Commuting Luggage

[redecoffee]

I searched and couldn't find much discussion on this, how does everyone carry their luggage for commuting?
I tend to travel quite light and have been using a bikepacking saddlebag, with 2 fork bags (one for packed lunch & valuables with the other for clothes.
Considering going back to pannier bags but just wanted to see what everyone else uses?

[Jdsk]

I don't have to any more... but I used an Ortlieb roll-top pannier. Sometimes included change of shoes and a MacBook. Helmet fitted inside. A big pad on the shoulder strap makes a difference.

Jonathan

[jgurney]

I use a pair of panniers, as seen below. Room for work bag, jacket, shopping picked up on route, etc.

[tatanab]

Only ever used a Carradice saddlebag, on a quick release of one sort or another so I could lift the bag off and take my tools and bag contents (clothes, grub) with me.

[Stevek76]

Well I'm not at the moment but when I did, and hopefully back to doing at some point, one or two rear panniers (ortlieb back roller classics) depending on load.

Even one was excessive most of the time but it's just easier!

[CliveyT]

Only ever used a Carradice saddlebag, on a quick release of one sort or another so I could lift the bag off and take my tools and bag contents (clothes, grub) with me.

exactly the same. Fortunately I don't need a suit or equivalent, and I leave a pair of shoes at work.

[mattsccm]

Carradice used to make a big tall saddle bag that mounted high o a SQR mount. Any idea what it was? No idea what. Gets all my clothes, lunch, odds and sods and a few books in it.
Edited. This one. Big enough for some A4 files or a classes worth of marking.

[drossall]

I commuted for many years with a Carradice Bike Bureau on one side, for laptop etc, and an Altura Clothing Carrier on the other, for a sports jacket and trousers. Tended to leave the latter in the office for a week, then bring it back to change over the clothes.

Latterly, with a shorter and train-assisted ride, just a small pannier for essential bits, often with a small bar bag for wallet etc, because I was wearing the work clothes.

Now, of course, have not been commuting since March.

[TrevA]

Most of the time, I managed to get all of my stuff for work into a rack top bag - an old Agu Sport bag I’ve had for years, with about the same capacity as a saddlebag. I used to leave a pair of trousers, shoes, coat and a towel and wash kit at work, and would take underwear and a clean shirt in, plus my lunch. I used to carry my laptop in a small bag (a Camelbak with the bladder removed) on my back, when I needed to take it to or from home.

If I needed to carry more, I’d take a large single pannier (an Altura Fusion bag - no longer made) or a pair of smaller Altura Arran panniers.

[thirdcrank]

I searched and couldn't find much discussion on this, how does everyone carry their luggage for commuting?
I tend to travel quite light and have been using a bikepacking saddlebag, with 2 fork bags (one for packed lunch & valuables with the other for clothes.
Considering going back to pannier bags but just wanted to see what everyone else uses?

This must be one of those cases where one size cannot fit all. The deciding factor must surely be how much stuff you need to shift on each journey.

[redecoffee]

Thank you all for the replies.

Jdsk
Did you ever have concerns of your macbook getting scratched up and damaged in the pannier bag? I always ended up nervous when I put my macbook air in the pannier bag, nervous on every cobble and surface change. I hadn’t considered the carrying comfort off the bike, that is a really good point.

jgurney
That is a nice view, how do you find the butterfly bars? I usually use drop bars and have flat bars on my mtb, never tried butterfly bars myself.

tatanab
I had been looking at getting one of those, but I don’t know if I have enough clearance from the bag-loops and rear tyre. I do love how they look, have you also tried the saddle-torpedo style to compare? I have tried the modern ones, but not tried a carradice before.

Stevek76
I hope everything is going well for you, hopefully we will all be back to cycling our normal commutes sooner rather than later with “the current climate” making things difficult for many, better times are always ahead. Did you ever find noticeable imbalance when using only one? I have DHB Pannier bags that are pretty much copies of those and seem sufficient so far, especially after I wrapped the pannier rack tubes with Self-Fusing Tape to make everything as snug as possible. When packing with panniers I often find myself adding a lot of “just in case” items due to the extra capacity.

CliveyT
I am similar in not needing a suit etc, work in food production so most of my “uniform” is stored at work making it less luggage. Worst bit for me carrying are my locks (chain and dlock, both approved by my insurance).

mattsccm
Is it maybe the “Carradice Super C SQR Tour” you mean? With modern saddlebag designs, I think it will be interesting seeing what hybrid designs emerge in the end.

drossall
These times should pass and everything will go back to status quo eventually. Sounds like a very accurate/specialist setup. When going for the shorter commutes, did you stick with your usual bike, or start using a folding bike?

TrevA
Nice setup, I had considered using a racktop bag, might give it further thought. Was the Altura Fusion a larger capacity bag, or closer to a front pannier size?

thirdcrank
You are definitely right. I should have probably tried to start the thread differently, was hoping to have it a general chat about luggage on commutes – kind of chats we used to have on club rides before the pandemic. Hoping it would give more ideas for others and bring up solutions I hadn’t thought of, or heard of. I am constantly changing how I carry my commuting luggage, never seem to settle on a solution lol.

[alexnharvey]

A neoprene sleeve or case is good for protecting the laptop within the pannier.

[tatanab]

As thirdcrank says - it depends on what you are carrying. In my commuting days - 1970 to 2010 I did not need to carry a laptop (with modern remote access I don't see why I would); most places I worked had canteens so I did not carry food - except for those few places with no facilities. This meant that all I needed to take routinely would be a change of clothing at work (shirt, socks, undies daily and trousers once a week, jacket stayed at work). In effect, I was carrying less than I would take on a weekend trip. Of course there are waterproofs and tools, but they are a constant.

[Jdsk]

I don't have to any more... but I used an Ortlieb roll-top pannier. Sometimes included change of shoes and a MacBook. Helmet fitted inside. A big pad on the shoulder strap makes a difference.

Did you ever have concerns of your macbook getting scratched up and damaged in the pannier bag? I always ended up nervous when I put my macbook air in the pannier bag, nervous on every cobble and surface change. I hadn’t considered the carrying comfort off the bike, that is a really good point.

A neoprene sleeve or case is good for protecting the laptop within the pannier.

I use... a neoprene sleeve!

: - )

In the pannier it's then put flat against the side that touches the frame. In my noncycling work bag it slides into its own compartment.

Jonathan

[drossall]

drossall
These times should pass and everything will go back to status quo eventually. Sounds like a very accurate/specialist setup. When going for the shorter commutes, did you stick with your usual bike, or start using a folding bike?

The original set-up was cycling to work on a normal bike (fixed-wheel), just over five miles each way. More recently, I was commuting into London, so it had to be a folding bike. I have a small pannier on the front of my Brompton, plus the small bar bag, which is mostly there to stop my wallet, keys, etc. getting lost in the pannier. If I have a lot to carry, I use one of the larger Brompton front bags.