Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John on August 31, 2010 at 6:05am

Don't know if you have seen this already or not, but another option is: http://www.topeak.com/products/Bags/MTXOfficeBag
which locks on to their compatible rear racks. I've been very satisfied with mine. Stable/secure and waterproof were my two primary needs. I also carry panniers for a change of clothing, etc.

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Permalink Reply by Yaniv on August 31, 2010 at 6:22am

I love my Jannd commuter bag with laptop sleeve. The sleeve has an attachable strap so you can carry that around easily as well. http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FCP and http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FCAP.

I slid underneath a car once with the pannier attached. It stayed attached, my laptop was fine. The only damage was a slight rip in the back.

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Permalink Reply by Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! on August 31, 2010 at 6:39am

WARNING: There is absolutely no way this is a good idea.

Even the best laptops are made with the goal of maximizing profit and minimizing cost meaning that the components that these things are constructed out of are not the most durable possible. If you take a laptop on a daily commute and do not filter the vibration of the road with your body you are asking to ruin this laptop. Maybe not today, tomorrow, or next month but you will dramatically diminish performance and longevity in the long run.

I'm in the IT field and I can attest to the fact that laptops are not meant to intensely vibrate on a daily basis. I have had the luxury of working with laptops that are meant for this:

http://www.dell.com/xfr
http://www.amrel.com/rugged-computers/military-rugged-notebook.asp

The key to these devices is what is known as a fault tolerant design. If you're laptop doesn't say that this is a feature then do not use a pannier.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Kenseth on August 31, 2010 at 7:09am

i have an ortlieb, and while it's not laptop fitted (with foam and such), it has never fallen off.
http://www.rei.com/product/768571

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Permalink Reply by Holly on August 31, 2010 at 7:16am

I don't know where I read this, but I think that there was a link to dealers somewhere on the Arkel site that showed that Rapid Transit (in Wicker Park) carries the label. I haven't checked on that in person, but you might want to give them a call.

I'm about to get a pair of their panniers this week! I have heard nothing but good things about their bags. Was also considering Jannd and Orlieb, which seem to be equally as good.

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Permalink Reply by David on August 31, 2010 at 7:37am

Thanks, I appreciate the viewpoint, but I don't see how it matters much whether one filters the vibration of the road with one's body or if the vibration is filtered with a suspension system inside a pannier. Have you seen studies that actually measures the effect of various suspension systems vs. a messenger bag?

Beyond that, I buy a new laptop every couple of years, so a quickened depreciation pace doesn't really matter tremendously to me, assuming the laptop makes it a couple of years.

I'm interested because a search on the web finds an awful lot of people like yourself convinced this is a terrible idea as well as an equal or greater number convinced of the opposite... neither group seems to have anything other than anecdotal information to back up their viewpoint.


Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! said:

WARNING: There is absolutely no way this is a good idea.

Even the best laptops are made with the goal of maximizing profit and minimizing cost meaning that the components that these things are constructed out of are not the most durable possible. If you take a laptop on a daily commute and do not filter the vibration of the road with your body you are asking to ruin this laptop. Maybe not today, tomorrow, or next month but you will dramatically diminish performance and longevity in the long run.

I'm in the IT field and I can attest to the fact that laptops are not meant to intensely vibrate on a daily basis. I have had the luxury of working with laptops that are meant for this:

http://www.dell.com/xfr
http://www.amrel.com/rugged-computers/military-rugged-notebook.asp

The key to these devices is what is known as a fault tolerant design. If you're laptop doesn't say that this is a feature then do not use a pannier.

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Permalink Reply by David on August 31, 2010 at 7:48am

I've never seen an Arkel bag in Rapid Transit. Last time I was looking for a bag, I visited most (thought not all) of the dealers on the Arkel dealer list, and none of them actually carried any Arkel bags. I'm not sure why it is, but they're very rare in bike stores.

Holly said:

I don't know where I read this, but I think that there was a link to dealers somewhere on the Arkel site that showed that Rapid Transit (in Wicker Park) carries the label. I haven't checked on that in person, but you might want to give them a call.

I'm about to get a pair of their panniers this week! I have heard nothing but good things about their bags. Was also considering Jannd and Orlieb, which seem to be equally as good.

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Permalink Reply by Joel on August 31, 2010 at 8:06am

$$$

Arkel bags are expensive. They might be good, but it can be hard to sell a product that costs twice as much as another brand's pannier that is "the same".

David said:

I've never seen an Arkel bag in Rapid Transit. Last time I was looking for a bag, I visited most (thought not all) of the dealers on the Arkel dealer list, and none of them actually carried any Arkel bags. I'm not sure why it is, but they're very rare in bike stores.

Holly said:

I don't know where I read this, but I think that there was a link to dealers somewhere on the Arkel site that showed that Rapid Transit (in Wicker Park) carries the label. I haven't checked on that in person, but you might want to give them a call.

I'm about to get a pair of their panniers this week! I have heard nothing but good things about their bags. Was also considering Jannd and Orlieb, which seem to be equally as good.

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Permalink Reply by Alice on August 31, 2010 at 8:28am

I've used Arkel bags for my daily commute for over 10 years and they are still going strong. They are an EXCELLENT product. I saw them in person at a bike show once and someone I knew also had them. About six months ago, a thread started to unravel on one of the outside pockets. The company told me to ship it to them and that they would repair it. Not only did they repair it for free, but they cleaned it (!) and paid for the return postage. With the raincovers, they are very waterproof. I haven't used their laptop bag, but if it is anything like the bags I have now, I wouldn't hesitate. The only thing to be wary of is the type of rack you have on your bike. Not all racks are compatible with their bags due to the mechanism that keeps the bag on the rack.

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Permalink Reply by Alan Ortiz on August 31, 2010 at 8:52am

I've got Ortlieb panniers and I put a spare t-shirt or hand towel in the bottom to help soften any vibration. For one of my RAGBRAI legs, I rode with a pannier packed with my laptop and other gear to get a sense of the load over a long distance and there was no issue. That's on top of all the local riding I've done with my laptop in my pannier as well.

Lastly, if you have a solid state hard drive, vibration issues should be mitigated another notch as there would be no moving parts to jar and the hard drive is typically the most vibration-sensitive component. Solder joints should not be a problem as most board components are surface-mount or lightweight.

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Permalink Reply by Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! on August 31, 2010 at 9:10am

Your body, mostly your knees, will dampen much of a ride's vibration. Put a neoprene sleeve around your laptop and most of the vibrations coming from your back will be minimal. Fewer vibrations will lengthen the life of any delicate machine. Check out this study about the effects on a server from hard drive vibration, http://www.usenix.org/events/sustainit10/tech/full_papers/turner.paf. If the minute hums of a hard drive can diminish performance I don't think it's much of a leap to assume that movement on something like a pannier could cause damage. At least shut down your laptop before using it, don't put it in sleep mode or something let the read/write head lock.

But ultimately I don't care what you do, it's your money and I am not your tech support. Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Craig S. on August 31, 2010 at 9:23am

Do you have first hand experience with Arkel products, Joel, or are you making a judgement based upon their cost?


Joel said:

$$$

Arkel bags are expensive. They might be good, but it can be hard to sell a product that costs twice as much as another brand's pannier that is "the same".

David said:

I've never seen an Arkel bag in Rapid Transit. Last time I was looking for a bag, I visited most (thought not all) of the dealers on the Arkel dealer list, and none of them actually carried any Arkel bags. I'm not sure why it is, but they're very rare in bike stores.

Holly said:

I don't know where I read this, but I think that there was a link to dealers somewhere on the Arkel site that showed that Rapid Transit (in Wicker Park) carries the label. I haven't checked on that in person, but you might want to give them a call.

I'm about to get a pair of their panniers this week! I have heard nothing but good things about their bags. Was also considering Jannd and Orlieb, which seem to be equally as good.

• ▶ Reply

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