Cycling in Brisbane Australia
Cycling Backpack Recommendations
Hi,
I'm thinking of going back to using a cycling Backpack and would like recommendations on what to get. My current cheap/free backpacks I have at home leave me with a very sweaty back at the end of my ride.
A mate at work recommends the Deuter Race EXP Air but they are fairly expensive ($100). Does anyone have any alternatives I should be looking at or is this sort of money I should be spending on a backup that doesnt leave a sweaty back/
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Paul Martin on -
The supports are strong enough for me to climb up onto the rack without the bike even moving a millimetre. It's a very, very solid bike. Ours has a rear rack for (shock, horror) panniers! ;)
As for bikes, we have eight and won't get any more unless we sell some... it's a bit obscene really but we do use them all quite frequently and there is very little overlap between them.
In order of use (me):
Gazelle Orange Innergy
Sinner Mango
Gazelle Toer 3-speed (becomes my everyday bike in winter)
Colnago CLX 3.0 (triathlon and training bike)
Gazelle Cabby (big items, groceries, etc)
My wife:
Gazelle Chamonix Pure
Orbea Onix (triathlon & training bike)
WorkCycles Fr8 (her grocery bike when alone, also used to transport dogs)
I do all my own maintenance as most bike shops find bikes with chain guards, mud guards & hub-*anything* 'too difficult'... so I thought, bugger that, I'll do it myself. Far more satisfying and it helps for when you have a mechanical issue on the road (touch wood, I've had none of significance). I've also stripped & overhauled about 10 bikes for friends over the past year. Payment is usually just a bottle of red.
...oh we also have a car that barely gets used.
Shaun, as for carrying items on the bike... panniers for us (or the box on the bike). I prefer the weight down low and on the bike, not on my shoulders. If you're not carrying too much weight or don't have far to go then a messenger bag is OK but I rarely use mine these days. Our bikes with racks are quite heavy so there is never an issue with unloading the front wheel with too much weight on the rear rack. I've seen this occur on very light bikes with heavy panniers.
Basil make some great panniers and you can also get other Dutch panniers from CycleStyleAu in Melbourne. I also have some Ortlieb waterproof panniers which I bought online for less than half price... including shipping! They are brilliant in heavy rain.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Martin on
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I bought mine from Unterwegs in Germany before Wiggle appeared. Wiggle has them for a great price (AUD$82): http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ortlieb-bike-shopper-panniers/
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Permalink Reply by Paul Martin on
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They're really good!
I have a few of their bags. :)
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Permalink Reply by Aaron Wray on -
I rode for many years with backpack. One of my favourite was a blackwolf http://www.blackwolf.com.au/product-details.php?product_id=56&c... that had a mesh insert in the back and rain cover. The rain cover worked extremely well I'd bag my valuables but in reality it rarely got wet in the back. i then bought a deuter race for MTBing but I found the blackwolf more comfortable and affordable.
Ortlieb make a backpack adaptor for their panniers http://www.probikekit.com/au/luggage-transport/backpacks-kit-bags/o... (they even make a backpack now it seems http://www.probikekit.com/au/luggage-transport/bicycle-panniers-lug... . It's ok I wouldn't say it's as comfortable or padded as a good backpack but it does the job. Now I just use panniers but I do support and understand the backpack option.
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Permalink Reply by Iain on -
I have the "Ortlieb Vario Pannier/Back Pack" and on the whole its very good, I have used it going up mount warning and its really quite comfortable, though not as good as a back pack with a proper fat waist strap.
One of the down sides of it is access through a smallish hole at the top and as I got the black one it can be hard to find anything inside it.
Also the clip at the bottom of the bag isn't the same as the other QL2 systems and can be annoying to keep attached to the rack.
However overall it is excellent and I do use it on a daily basis.
Excellency
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