adamrice 

I've looked at a few options for my commuting setup as well. I think the Tailfin option is interesting. Obviously expensive. I get the impression that their own panniers are small enough and are positioned to avoid heel strike, which is going to be a problem (as others have said). Last I checked, they do make adapters for carrying panniers from other companies.

If you are going with another kind of rack, you can use P-clamps for the top mounts, but you can also get a replacement seat collar that has rack attachment points below the pinch bolt for a slightly tidier setup.

For a while I was commuting on a bike that did have mounting points for a rack, but didn't have the geometry for load-carrying. I found that even with just a 10-lb load, the fact that the load was cantilevered out past the rear axle made it handle like a pig (seriously, I went for months when commuting was the only riding I did, and the first time I got on an unladen bike, I could barely control it because I was so accustomed to overcompensating). When I upgraded my commuter, I decided to switch from a pannier to a backpack, and I've been happier with that. I shower at work, so having a sweaty back isn't really a problem. YMMV. I've also minimized my load—I have a safe-ish lockup so I carry a lighter lock; I leave some stuff in my locker at work.

firebird854

Solid insight and info!

I'll keep in mind that I want to put a system together that does not put weight out past the axle.

RifterAD

I commute and yet I only own 1 bike with no plans to getting more any time soon. My older bike used to have rack mounts and I used the rack all the time while commuting. Unfortunately that bike didn't fare too well after being hit by a car. Now that my current road bike has no rack mounts, I have been using my backpack while commuting. With it being cooler out, it has not been an issue, however I that once it warms, I know I will want to get a rack again.

As others have said, a great but expensive solution for a rack mounted to a road bike is made by Tailfin. I'm looking at their newer Tailfin X-series rack which can also come in aluminum (it's quite a bit cheaper than their really nice carbon fiber racks). The rack supports panniers AND a top mounted bag if you want. Plus, it looks really easy to remove.

shkimjohn

I've gone from rack and panniers, to bike packing bags, and now to a backpack. I ended up going to a backpack because I just hated the way that load affected the handling of a bike with rack and panniers. The bike packing bags were just cumbersome because I had to put stuff in different bags and it was hard to leave the bike locked. I used to have an Osprey Radial which was great until it got stolen. I've since gotten an Osprey Manta 34 and with the AirSpeed ventilation system, the back sweat is almost non-existent (the Radial also has this ventilation system). You just need to make sure to adjust the fit of the backpack to get the ventilation to work optimally. I use this setup for my 41 mile round trip commute which I do about 3 days a week on average.

TheLizard

I had the same issue trying to convert my Trek 8000 MTB into a commuter.

So I bought one of these to replace the existing seat post clamp:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Works really well, much sturdier than p-clamps. The existing clamp didn't have a quick-disconnect anyway, so I didn't lose anything, but if you have one and use it frequently it may not be a solution for you.

firebird854

You're making a good case for a backpack, especially since you have a similar distance commute, I'm just concerned it'll hurt my back a bit, as my bike position is quite aggressive.

firebird854

Good idea! Thanks for the link.

Cycle Tourist

I think a racing bike makes a great commuter. You need to bring clothes to work before hand to eliminate having to carry them. A waist pak or small back pack may take care if occasional luggage. For distance travel and carrying capacity however a touring bike is in your future.

Miele Man

If you're not carrying a lot of stuff a seatpost mounted rack (alloy seatpost not carbon fiber) works really well. I have one plus a trunk bag that fits securely on it into which i can put a change of clothes, my spare tube, pump and repair kit.

Cheers

merlinextraligh

news flash. You can clamp a rack on to a carbon seat post.

think about it. Given that a seatpost can be clamped to the frame anywhere along it’s length, it has to be able to withstand moderate clamping forces it’s entire length.

We, as well as other tandem teams, have used carbon seaports with the stokers stem attached to the captains seatpost for years without any problem.

many tandem builders sell bike with the stokers stem clamped to a carbon fiber seatpost.

If a CF seatpost can take a a 140 pound stoker hammering out of the saddle in a full on sprint, it can take a clamped on rack bearing 20 pounds.

Miele Man

Okay, so some carbon fiber seatposts can take a seatpost mounted rack. I guess it's okay as long as the rack is mounted as low on the seatpost as possible in order to minimize the cantilever effect. I'd still be hesitant to do that unless I knew for sure that the seatpost had the extra strength needed.

I've seen allow and steel seatposts bent due to excessive weight on them.

YMMV and sounds like it does.

Cheers

shkimjohn

My setup is pretty aggressive as well. I think how you adjust the straps to sit on your back/hips will have a lot to do with where the weight will mostly be. Unfortunately I don't have enough posts to be able to post a photo or else I would show you how my bike is setup.

REI has a pretty good return policy if you just wanted to try it out and see if it works for you.

WalksOn2Wheels

First off, it's awesome that you are finding a way to ride to work for 20+ miles when you can. It's a great way to get miles in during the week and can have some serious benefits.

When I first started my commuting journey during school (this is about, jeez, 10 years ago), I tried everything I could to get a rear rack to work, and this was actually on an 80's steel frame road race bike. Nothing seemed to work. the aggressive geometry made any load on the rear just awful. I eventually moved to backpacks. Then I got Osprey bags which help a LOT because they have a hip belt that distributes the load to your midsection rather than have it hanging on your shoulders. This is great for distances of 8-10 miles. I did that for the last 2-3 years of school and it was always a great solution.

During that time, I got a part time job (full time during summer) that was 25 miles away and I eventually worked commuting into that. Honestly, this is where the backpack starts to suck (especially in summer), no mater how well it's designed to ventilate your back, distribute the load, etc. It just sucks. So I bought a Revelate designs seat bag. You've undoubtedly seen them if you've looked into bikepacking stuff. That thing was PERFECT. No backpack to mess with and I typically only had a tiny bit of food, light clothes, and light tennis shoes. Probably no more than 6 or 7 pounds.

I lay all that out to say that for your 22 mile distance, I would highly recommend you look at seat or frame bags, even more so because you'll use it again later for bikepacking/touring. However, if you NEED to take your laptop one day, I might suggest you have a good backpack on hand for those occurrences. I can't think of a single frame/seat bag that could accommodate that. Whatever route you go, be sure to get some tape/3m clear protectors anywhere you mount a bag or P-clamp or whatever. You might think it's tight and not going to budge, but dirt and junk finds its way into any and every crevice and vibrations will scuff the hell out of your paint.

firebird854

I also LOVE my paint, would hate for anything to happen to my baby:


I was beginning to get sold on the idea of a backpack (because I could also use it for hiking, I really don't want a straight seat bag because I have a carbon seatpost (and I really like my carbon seatpost).

HMMMMmmmm

WalksOn2Wheels

Honestly, it would be a nice thing to have a good backpack anyway. It would be worth it to shop around and get a good one and just try that first. In cooler months, a backpack is fine. Just find one that is actually made for cycling/day hiking and it should have the proper setup. I would still keep it light and avoid the laptop if possible, but in a pinch you would need the backpack for the laptop anyway. You may find down the line that a seat/frame bag is a better option, or the backpack may totally work for you. It's all individual.

Also, I just noticed you're in Wisconsin. So when I say that the backpack was especially rough in the summer, I'm talking about 95-100 degrees in Texas. Definitely not typical Wisconsin summer weather. If I were transplanted, I could probably rock a backpack indefinitely.

firebird854

Interestingly we get 95-100 degree days quite often during summer, but frankly, I'd probably drive if that were expected and train on my tri bike down by lake Michigan after work.

adamrice 

I recommend wrapping helicopter tape around any exposed carbon or painted surfaces that wind up being contact points for a bag.

rivers

My commute is 16 miles each way, and I'm usually happy to use a backpack as I carry my laptop to and from work and my work is casual so jeans/shorts and a t-shirt. I leave a pair of shoes and a hoodie in my office. However, in the summer, I like to use my carbon aero road bike as opposed to my cx/gravel winter ride. It's faster and more fun to ride. If I'm going out for a ride after work, I generally leave my laptop in my office the day before, and use a 6 litre altura seat pack for my clothes the next day, and it's attached for the ride. It works and it's barely noticeable. And as my computer is about to get severely locked down due to GDPR, it will probably stay at work (and I'll buy my own), and my commute will be done with just a seat pack.

merlinextraligh

I know Alpha Q, ENVY, Ritchey and Zipp posts work from personal use. I would expect any seatpost from a major manufacturer to work as well.

The twisting force an adult stoker is putting on the seatpost through the stokers handlebars in a full out out of the saddle sprint has to be an order of magnitude higher than a 20 pound rack.

I think the hesitation to clamp a rack to a CF seat post comes from the admonition not to clamp anything to CF handlebars. However, there’s a difference between how Handlebars and Seat Posts are made.

Handle bars are only made to clamp in the one place where they are attached to the stem. whereas seat posts are designed to be clamped anywhere along their length above the minimum insertion length.

wphamilton

You could try this https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...p-carrier.html for the laptop.

superdex

There's a lot of fairway between a fast commuter/bikepacking/gravel/cx rig and a full touring frame. Don't fool yourself that you have to go Surly Long Haul Trucker.

For around $600, you can pick up a reasonably fast cx/gravel and get the rack mounts you want. N+1 is the new black, afterall. and you don't have to go back and forth taking the racks on/off when you have a nice Saturday ride.

firebird854

But... the thread is about avoiding spending $600. That's also $600 for a used bike that probably needs some amount of repair and/or new parts, then still $25-100 for a rack, then $150ish for panniers. Also, I'd like to record power for these rides so I have accurate TSS counts in Trainingpeaks, and I really don't want to miss out on 200ish mi of commuting power data (plenty of this is on open road where I can hammer), the bike I want to use as a commuter bike already has a power meter crankset.

So, please stop trying to sell me on the idea of yet another bike, at this point I'm between Old Man Mountian which is a $220 setup that attaches both to the thru axle and seat, Taflin, which is $300ish for the rack and $300-400ish for the panniers, Blackburn which is a cool $100 for the rack and adapter + a seat clamp adapter that's been posted a couple of times and $100ish of panniers. I am also absolutely considering a hiking-style backpack and looking into these options at a local REI.

Again, not against N+1, but I recently created a whole thread asking about inexpensive aerobar options so I could use this very bike for races and triathlons and ended up spending $3100 on a Tri bike + $300 on a fitting + $150 on a water bottle (I still kinda hate myself for that one, but it's super nice) and I still need a power meter, wetsuit, and tri-suit.

For this venture I plan on making my current bike work lol.

RifterAD

LOL - this community is why bikes & parts have gotten so expensive...they talk each other into buying things instead of working to retro-fit a cheaper solution. So manufacturers have responded to support this trend.

That Old Man Mountain setup is kinda interesting, I'd say go for that since it'll be slightly cheaper than the Tailfin! I think the Tailfin will be slightly more aerodynamic & lighter (or at least the same weight if you get the $225 all-alum tailfin), but then you'd have to get their special top bag that attaches to their rack.

Although backpacks are super easy and work well once you find one that works for you, you will be a sweaty mess if you are planning to push it during your commute. I also have an Osprey with the aero-whatever mesh, and it does work better than nothing, but it doesn't help enough when you are mashing it for more than a mile.

adamrice 

Oh yeah, as long as we're talking about mounting options, since you have a bike with disk brakes (and, I presume, through axles) here's one: The cargo rack axle. Obviously getting a flat with this setup will involve much gnashing of teeth. But the option does exist.

shkimjohn

I've done 103 degrees in Southern California and the backpack actually helped by providing shade for my back from the hot sun. I guess it helps that we have dry heat here as opposed to the humid summers of Texas. I definitely don't hammer on my rides at all though. Pretty much stay in zone 2 for most of my commute.