enargins

All of this is VERY interesting! I'm glad you get a 10% discount at places, and that the hospital where you work has a decent kiosk and cafeteria and that Starbucks is too much $$ for what it is to you, but that Le Pain Quowhatever is not too much $$ for what it is, etc. This has been very fascinating!

enargins

That's good to know. Thanks for the tips.

enargins

I've used Dropbox for years, primarily to transfer files to and from clients. But I only have 20GB -- not enough for backing up significantly without paying for more.
However, yesterday I transferred a file to Google Drive, which I never use, because Dropbox had gotten a bad copy of the file and kept reloading the file from cache rather than creating a new version. While in Drive, I was told I have 117GB available! Son of a gun! Where did all that come from? Or is Google just really, really generous with their free storage?
Anyway, point is, now I'm considering using Drive for backups.

Ha! Me too -- though I don't have full Office for all versions. I have Access 2.0 (or 3.5" floppy disks!), from 1996, and then every version of Access and most versions of Office after that. I currently only have Office 2003 forward loaded on my machine, and will probably not even load that on my next machine.

madpogue 

Looking at the far bottom right pic in that ^^^^^^ Ortlieb conversion doc, you could install it as a pannier, and carry a small child on the outside on the backpack straps. I wouldn't let Child Protective Services see it, however...

BiKase brand laptop convertible backpack pannier:


The straps tuck in behind that panel for pannier mode, and the hook tucks behind for backpack mode. You can clip one strap to the other side's ring, and tuck in the other strap, and effectively have a sling bag. There's no stiff panel, so it flops some when used as a pannier. That long vertical zipper is for the is for the laptop compartment. Holds a 15"-er easily, and a large-is lunch cooler and 44-oz water bottle in the main compartment. Coffee travel carafe in the side compartment.

My original Targus beater:


Guts from an old CyclePro pannier, including a stiff panel that all the hardware is bolted/riveted to. This one would probably hold a 17"-er, and other business goodies of course, but no space for a lunch. Shoulder strap on the d-rings. Yes, that's a section of innertube for the bottom hook; I like those for the combination of strength and elasticity.

I also have a Timbuk2 convertible laptop backpack pannier. Pannier hardware is on the side opposite the backpack straps (similar to the Ortlieb conversion above). Overflap flips one way to cover the backpack straps when in pannier mode, and flips the other way to cover the pannier hardwaree when in backpack mode. Good solid retention using a fairly stiff panel, and a big main compartment with a laptop sleeve built in. Nice and big and solid, but I can't recommend it. Overflap is also a flat compartment, but otherwise it's just the one big compartment, no pockets for little bitty things, no little pen straps built in, etc, like you see in business bags. And a bit unwieldy as a backpack; it looks like a black version of the big packs the moon astronauts wore.

acidfast7

I actually mis-typed. I meant every MS office FILE that I have ever made. (I think it was around 20000 files or so).

Also, every email I have ever written from 2004 is in the same gmail account (84549 emails).

daoswald

I use a pair of Ortlieb Bike Shoppier panniers. My laptop goes into a neoprene sleeve first, though. The panniers are completely weatherproof, and work out quite well.

MMACH 5

That makes for a great visual. : )

I have two of those and love them. I use them for camping and on days when rain is called for in the forecast. My laptop conversion bag will fit inside, when necessary.

BikeLite

Some of Apples cloud storage is actually on Google servers.

KraneXL

You need to show the laptop, and/or size/weight, and/or how it fits. I've got a messenger for my honking workstation. Because its flat its uncomfortable and slides off my back. It can literally pull you off course. Needless to say, I don't ride with it often.

noglider 

I hope you realize that Google Drive and Dropbox are not backup services. If your "live" copy of a file is in one of these places, when you delete or change it, the previous version is gone. You can use the service as backup if you have a procedure to copy from your live folder to the Dropbox or Drive folder.

acidfast7

Dropbox has a packrat service that keeps all iterations saved. That's what I use.

noglider 

That's a great name for that. Is it your name or theirs? And it only comes with the paid version, I believe.

enargins

Thank you, yes, I know all that. As I said, I've been using Dropbox for years.

Chester

When I was commuting with a laptop and other stuff, I'd have everything in a bare-bones messenger bag, with the laptop in a neoprene sleeve, and then I'd put the messenger bag into an Ortlieb rolltop pannier and mount that to a rear rack. To get it off my back and for the waterproofedness of the Ortlieb pannier, if it rained. Being in a sleeve, and an intermediate bag, made me unconcerned with bumps/shocks while riding with the laptop in a pannier.

But this was for a 5-6-mile (one-way) commute that I'd make, rain or shine. If you're talking about a shorter ride to a cafe that's also totally discretionary, then I'd just wear the laptop in a backpack or messenger bag.

If you really don't want to wear something on your body and the ride isn't especially rough, and you have your laptop in a thick sleeve and it's totally powered off, then I wouldn't worry about the danger of incidental road chatter.

madpogue 

Discretionary? Where/when was that established?

revivalist

I ride with a backpack as well. No issues.

fietsbob

KraneXL

I've always ridden with backpacks and messenger in the past but if I decide to return to commuting I never will again. The last time I tried it with my messenger it was a real hassle. I have a couple of books and a workstation laptop and it was a real chore keeping it cinched. Not only did it cut off my circulation making it very uncomfortable, but it kept displacing my course due to the weight imbalance.

I literally had to twist my torso the entire ride to keep it from pulling me out of the path and into traffic. I will get a pannier next time, and hopefully something with a quick release (there are some great expandable ones with rain covers but they're expensive).

When I worked the night shift at the hotel, I had with my Topeak trunk. I could remove both the trunk and the arm with a simple quick-release. But I had a designated out of the way corner in the garage to keep my bike with no fear of theft.

zacster

I have a Knog messenger bag/pannier with a padded spot for a 15" computer. I've been using it for years and never had any problems with either a Lenovo or my current MBP. The biggest problem was that as a pannier it only attached at the top and wasn't secured at the bottom to the rack, so I've used a bungee cord to keep it stable. I just had a thread about looking for something new but upon inspection of a sample of panniers at REI decided that what I have is really what I want. It is by far the cheapest option I've seen too. Knog Franks Dog bag I don't think this listing includes the pannier conversion gear, just the bag.

DiabloScott

Old job: 3.5 miles=backpack with laptop sleeve.
New job: 7.5 miles=panniers.
I guess that's my line. Anyway this works really well - I use the industral-strength bubble wrap that the laptop shipped in.

KraneXL

I stopped reading once I realized it was a Macbook.

acidfast7

Why they're better quality and excellent value per £,$,€.

I'll never go back to a non-Mac.

KraneXL

It was a joke. ^^Like a lot of Japanese cars when compared to American. That used to be true.

angerdan

Topeak MTX Office Bag:
bikeforums.net/commuting/572127-topeak-mtx-office-bag-rack-trunk.html
amazon.com/TOPEAK-63009812-MTX-Office-Bag/dp/B001T2XVYU

acidfast7

We'll I'm rolling on a rMBP that's about to hit 2500 charge cycles. Don't see that with an non-Apple machines.

Also, over here the price differences are quite small (this rMBP was only €800 when I bought it 5 years ago.)