50 lbs for a commute? Do you have books in there?
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Student: Textbooks that would make an elephant stumble.
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What kind of bike do you ride again?
A Cannondale commuter bike. No pictures handy at the moment.
If thereās a way to get the load off your back and onto the bike (racks?) Iād think about that- it can make things feel much, much more comfortable at those weights.
Any way to slim the load? (kindle versions? cut the books into sections?)
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Thatāll do. I looked up the Cannondale Bad Boy. The relevant details (for putting on a rear rack and panniers, which is absolutely what you should do if you have the money) are chain stay length, wheel size, and rear brake type (rim, disc, or drum).
Respectively, the Bad Boyās specs are 43.5 cm, 700C (622 mm), and disc. That chain stay length will constrain your options for panniers. Disc brakes alone constrain your options for racks, even more so with 700C wheels.
Best rack for your particular rig is Old Man Mountain. No question. I have one, I can say this. Theyāre incredibly stiff, well built, and the pleasant people who run the business are within a phone callās reach.
Since your chain stay length is less than 60cm youāre limited to rear panniers with a rounded corner or cutout to accommodate your feet when pedaling. Best options here are Ortlieb or Arkel.
New, this stuff is pricey. Buy it used. Given the build quality of these products, used is functionally good as new anyway.
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I have racks and panniers. The big issue there is that my panniers canāt house a laptop and they donāt have a shoulder strap, just a handle. My backpack is just more versatile, and can hold more stuff.
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Your case is why (I think) the market is now screaming for lockable bicycle panniers. Itās 2016, no commuter should have to schlep their entire cargo. FastRider (Dutch brand, best commuter panniers Iāve ever used) makes a locking rack to secure panniers, but the panniers themselves are not secure.
Your remaining options: upgrade to bigger panniers in which you can place your backpack or buy a backpack pannier.
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āThis is why you need to learn how to weld.ā
Was all I just heard you say.
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Iām going to be enrolling in YouTube university soon to learn brazing. A strong step towards welding and hopefully something that will boost my ranking in the waitlist for the metalworking apprenticeships Iāve applied to recently.
A TIG or arc rig costs hundreds of dollars. Brazing, about sixty. And brazed joints are still plenty strong. Many high-end custom-made bicycles are built using fillet brazing and lugs.
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I want to replace one of my bikes. Not āneedā but "want."
In the fantasy in which I scratch this particular itch, the debate is buying something to build or buying a torch and tig-ing something together for myself. (note: Iāve never welded at all)
Somehow the idea is less painful if I make the frame myself (and, in many ways, it represents the obvious end-point of my bicycle journey).
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This is exactly why I went for bolt-on, fold-up basket panniers. theyāre not (as much of) a theft target; bolted on, theyāre as secure as your brakes, stem, seatpost, etcāstill steal-able, but not really a target. No babysitting baggage while off the bikeāeven when thereās no cargo in them, with regular panniers you still have to take them into your destination and lug/figure out what to do them while youāre there. The other option is to leave them at home until you have a grocery run or what have you, but then thereās no āIāll just pick that up on the way home from school/work,ā you have to go home, get the panniers, then go and get what youāre hauling.
utility-wise, they really canāt be beat. I have the Wald ones, canāt think of the model no. all steel, made in USA, theyāre beasts that can hold any weight you can stuff into them.
One huge drawback: I think I mentioned before, these are heavy as hell. I donāt have the weight specs at hand, but the (non-alloy) all-steel construction really bites you in the ass, weight-wise. Iām certain theyād outweigh my frame if I stripped it and hung it on a balance with them.
Speaking of: anyone know of a different manufacturer that makes these any lighter? pic for reference
the wire black basket up top by the bar is a cheapie made out of who-knows-what, but itās light. configured as the fold-ups are, with all their re-enforcement, I think the lighter metal would get the job done.
we all think about it. godspeed, sir.
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I use a trailer for children - I used to take the kids to school with it and go shopping on the way home, now I just take it when I need it. I can carry about 30 kg comfortably, and Iām sure a cargo trailer would carry the same or more in a more compact space.
ETA: another advantage about a homemade trailer would be that you could design a lockable box easier than lockable panier bags.
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Loading up the front end has implications for handling, and thus, desirable geometry. Folks putting heaps of stuff on their bike should probably check out this link: https://janheine.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/a-journey-of-discovery-part-4-front-end-geometry/
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I have Worksman cargo bike with low height, front-load platform fixed to the frame itself. Front wheel is 20", rear 26". Iāve ridden bikes with loaded front panniers and the difference in handling between those and a front-loaded Worksman is night and day. I donāt think I could ever do front panniers unless I was touring or camping.
Another perk with this particular rig is that getting doored is almost impossible. On the contrary, any car door (and possibly the driver, too) is about to get biked.
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yeah, Iāve got a wheel stabilizer on there, too. very important for heavy loads.
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Hey, Iām actually going to move into town (Mile and a half from center of town, plus a nice set of bike trails in addition to the neighborhood itself.)
5ā10 34ā Inseam. McMinville TN. Novice budget. Prefer an existing rack, DEFINITELY prefer thumb shift over twist (ICK.)
Suggestions/help would be welcome here.
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Whatās the variation in altitude around there?
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Iām not sure how I should answer but 'hilly, but VERY not āSan-Franciscoā hilly.
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Got it. And what kind of bike trails are these? Also, can you quantify what you mean by ānovice budgetā?
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