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I rode today. Did you?

Nice first ride in the COLD.

 

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Permalink Reply by Crazy David 84 Furlongs on July 9, 2013 at 2:12pm

The Bicycle is an old Raleigh Alyeska.   I lost the little screws that hold the cage in place.  Haven't had to to replace them.  Otherwise, I am "okay" equipment wise.    Rear Rack with Panier, Mountain Bike Bike Shorts, bright orange high tech runners shirt, ventilated helmet.  I took the less strenuous route which included part of the North Branch Trail (basically to Bryn Mawr) and Bryn Mawr across (next to the river) and under the Eden's on Forrest Glen.  Managed to stay off Higgins east of Nagle... which is a good objective in the current construction issue...   But it was real sweaty and hot.   And I need to lose that extra 60 - 80 pounds that I carry on... uh.... me....



T.K. 6.5 mi said:

You guys need to free yourselves! Bring water bottles, heck, bring two. Also, upgrade to a rear/front basket or panniers. It helps keep you cool, as the backpack only traps in heat and causes insane amounts of sweat. 

Great ride today, but I really had to be conscious of not getting too close to car and bus exhausts. They always choke me up a bit, but with the added heat and humidity it was like the reaper grasping my throat. Nasty! 

Permalink Reply by Ann Sch 9.3 on July 9, 2013 at 2:37pm

I agree - I see so many people with backpacks (including my riding companion) and the few times I have to bring my laptop (which won't fit in my TOPPEAK bag/I'm chicken to have it it there) I want to die from the sweaty back.  Fortunately I didn't have it today. 

How do those of you who ride with a laptop calm your fears about ruining the boss's $2000 investment? Mind you, I'm a medium speed rider (you know, you all pass me) and wouldn't take it in slippery conditions.  I'm thinking Xanax is the only recourse to my fears, however, that could make it difficult to ride....

T.K. 6.5 mi said:

You guys need to free yourselves! Bring water bottles, heck, bring two. Also, upgrade to a rear/front basket or panniers. It helps keep you cool, as the backpack only traps in heat and causes insane amounts of sweat. 

Great ride today, but I really had to be conscious of not getting too close to car and bus exhausts. They always choke me up a bit, but with the added heat and humidity it was like the reaper grasping my throat. Nasty! 

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on July 9, 2013 at 2:40pm

I put my laptop in my Mission Workshop Vandal backpack and it has stayed completely dry, even in the worst downpours.

Ann Sch 9.3 said:

How do those of you who ride with a laptop calm your fears about ruining the boss's $2000 investment? Mind you, I'm a medium speed rider (you know, you all pass me) and wouldn't take it in slippery conditions.  I'm thinking Xanax is the only recourse to my fears, however, that could make it difficult to ride....

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on July 9, 2013 at 2:45pm

My current backpack (from REI) is pretty darn water-resistant.  Exposed zippers have rubber seals.  The material is waterproof.  I don't currently ride with a laptop, but I've never had any problem with my clothes being wet after a commute. I don't know if it has a model name.  I don't see one.  My wife bought it for me.

Permalink Reply by Ann Sch 9.3 on July 9, 2013 at 2:58pm

I'm not so worried about the laptop getting wet - I'm a Ziploc fanatic -

I'm worried about the "C-word" - me and the bike not staying upright on the wheels  (who's superstitious???) Although I guess if that happens, I have to replace more expensive equipment on ME than the laptop...

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on July 9, 2013 at 3:11pm

Oh, I've wiped out with my MacBook Pro in my backpack.  That was several years ago.  It's still humming along (a couple batteries later), despite a slight tweak to the case.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on July 9, 2013 at 3:17pm

Maybe get a laptop sleeve for extra protection?

Ann Sch 9.3 said:

I'm not so worried about the laptop getting wet - I'm a Ziploc fanatic -

I'm worried about the "C-word" - me and the bike not staying upright on the wheels  (who's superstitious???) Although I guess if that happens, I have to replace more expensive equipment on ME than the laptop...

Permalink Reply by Ann Sch 9.3 on July 9, 2013 at 3:33pm

Got a neoprene sleeve, mostly for TSA protection ;-).   I have also thrown bubble wrap around it when I have some handy (for biking, not TSA). 

Skip, sorry about your tumble but happy to hear the computer survived relatively unharmed (and you)

Permalink Reply by Bez on July 9, 2013 at 3:51pm

Sounds like you should be fine, unless you land directly on it in a fall.  Honestly, with the protection you describe, you should be fine sticking it in the pannier.  I carry my tablet pretty much every day in my Chrome bag, and just stick it in among my clothes for padding.  When I used to use panniers, I would just make sure that it wasn't at the back, against the plate.  I had a pretty nice watch get broken due to resting wrong and learned my lesson.  I didn't have a watch box with me and just stuck it in the pocket of my jeans.  Which I then folded and didn't notice that the pocket with the watch was on the outside, so it ended up against the plate with just a thin layer of denim protecting it.  When it bounced, the crystal got cracked and the guts got a bit scrambled.

Ann Sch 9.3 said:

Got a neoprene sleeve, mostly for TSA protection ;-).   I have also thrown bubble wrap around it when I have some handy (for biking, not TSA). 

Skip, sorry about your tumble but happy to hear the computer survived relatively unharmed (and you)

Permalink Reply by JimmyD on July 9, 2013 at 4:00pm

I went the opposite direction. I have REMOVED the rack from my bike in favor of a backpack (despite the increased sweat). My (commuter) bike handles much better without racks and panniers since it's a folding bike (Riese & Müller, Birdy BD-1).

T.K. 6.5 mi said:

You guys need to free yourselves! Bring water bottles, heck, bring two. Also, upgrade to a rear/front basket or panniers. It helps keep you cool, as the backpack only traps in heat and causes insane amounts of sweat. 

Permalink Reply by JimmyD on July 9, 2013 at 4:02pm

I calm my nerves in knowing that:

1) ...our company has our equipment insured

2) ...all of my work (and play) data is hosted/synched on Dropbox.com

3) ...if I bail and the laptop gets trashed, it means I'll get a new laptop.  ;-)

Ann Sch 9.3 said:

How do those of you who ride with a laptop calm your fears about ruining the boss's $2000 investment? 

Permalink Reply by JimmyD on July 9, 2013 at 4:07pm

I learned about Mission Workshop backpacks from some of your previous posts and now I dream of the day I'll own one!

I currently have a Cocoon Central Park Sport backpack which has a feature I love and will not live without in future backpack purchases... it has a connected rain cover that is stowed in the bottom of the bag. When it starts to rain, I simply unzip the bottom of the bag and pull the cover around the whole bag for instant, full, water-proof coverage!

(See the middle pic below of the Coccoon backpack with the rain cover deployed)

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

I put my laptop in my Mission Workshop Vandal backpack and it has stayed completely dry, even in the worst downpours.

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