Getting all my stuff to work while biking

[camarijm]

Hello Mustachians!

After a few months of reading MMM I have finally decided to start biking to school. I was reluctant to do this because I go to the gym right after, but I'm going to make myself rally and do it. In total, it's a 9.7 mile ride from home to school/work, work to the gym, and the gym back home.

My question is, how do you transport all your stuff? When I drive to school, I usually have my laptop bag, a bag for my lunch, and my gym bag. Obviously I can't have all this on a bike. I've been thinking of getting a backpack with a laptop sleeve that I will be able to fit everything in, but it may not be big enough with all the clothes I'll be changing out of at the gym.

So what does everyone use to carry their stuff? Suggestions are very much appreciated. Thanks!

[chicagomeg]

Maybe you could do something to combine when you take things with you to cut down. Ie take twp lunches to work on Monday/Wednesday/Friday and take gym clothes Tuesday/Thursday? If you get a bike rack though and then put a milk crate on it, you can fit a lot of stuff at once. I don't think I'd have any trouble fitting all that into my backpack, which then fits my milk crate.

[jpluncford21]

In my case I brought all of my clothes for the week to work. Shoes, socks, dress shirts, slacks. I left them all hanging in my office. I packed an undershirt, underwear and lunch in a backpack and just headed in. My commute is about 9 miles so I wear bike shorts and I have to wear business casual clothes and look semi nice and kept here.
Since youre biking to school and more than likely don't have a dress code, I would just pack clothes in a backpack or paniers and start stomping pedals. Or if you have a locker at your gym, you could leave a set of clothes there like my example and just hit the gym first. If you don't have a locker, paniers are your best bet. You can probably get a good set up to hold all of your stuff for less than $75. If you bike to school, you will make that money back in less than a month. Check out sites like nashbar, pricepoint, rei, and esp. craigslist!

[gooki]

Essentially you have a laptop, lunch, and a spare set of clothes (I'd cycle in my gym gear). Should fit easily in a decent backpack.

[ladycygnus]

I have a rack with two metal baskets attached over the rear tire. I've gone shopping and carried home four bags of groceries as well as a box of cat litter. I also commute to work and bring along food, change of cloths, work laptop, purse and sometimes exercise cloths.

[Jamesqf]

Could you just put your files on a thumb drive (or even store them in a cell phone), leave the laptop at home, and use a school computer?  That also gives you an automatic backup of files, and reduces your chance of getting the laptop broken or stolen.

[camarijm]

Could you just put your files on a thumb drive (or even store them in a cell phone), leave the laptop at home, and use a school computer?  That also gives you an automatic backup of files, and reduces your chance of getting the laptop broken or stolen.

I have to have my computer. I'm a grad student and I only work in the lab now (no classes anymore). I need my computer at my desk to look stuff up throughout the day and write in my electronic lab notebook.

I have a rack with two metal baskets attached over the rear tire.

I like this idea. It will be much better for the summertime when it's humid and I won't have to get a new laptop bag, which saves me money!

[Guitarguy]

Yeah I second the 'rack' advice. If you're biking more than 10 miles a day and you're wearing a backpack, that really starts to put extra pressure on your sitting bones. I finally got a rack system and it's been wonderful to pack my work stuff in it. If you're showering at your destination, I suggest packing a chamois or speedo sports towel to save additional space/weight.

[capital]

The rack and panniers are pretty much necessary for carrying things on a bike.

Grocery panniers are a pretty excellent accessory:
http://www.ecovelo.info/2010/06/18/the-grocery-pannier-a-utility-bicyclists-best-friend/

Pretty much every pannier company makes one. I got the REI/Novara ones when they were half-price at $24.

[shadowmoss]

For the towel, go to the automotive dept and get a synthetic chamois.  Same stuff as the much more expensive Pak towels, not dyed different colors that can run at first and get on clothes (ask how I know...) and they are larger as well. 

[chicagomeg]

The rack and panniers are pretty much necessary for carrying things on a bike.

Grocery panniers are a pretty excellent accessory:
http://www.ecovelo.info/2010/06/18/the-grocery-pannier-a-utility-bicyclists-best-friend/

Pretty much every pannier company makes one. I got the REI/Novara ones when they were half-price at $24.

My milk crate and $7 cargo net works great. I'm super jealous of the steal you got on those panniers as every time I look I can't find them for less than $60 each.

[Jamesqf]

I have to have my computer. I'm a grad student and I only work in the lab now (no classes anymore). I need my computer at my desk to look stuff up throughout the day and write in my electronic lab notebook.

Your lab doesn't provide computers for you to work on?  Why not look into buying a second (cheap, used) notebook to keep there?  You don't need much performance if all you're doing is looking up stuff & keeping a notebook.

[Sunflower]

I have to have my computer. I'm a grad student and I only work in the lab now (no classes anymore). I need my computer at my desk to look stuff up throughout the day and write in my electronic lab notebook.

Your lab doesn't provide computers for you to work on?  Why not look into buying a second (cheap, used) notebook to keep there?  You don't need much performance if all you're doing is looking up stuff & keeping a notebook.

This isn't actually very realistic since it probably does need more performance than just keeping up a notebook. Grad students tend to work both from home and lab and need access to everything on the same device. If you're the type of person who doesn't work at all in the evenings (it can be done!) then a cheap notebook for home might help. When I finally purchased a new laptop in grad school I moved my old one home which is perfect for surfing the web in the evenings and has allowed me to cut down on transporting a laptop back and forth from lab. If I'm really on top of things I upload needed documents to dropbox but the reality is that if I'm working from home I bring my main laptop home with me.

[Jamesqf]

This isn't actually very realistic since it probably does need more performance than just keeping up a notebook. Grad students tend to work both from home and lab and need access to everything on the same device. If

Of course the performance needed depends on just what field you're a grad student in.  (I actually am one - ABD in computer engineering.  I work quite well from home, with a 4-machine network for testing stuff and remote access to various clusters, and when I do go in to the lab, I take files on thumb drive, if I haven't already copied them over the net.)  The OP does say that his/her computing needs are minimal, though.

[camarijm]

I have to have my computer. I'm a grad student and I only work in the lab now (no classes anymore). I need my computer at my desk to look stuff up throughout the day and write in my electronic lab notebook.

Your lab doesn't provide computers for you to work on?  Why not look into buying a second (cheap, used) notebook to keep there?  You don't need much performance if all you're doing is looking up stuff & keeping a notebook.

My boss actually buys all of us Macbook Pros. I have not yet gotten that one because my current Macbook Pro is only 1.5 years old. I could get my lab computer and keep one at work and one at home, but that seems really excessive. I feel like I don't need 2 computers.