Cycling UK Forum

Hi all I'm trying to use the bike more to commute and almost always need to carry a laptop with me along with the usual work clothes, shoes, towel etc.

Can anybody recommend a pannier (to fit a standard rear rack) that is suitable for carrying a laptop? The laptop is a small one if that helps...

I currently use a rucsac designed for laptop carrying inside a very old (but still going strong!) Karrimor pannier but this is pretty inefficient use of space and unnecessarily heavy too.

Any recommendations gratefully received!

Cheers,

Jerry

Carradice sell a laptop specific briefcase pannier.Its well made too. I've got one though I've never carried a laptop in it, its big enough, and has a shoulder strap and a flap that covers the pannier fittings too.

If you are a CTC member, the recently delivered mag., included an Ortleib catalogue. There are two panniers shown ( a hard one on p 10 and a soft one on p 18 ) which are intended for carrying a laptop.

I have no experience of these particular panniers but I have quite a lot of other Ortleib stuff which is excellent.

If you are not a CTC member, Ortleib stuff is imported by Lyon Equipment who have a www

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And if you're looking on the net the proper spewlling is Ortlieb

I have always been a fan of panniers over rucksacks, but I have been told buy a local computer company that the vibration received in panniers is not good for laptops.

Hence it has always been their advice to use a courier bag or similar for laptops.

I've been using an Ortlieb laptop pannier for about two years, My commute is an 80k round trip but I only have to do it once or twice a month as I work at home mostly. Its a soft pannier with a roll top, completely waterproof, under the tap or hose before you empty it on a wet day unless you want to get everything dirty. Not very well padded so I use bubblewrap around the laptop. No problems so far. Has a shoulder strap and can be fitted/released really easily.

Both me and my boss use panniers for our laptops.

I just use a normal pannier (ortlieb actually) and just shove it in. My boss uses an Altura laptop pannier. They all work.

Waterproofing is the key thing. Ortlieb gear is very good for this and i noticed that ortlieb laptop bag in Cycle magazine. You cant got wrong with it.

A wee bit of extra padding is advisable, but basically no problems past the warranty life of the laptop. I wouldnt use my own laptop every day in an unpadded pannier, but works.....?

I've used the Carradice Bike Bureau for this and it has been fine. I doubt, however, that it would be completely waterproof in a deluge on a long ride, so I'd suggest wrapping in a rubble-sack if rain is likely. Also use a padded laptop cover (something like the crumpler gimp) for extra protection against knocks.

Anyway, I've never had problems with this system, though the other method I've used is to stick the laptop in a waterproof courier bag and just put everything else in the panniers. Fine for short journeys, but a pannier is better for anything much over 7-8 miles IMHO.

stof wrote:I've used the Carradice Bike Bureau for this and it has been fine. I doubt, however, that it would be completely waterproof in a deluge on a long ride, so I'd suggest wrapping in a rubble-sack if rain is likely. Also use a padded laptop cover (something like the crumpler gimp) for extra protection against knocks.

Anyway, I've never had problems with this system, though the other method I've used is to stick the laptop in a waterproof courier bag and just put everything else in the panniers. Fine for short journeys, but a pannier is better for anything much over 7-8 miles IMHO.

Thanks for the recommendations everybody - one question though - are the dedicated panniers eg Bike Bureau, Ortlieb Laptop Pannier large enough to take the laptop + shoes, towel and change of clothes as well?

Cheers

Jerry

>>one question though - are the dedicated panniers eg Bike Bureau, Ortlieb Laptop Pannier large enough to take the laptop + shoes, towel and change of clothes as well?

Looking into the Stygian depths of my Cotton Duck (as opposed to the less waterproof cordura) Bike Bureau, I reckon it would be big enough - The internal dimensions are 140mmx400mmx300mm high with two external pockets as well, one in the outer flap and one on the front.

I can't see how the cotton duck version wouldn't be waterproof, even in a waterfall, with the top down and the drawstring tight... the water would have two layers of cotton duck and two layers of nylon to get through.

BenM

benm.

Shoes: If you dont have a locker leave them in your desk draw and change your shoes at your desk. (assume you have a desk)

Towel: Doesnt need to be in the pannier and you wont want in the pannier on the way back when its wet and smelly. Stick it on your rack in a plastic bag.

But... My experience is , that you can never have enough space in any laptop bag even for just the office stuff. Power cables, phone, more cables , mouse, notebook, book etc etc

oh and change of clothes.

Options are:
1) Store your clothes at the dry cleaners. and just circulate. Expensive, but very nice.
2) Store them at work in a suitbag on a coat hook etc
3) One side pannier, will just take a shirt, trousers, pant socks etc , without needing to wrap them tightly them up. To be honest , a good quality suit bag , just rolled loosely and put on your back rack works quite well, particularly when you want to carry a jacket as well.

But I now have a locker and bring in my weeks shirts one day in one pannier and weeks underwear the next.

essexman wrote:benm.
Towel: Doesnt need to be in the pannier and you wont want in the pannier on the way back when its wet and smelly. Stick it on your rack in a plastic bag.

The bike-bureau has a separate, zipped section in the cover which can be used to keep wet kit like towels separate from the main compartment and your valuable electronics and papers. A very useful feature and with plenty of space for a pack-towel, though perhaps not a full-size bath-sheet!

Size isn't really a problem as the bureau will take all you'd want to stick in a single pannier without it starting to feel a bit unbalanced. If taking really heavy gear (like a few books) I balance it with a single pannier on the other side as this helps handling.

BTW - in response to Ben's comments, I have the cotton-duck version and its never leaked, I was just voicing my concerns as my cotton-duck touring panniers have let some damp through on long rides in heavy rain...

I've got the original Carradice Bike Bureau. Still going strong and a very useful bag. My only gripe is that it's a bit small for sheet music which tends to be larger than A4. I've never risked the laptop in it though - the vibration `may be too much.

N

I use an Altura for my 15" MacBook Pro. Although it uses Click-Fix, it fell off once--my fault--and bounced. The computer was fine, so I swear by (and at) it.

I use a regular Altura pannier on the other side for the rest of my work stuff, and store my cycling stuff in a rack pack.