Back Pack

Officer Giggles

going to start cycling to work soon and will need a bag to bring in clothes, anyone able to point me in the right dircetion, not looking for anything too fancy, il have it on my back so want it to be reflective and waterproof after that i dont mind, cheers

tomasrojo

Deuter bags are good. They're not hi-viz, if that's what you're looking for, but they usually have reflective patches on them, and the built-in rain hood is usually brightly coloured. They also have a small elasticated loop which is quite handy for attaching a Smart LED.

I only use a backpack for quite short distances; for longer distances, a pannier is much better. Even with webbing and a space to keep the bag from lying directly on your back, over any significant distance your back gets very wet.

Officer Giggles

my trip to work is 10 or 11km so i reckon the back pack should do the business, wouldnt be putting a whole lot of stuff into it, just few clothes and things

Raam

I use a Deuter Race Exp Air for a 25km roundtrip. Sweaty back has never bothered me, but I change out of my bike clothes when I get to work.

It's raised off the back to try and minimise the sweat there.

Officer Giggles

wheres the best place to get my hands on one

Raam

Here is one place... http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Brands.aspx?BrandID=634

Raam

The Great Outdoors also do them.

Officer Giggles

is this the same bag it looks few quid cheaper

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Deuter+Race+Exp+Air&x=16&y=13

petethedrummer

+1 for Deuter.

The great outdoors on chatham st often have reductions on them.

15 quid off this one.
http://www.greatoutdoors.ie/product_info.php?cPath=27_229_622&products_id=11324&osCsid=fffefd1bd241e73bb63baaf48b64cdaa

I have the AC Lite 16 and its very comfortable.

Raam

It's slightly different, but I dunno if it is a newer version or a variant or what. If you think it will do the job, go for it.

Officer Giggles

excellent, thanks

Raam

Wiggle are offering the same bag as CRC for a bit cheaper.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/deuter-race-exp-air-rucksack/
e59.38 for my account.

Captain Havoc

I got a decent adidas one in TKMaxx a couple of years ago.

Lashed

petethedrummer wrote: »

+1 for Deuter.

The great outdoors on chatham st often have reductions on them.

15 quid off this one.
http://www.greatoutdoors.ie/product_info.php?cPath=27_229_622&products_id=11324&osCsid=fffefd1bd241e73bb63baaf48b64cdaa

I have the AC Lite 16 and its very comfortable.

+2 for this bag. Got it a while back from chainreaction and use it for mtbing. The rain guard is very handy and also a flourescent yellow.

murph226

http://www.vaude.com/epages/Vaude-de.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Vaude/Products/10093/SubProducts/100937190

great piece of kit, review here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sec8LbNfp5k

fat bloke

Worth a browse around a few motorbike shops too. Seriously. I bought a bag I'd say 6 years ago in a kawasaki dealership in France. My wife has used it every single day for her 8k cycle commute in winter and summer, and while it's looking a little bit the worse for wear now, it's still functional. She bought a separate hood thing for it that is made of reflective material and wraps around it with elastic things. You see a lot of people with them.

Motorbike bags are generally very well designed ergonomically - designed to be comfortable for wearing for hours, and they have neat touches like velcro fasteners to stop the wind opening zips, they have expandable pockets for helmets, and easy to access side pockets with big chunky zips that can be opened with bulky gloves on and stuff.

Oh, and whatever you buy -spend the money, and buy a good one. It's ALWAYS worth it. Good gear is a wonderous thing.

Just my tip for the day

Nisio

Just in case you haven't considered it but a bike rack and waterproof panier works well for me. I like not having a bag on my back cycling and with two paniers you carry a load of stuff easily

ThisRegard

tomasrojo wrote: »

Deuter bags are good. They're not hi-viz, if that's what you're looking for, but they usually have reflective patches on them, and the built-in rain hood is usually brightly coloured. They also have a small elasticated loop which is quite handy for attaching a Smart LED.

On that point, my Deuter does have the reflective strips etc but has a fold away rain cover that tucks away neatly, the cover itself is very high-vis so during the winter, rain or dry, I'd pull the cover over the bag. It's also got a windshield in the same colour, which I've never used, that comes out of the top of the bag and over your body like a little vest.

This is it here, http://www.deuter.com/en_DE/backpack-details.php?category=76&id=1714 they seem to have made the colours a bit uglier this year though.

With the rain cover on



and the wind shield

Oldlegs

Didn't think I needed a new cycling backpack 'till I read this thread. The SuperBike 18 looks excellent and love the windshield.

Undercover Elephant

Officer Giggles wrote: »

my trip to work is 10 or 11km so i reckon the back pack should do the business, wouldnt be putting a whole lot of stuff into it, just few clothes and things

You'll be fine with a backpack over that distance, but you might find a rack top bag like this one is better at keeping the crease gremlins away from the work clothes.

cdaly_

Nisio wrote: »

Just in case you haven't considered it but a bike rack and waterproof panier works well for me. I like not having a bag on my back cycling and with two paniers you carry a load of stuff easily

I use a panier to bring in a week's supply of work clothes on a monday.

Undercover Elephant wrote: »

You'll be fine with a backpack over that distance, but you might find a rack top bag like this one is better at keeping the crease gremlins away from the work clothes.

Then I use one of these in the winter for waterproofs, spare tubes, lunch etc.

Summertime it's panier on monday and a saddle bag only the rest of the week.

_sparkie_

i absolutely love my chrome bag. it is water-proof, it is big(very big), it is reflective and chrome offer some of the best customer service i have ever come across anywhere. they are not cheap but, for me, they are worth every penny. i have had my bag covered in snow, water, beer and all sorts of other liquids and nothing has ever gotten wet inside it.

as for the customer service, i had a small problem with my first chrome bag so i sent them an email and they got right back to me. i had a brand new bag in my hands in less then a week with no questions asked. they really do stand by their products which is something i admire.

http://www.chromebagsstore.com/bags.html