duffel bag on a rear carrier (which, as has been pointed out,
    is still sacrilege to a De Rosa, same problem as Mr. Buchanan?),
    plus handlebar bag.
    
    For years I used a rather largish rucksack for this and in fact all
    biking, but it did cut off cooling air circulation to the back, and
    that's what finally did it.  The weight is no big deal, if you are
    moderate in how much you carry.  But the heat & moisture...
    
    -john

    I ride every day of the week. On monday I bring in a pack with a weeks
    supply of cloths. Then on friday I take it home. Or I stop by on the
    week-end and pick it up. during the week I use a fanny pack for lunch
    cold weather gear (I ride to work at 5:30am) and tools. My rides home
    are usualy off-road training rides of about 2 hours so I do not like
    have a pack on my back...
    
    Tomas
    
    PS The fanny pack can hold 2 extra bottles for those longer rides.

< Note 1266.13 by CSC32::T_DAWSON "Tomas Dawson DNT:522-4549" >

Due to other commitments and the need to rest, I only manage 3 round trips 
(30m one way) per week, spread out over 4 days.  Monday I drive in, bringing 
enough clothes for Tues & Wed.  Bike home Mon.  Bike round trip on Tues.  Bike 
in on Wed, drive home.  Drive round trip on Thurs, bringing clothes for Fri.  
Bike round trip on Fri.  The only thing I need to bring other than my normal 
bike stuff is my lunch, and I can fit everything in a 400 cu in wedge seat post 
pack that I have for my ultra-marathon rides anyway.

I'm sure I wouldn't like a back or fanny pack, and I don't really want to put 
a rear rack on any of my bikes.  And since I ride 3 different bikes I'd have 
to put racks on them all, which would only be acceptable on my Fuji.  If I 
went with a rear rack, I'd probably go with a rack trunk instead of panniers 
to keep the weight balanced.  I still wouldn't be bringing that much stuff to 
work, anyway.

Kevin

I used to commute most every day, 20 mi. R.T. when I lived in the steamy 
Southland. I found a small backpack most comfortable, the one I liked 
best was a sort of triangle shaped pack with quite a bit of padding that 
is also my favorite pack for carrying ice-climbing gear. One adv. is 
that the pack had patches for holding ice-axes and stuff, and I more or 
less permanently left 2 Belt Beacon flashers attached to the pack for 
early a.m. and late evening commutes, makes switching bikes no problem. 
The pack did get warm, but down there you got warm from just THINKING 
about being outside, so it didn't seem too bad.

I HATE attaching stuff to my bikes, plus makes switching bikes somewhat 
harder; but occasionally I use a larger HB bag, and/or panniers, but I'd 
never bother for a short commute.
                                ken

    My panniers finally died and I've been commuting with a small
    backpack attached to the top of a rear rack with two bungy cords.
    I also managed to pick up some speed since everything is nicely tucked
    right behind me, so I'm not real sure I'm going to go back to
    panniers.

I have another suggestion to lighten the load:

I have a second riding hobbie which makes it tough to commute to work.  It
has 4 legs and burns hay. He requires a lot of time and is not very local
to my home or work ,so I need access to a car to get there.

My solution was to commute one way. By planning ahead I'd load the car with 
bike and clothes for the next day.  That way if a went to see my hay burner
during lunch I had the car.  After work I'd bike home . Next day bike to work.
VIOLA the car was there with my needed clothes and towels! Plus I could go
see my off road 4 legged critter at lunch!

Dani

    I saw a very interesting way to carry your stuff during my ride
    in this morning.  I passed a fellow cyclist who had his briefcase
    attached to this long strap that went over his head, so that his
    briefcase was hanging at his side, right at hip level.  He was holding
    onto his handlebars with one hand, and cllutching his briefcase
    to his side with his otherhand.  
    
    He also had no helmet, was wearing a walkman, and had safety levers
    on his bike
    
    	-Nancy

RE>>   	-Nancy

Sounds like the commercial agianst drunk driving. For those that haven't seen
it it shows a guy pedaling his sons bike to work in a three piece suit, because
he lost his license due to drunk driving.

I passed a guy one day as he was pulling out of Dunkin'Donuts. I slowed down to
talk to him an noticed he had a travel coffee mug stuck on his handle bars. 

Tom

    	RE: 1266.18
    
    	GAG! And, just as I was finished off a banana. People are
    	never going to learn.
    
    	RE: 1266.19
    
    	Strangest I ever saw was back in the '70s. Saw this fella
    	pedaling into town. On his handlebars he had a pack, a
    	police radio, his badge, and a holster with a .38 in it.
    
    	Seemed like a nice sort. I'll bet nobody messed with him!
    
    	Scott

    RE: .20
    
    Slight tangent: you've doubtless seen the magazine adverts for
    the Seattle police department's fleet of Raleigh ATB's.  The
    photo shows police in full cycling+police gear, but not much
    mounted on the bike.  (This morning on NPR's Morning Edition,
    in fact, they interviewed the supervisor for that team.)
    
    -john

Speaking of law enforcement and bikes, I happened to meet then VP George 
Bush out a-jogging one day; he had a whole contingent of folks riding 
bikes and motorbikes ahead and behind him. The guys on bikes were doing 
a brave job of wearing regular cycle-tourist clothes and bravely (and 
futilely) trying to hide stuff like .357s and Uzis under their jerseys, 
stuffed in their shorts, etc, and appearing "casual". We all had a fine 
giggle about that, and tried (honest!) to keep a straight face while 
George came over and chatted with us.....
                                  ken

    .21  Did you ever notice the shoes on those guys in the Seattle PD
    ad?  Police departments still have an obsession with shineable shoes
    somewhat like the military.
    

    re: .18.  He didn't need a helmet, he had nothing to protect.
    
    :-)
    
    ed