Cycling UK Forum

Hi again everyone.

Thanks for all the advise regarding dynamo and lights. But now I need some more on a couple of other subjects.

Should I carry some sort of tool kit/puncture repair kit during my commute. I will be travelling about 8 miles a day, 3-4 of which will be forest gravel tracks and the rest of it road /pavement riding.

Secondly i need to transport my work clothes and packed lunch. Although I am female I don't want to take huge amounts as it will make the bike very heavy and my cycling knackering.... also I am very lazy. So i hope to just take a pair of trousers/shirt and change of shoes with me, plus my lunch. Should i buy panniers? If so, front? back? single/double etc. what sort of size? Waterproof? what about the frame they fix too etc.

Recommendations etc would be very gratfully recieved.

Hi
Unless you want to be stuck in the forest I would buy a puncture repair kit. Halfords do one fairly cheap with tyre levers in a small case, in which you can also fit couple of small spanners.
Or you could splash out and have puncture proof tyre's, never had them so dont know how reliable they are.
Regarding panniers I would rather have them than carry a back pack.
And I would put two on the back rather than the front. Front panniers can make the bike feel unstable with any sort of weight in them. Woud'nt bother about them being waterproof, just use a bin liner bag inside the pannier.
Enjoy your cycling

i just carry inner tubes. leave the repairing to when you get home.

For that moderate amount of luggage, it's true, a rack and a pair of panniers seems overkill. I'd suggest a saddlebag, but women don't usually have a high enough saddle to mount anything by Carradice without it rubbing the tyre or bending the mudguard. And besides, a saddlebag, even with the SQR mount, isn't that handy to carry off the bike.

I'd look at the Freepack by Rixen & Kaul, mounted on one of their Extender thingies off your seatpost. See http://www.klickfix.com/sattelstuetze2.htm. It doesn't need as much saddle-over-wheel height, but you may need to practice your chorus-line high-kick in order to get on the bike! (Leg over handlebar instead of saddle - it's not so crazy, tandem pilots do it that way too.)

Snag is, I don't know of anyone selling those bags in UK, but you can get it from http://www.roseversand.de/ in Germany. Note that the Extender bracket is sold separately.

When I commuted, I tried to keep stuff at work most of the time, making carrying every single day a bit easier. Can you not organise a locker or something?

Puncture-proof tyres are the answer, but they can be more expensive, but a spare inner-tube and tools is better than a puncture outfit. You don't want to be glue-ing and stick-ing and fix-ing on the side of the road. Replace and fix later.

Mick F. Cornwall

Hi,

I commute every day of the week, about 7 miles each way. I used to use panniers, but to be honest, this was over kill. I'm now using a courier bag.

I have toiletries and a towel at work. On a Monday I will take a clean pair of undies, socks, trousers and a shirt with me, rolled up. The trousers stay at work for the rest of the week unless I get something down them or the office has been getting particularly warm. But I don't cart them home unless it's really necessary. My clothing is rolled into a tight bundle.

I also carry spare batteries for my lights, a couple of spare tubes, puncture repair kit, tyre levers, medium sized pump, a cycling multi-tool, allen keys and a general purpose multi-tool that also serves as a pair of pliers. Oh, and some latex gloves to keep my hands clean if I do have to make any repairs. This goes into a bag wrapped up into a tight bundle and into the front section of my courier bag so it stays seperate from my clothes.

I'd recommend this puncture repair kit:
Clicky

Never travel without a puncture repair kit even if you have spare tubes. I've changed tubes and found I have a duff valve in the new tube a couple of miles later. Puncture repair kit hardly weighs anything so it's not worth chancing it.

I'll also change my towel once/twice a week - if it's aired properly each day once is enough. I always try not to take towel/trousers in on the same day.

I also take in a couple of sandwiches. All the bits to go with my pack lunch, for example fruit, malt loaf, chocolate bars etc. I'll buy from the supermarket which is near to work on a Monday lunch time. That sees me through for the rest of the week and I don't need to carry any of it on my back. I also get my toiletries for work from their as well, as/when needed.

I tend to leave a lock at work so I don't have to carry it.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with anything to go into the tubes e.g. slime to repair punctures as they happen. It adds weight where you really don't need it making the bike more tiring to ride and it's not effective against all punctures.

Happy commuting.

Hello again Walkerak,
a couple of points to add to the above.
Mending punctures - have you got the knack / strength to get a tyre back on the rim? If you have doubts, get a VAR tyre lever, available from Bike+ or St John Street Cycles, cost about £7 plus postage - this will make the job easy and cleaner.

What sort of wheels do you have? Do you need a spanner to get them off? If so, carry a small (6 inch) adjustable spanner.
You've asked about dynamos - do carry a battery light as well, cos if you're in the woods and get a puncture in the dark, you won't be able to see what you're doing with just a dynamo.

For my commute, I leave trousers and shoes at work to save a lot of bother.

Do you have somewhere secure that you can leave your bike while at work? If no, try to find some railings or a pole that you can chain it to - so a good lock's also required. And .. take off your pump, bottle, lights and anything else that can be knicked - better safe than sorry. Leave a plastic carrier bag under your saddle so you have a saddle cover to keep off rain, bird muck etc.

Please forgive me if I'm teaching you to suck eggs and good luck.

Puncture repair kit and some basic tools are always handy, you also need a pump to go with the puncture repair kit.
I would say get a rack pack (15litre), some have an expandable top. should have plenty of space and be less cumbersome/ expensive than panniers.

hope that helps.