My commute today was slower than my average Bike speed...

[atl-titan]

Hello MMM Forum,
I just found this blog a few months ago and it has already helped me change many habits and ways of thinking.  If only someone would have told me about this 7 years ago when I started my tech job.  In the last month I have started to bike to work 1 day a week now that the weather here in Atlanta isn't hot.  I live 14 miles from work and on my road bike i can make it here with an average speed of 16-17 mph (nice to get the blood flowing in the morning).   This  morning I decided I wanted to sleep in 30 minutes and that simple act changed my driving commute from 25 minutes to 50 minutes.  As I watched the average speed on my car's trip meter creep down to 17 mph it drove me nuts.  I kept telling myself "Wow you could be biking past all these cars and get to work faster".   The day I bike into work is one where I don't have to carry my Laptop home.  If I bike with my laptop I could bike all week.  I'll need a comfortable bag that can hold a 13'' laptop and a change of clothes. 

Anyone bike with their laptop and have suggestions on a commuter type bag?

Chris

[jaye_p]

Chris,

I don't bike with a laptop, but I do all my grocery shopping by bike.  I have two of these:

http://www.greengurugear.com/collections/panniers/products/dutchy-22l-pannier

I've used them for five years and they're holding up fine.  It looks like they would just fit your laptop, definitely no problem fitting if you placed it in the bag diagonally.  These bags hold enough groceries for several days for the three of us, and we eat mostly bulky fruits and vegetables.  They are also waterproof.  But if you don't like these, there are many many panniers to choose from.  I'm sure you'll find one that works for you.

[gt7152b]

Definitely get a good set of panniers especially since you'll want to keep commuting during the hot, humid Georgia summers and you aren't going to want anything on your sweaty back for those days.

[ooeei]

I've biked a short distance with a laptop a few times (didn't need to often), and found that a typical "laptop bag" was a pain to put on and got in the way while getting on/off the bike.  Granted this could be because I wasn't aware of how to move with it properly, but it seemed unnecessarily awkward.  My vote would be for a regular old backpack.  I used to pick up groceries with a backpack and it worked just fine.

edit:  The comment above is right about sweat though, forgot about that!

[nereo]

Hello Chris

Welcome to the forums.
I bike to work each day with my laptop and often a change of clothes - most of the time I Just use my normal backpack (it has a laptop "sleeve" in it).  A 13" laptop will take up even less space than my 15"
Second the recommendation for a decent pannier - if it is particularly hot out I'll stow everything there.  Many panniers have dedicated lap-top sleeves.  You can find them new for ~$60 or used on craigslist for $10-20.

EDIT:  I totally get how biking can be faster.  I have three options; bike (~15-17 minutes), take the bus (20-25 minutes + $6 round trip), or drive (15-25 minutes + $12 to park).  Biking wins 95% of the time, unless the weather is really horrific.

[patrickza]

I electric bike with my laptop. I just use a normal backpack with a laptop sleeve. I don't sweat going to work, but sweat going home as it's uphill.

If I drive home it'll take me up to 90 minutes if there's traffic. My bike is 45 minutes every day. I bike unless there's going to be rain.

[Jack]

Hello, fellow ATLien!

I use one of these*. It's big enough for my gigantic 15" work laptop plus a change of clothes so it should be fine for your stuff, and it's super cheap. The downsides are that it's not totally water-proof (mostly because of the design, since it doesn't roll shut like an Ortlieb) and that if you hit a big enough bump it's possible for it to become partially dislodged. Nevertheless, I'm more than satisfied with it considering the price.

I only have one of them; I attached a Wald folding basket to the other side of my rack for carrying things like groceries.

My commute is about 30 minutes driving (with traffic), or 30 minutes by bike on the Beltline. Not a hard decision about which is better!

(* Note that Performance Bicycle has a local brick & mortar store, at I-85 and North Druid Hills Rd.)

[GuitarStv]

I just use regular panniers and wrap my laptop in my towel to minimize vibration/bouncing.

[atl-titan]

Thanks for all the replies guys.  Yea I live on the north side so I visit Performance Bikes often. I'll go in and check out one of those pannier.  None of my fancy road bikes have racks on the back, I'm trying to sell one of them and buy a commuter bike to help with carrying stuff around.  A backpack works ok for short trips but i find that they get a little annoying after 45-60 minutes.