The small bag under my seat:

Wallet
Two patches
One lever.

(My foldie has the pump in the seat tube, my wallet looks kinda big in my back pocket and has my phone in it too)

If I need to take the iPad then I carry a man bag over my shoulder, that then carries my wallet but the patches stay in my seat bag.

If it rains I catch the bus if in town.

Rattling around in my panniers I have a bottle of lucozade, some spare tubes, a lock I don’t actually use (the bike goes into a cage secured with a padlock so I don’t use a separate lock once it’s in there but carry it in case I stop at a shop on the way home. Which I never do), some spare batteries for my lights and (unless I’m wearing them) a waterproof/arm warmers. There’s also a saddlebag which has another tube, levers, multitool and a spanner in it. I’d empty that into a pannier except that my rear light clips onto it so I may as well leave it there until I get round to fixing a light onto the rack itself. I then put my stuff into a lightweight bag inside the pannier and just lift that out when I get to work rather than taking the whole pannier.

I carry two tubes and two CO2 canisters, as well as pump and patches.

Sometimes I think I know very little about cycling… 🙁

I thought the CO2 was some sort of fetish thing. 😉

It’s summer, I’m travelling light.

Contents of my Topeak Wedge (Medium):

• Alien multitool (in its pouch with park patches, spare powerlink and emergency tenner crammed in)
• spare tube,
• tyre levers
• asthma inhaler (just in case)
• Endura fs260 jacket
• Lezyne pump
• keys

I leave clothes at the office and rotate them out using the Camelbak when necessary.

At the other end of the spectrum I can opt to use my Carradice SQR Slim:

In which case I’ll could be carrying laptop, paper files, magazines, full change of clothes, etc etc

It’s summer, I’m travelling light.

Damn,why did you have to remind me of how much extra stuff I carry over the winter 🙄

🙂

Why would you not? Unlike riding for pleasure, when commuting delays usually mean being late for something, and you’ll be doing it in all weather. The novelty of pumping up a tyre in the dark in freezing rain quickly wears off. I carry two tubes and two CO2 canisters, as well as pump and patches. My commute is 10 miles – not far by bike, but it’s a flipping long walk if the team car is unavailable.

+1, I carry a Topeak mini pump as well if required/the weather’s nice and a 10 minute delay is welcome, but standing in the middle of Tooting High Street in the dark, in the pissing rain I was bloody glad I had CO2 to get me back on my way in no time!

Clothes/lock at work (two locks/changes of clothes at different offices actually), then just normal stuff in jersey pockets to ride in, with a few other bits:

2 tubes
Pump
Co2 pump
Multi tool
keys
phone
Blackberry
security pass

Done.

2x inner tubes
Pump
Multitool
Wet lube
Phone
Clothes
Change of socks

but I thought it would look like I was ‘bagsying’ the post and therefore behaving like a tw**.

Nah, everyone does it.
It’s weird, but our bike rack has a lock on almost every post (about 8 posts)… but I’ve only ever seen 4 different bikes in there!

Re bagsying

I’ve been commuting for years and I’ve always felt teed off when there’s a bike lock on the last rack stand… Seems like I’ve misunderstood the situation. 😳

not sure if people do it outside Tescos or if they just abandon their locks there…

(the bike’s mine, but none of the locks are)

My old Karrimor courier bag has loads of pens, a plakky bag with zip-ties I’ve acquired, another with a bunch of multitools in, and a bottle of orange juice for the afternoon. Oh, and a zip pouch with iPod, USB cables, Back-up battery, etc.
Never bother with a pump, tyres are tubeless with latex.
Commute is about six minutes, five on a good day.
Tools are mainly for fixing work stuff, maybe adjusting my seatpost if it’s slipped slightly, and if I should get a puncture that the latex can’t seal, like a wood screw, (has happened), then I walk home.
takes about fifteen-twenty minutes. 😀

As a rule…

Pump
Levers
Spare tube(s)

Trousers
Pants
T-shirt
Laptop (sometimes)

I keep a pair of shoes at work for when I commute and will leave the laptop at work if it’s a multi-dayer. Other than that, fairly lightweight I guess.

spiderman outfit

and on the weekdays

1 x saddlebag = 2 tubes, 2 levers, patches, pain killers. multitool with chain breaker
AAAAAAAAAAAND a sliced up piece of tyre to repair serious tyre issues.
pump on the frame
clothes at work

for lunch i decided to get a big tub of lean protein mix and some cuppasoups (i dont mix them together!)

…seriously, how do you get them to come out of your bag in the same state they went in?

On the odd occasion I’ve had to bring a shirt in to work, I’ve pulled something out of the bag that looks more like a spent man tissue than a professional’s fashion item.

I put my return cycling shirt on the floor, nice and flat. Then my work shirt goes on top of that, nice and flat. Then I fold the shirt arms over, nice and flat, put some more clothing on top, say underpants, coming home vest, that sort of thing. Then from the bottom, start rolling up like a big sausage roll. Stick the lot in a tesco bag, put it in my bag.

if i’ve got it wrong the shirt does come out a bit creased sometimes but hanging it up by the shower and putting the shower on red hot for a few minutes will usually allow any creases to steam out.

I put my return cycling shirt on the floor, nice and flat. Then my work shirt goes on top of that, nice and flat. Then I fold the shirt arms over, nice and flat, put some more clothing on top, say underpants, coming home vest, that sort of thing. Then from the bottom, start rolling up like a big sausage roll. Stick the lot in a tesco bag, put it in my bag.

Wouldnt want to be seen in the same stuff twice in one day! 🙄

Is that the cyclist equivalent of the walk of shame?

For my 45min commute, in one of these, I have…

an inner tube
a pump
a multi-tool
a packet of glueless patches
two phones
one wallet
an Eagle creek pack-it thing (which is ace for keeping shirts relatively crease free)
one pair of spectacles
one packed lunch
one pair of trousers
one pair of socks
one pair of pants (never understood why underpants are a ‘pair’ when they are only one item)
one roll-on deodorant
one tube of toothpaste
one tooth brush
two apples
one banana
one ID card
one set of keys for lock-up at the office
one small towel (pink)
one emergency rear light
a pen
two 32GB USB sticks

That’s it, probably too much!

Commute is about six minutes, five on a good day.

Don’t think I could be faffed with a bike for that kind of distance. I’d spend more time getting it out of the shed and chaining it up again than I would riding it.

I thought it would look like I was ‘bagsying’ the post and therefore behaving like a tw**.

Nah – pretty common practise round here too. Half a dozen locks on the stands in our carpark, including mine. No bagsying implied – just saves hulking a heavy (Kryptonite NewYork) d-lock and cable around with me.

Cycling walk of shame?

The “Boris bike ride of shame” is now all too often seen in That London. Saturday and Sunday mornings, chaps and chapesses rather too smartly/scantily dressed for the hour, looking a little disheveled with it, riding gingerly along…

I’ve been commuting for years and I’ve always felt teed off when there’s a bike lock on the last rack stand… Seems like I’ve misunderstood the situation.

I got an email from another lad in the office why id parked my bike in his spot. He was joking tho, just that we always usually seem to pick the same spot each day. Just park over it, but make sure to move the lock or your bike so they dont damage your bike retrieving it.

Panniers FTW!

I carry all the usual tools and tubes in a seat pack. Frame mounted pump.

Full set of clothes inc shoes. Shower gel, towel.

Laptop and charger, works phone, personal phone. Water bottle(s) as it’s 25 miles each way.

We have non-allocated desks, and I work at home 3 days per week, so don’t have any storage at work. Hence I carry the full shebang.

Am working on bagging a bit of filing space for stuff like towel, shower gel, shoes to save a bit of weight.

Oh, and leave a lock on the racks. It’s not bagsying, just lock bike to available rack, so the lock moves around a bit.

This ‘it’s not bagsying’ revelation is perhaps the best thing I’ve learned today!

That’ll mean my d-lock’s staying here tonight. 🙂

Tube, patches/glue/bit of Dover chalk/, pump, levers, change of clothes [if necessary] spare change incase phone’s flat and need a lift, lunch, keys.

This week for bonus points – Rhubarb and Custard sweets from a couple of weeks before – THAT’s where the sticky stuff was coming from!

And yes, crumbs and/or mould.

This thread seems like a good place to mention the STW August Commuting challenge and the longer term STW Summer of Commuting challenge

Join now and fight for the coveted second place behind Will. 😀

Arse, I wish I’d seen that earlier GrahamS – will there be a Sept one?

Probably camo, but you can join in now anyway. It’ll automatically include any Cycling,Transport rides you’ve already done this month.

Cool, I’ll take a proper look at it then.

Is there a handicap system for cyclists who’ve been carrying excess loads in their rucksacks? 😀

You people carry a load of junk…..

In my bag……

Park repair kit
Mini pump
2 spare tubes
Hutchinson superinflate
Bottle of sun cream
co2 canister
Leisure Lakes gilet
Oversocks
Velobici gloves
Buff
ipod charger
Spare socks
solo musette
ipod
Cycle sport mag. Current edition
Hifi choice mag
Sigg sandwich tin
Random energy bite things
For some reason, a spare pair of oakley sunnies
Puncture repair kit.

And thats it!

Wouldnt want to be seen in the same stuff twice in one day!

Ha! missed that! Maybe he’s a bit, you know… whiffy?

I’m whiffy, but I don’t have enough self respect to pack a second set of riding gear for the way home. Anyhoo, mrscamo16 likes me hot and sweaty. 😉

Live in the bag never get touched:
Pump
Tube
Tyre lever
Emergency lights
packed windproof.

Actually get used:
Spinach and tomato salad usually with a little chicken or fish as extra protein and maybe a few home made croutons.
Yogurt.
Spork
Reading glasses
Headphones
Ipad mini

If its bad weather or looks like I may need survival equipment I take the bus.

Oh and the lock has now lived on the bike rack for two years, next to the old one that I lost the key for.

Just had a rake through my bag. Currently it has:

15mm ring spanner, box spanner, 2 tubes, puncture repair kit, a load of latex gloves, tyre levers, a Topeak muti-tool, a Gerber Suspension, a Topeak Mountain Morph and assorted random painkillers.

Although to be fair, a lot of that surprised me as I don’t clear it out very often.

Other stuff that’s always in there: wallet, phone, headphones, iPod, Kindle, clean shirt, underwear and lunch.

And tonight there’ll be all the food shopping I did in town at lunchtime.

Lock, trousers, towel, shoes and toiletries stay at work.

I leave puncture tackle in my drawer at work, I figure if I flat on the way in i’ll just walk the rest (or home if I’m closer) but fix it for the way home. Reverse applies going home.

When I had a longer commute though (6 miles) I did carry it, as puncturing half way would be annoying.

Short enough commute now to not need to change when I get in, so just carry lunch and seasonally a lightweight waterproof.

I keep a pair of shorts and tee at work, so if it’s hosing it down at hometime I change to ride home. If it’s hosing in the morning I wear riding clothes then change when I get in.

Normally I can vary when I leave by ~30mins which is enough to avoid the rain.

Some good advice here.

I keep a pair of shorts and tee at work, so if it’s hosing it down at hometime I change to ride home. If it’s hosing in the morning I wear riding clothes then change when I get in.

I so wish I could get a handle on commuter clothing logistic skillz. 😐

they’ve just fitted a new radiator in our shower room… like a good German tourist I’ve claimed it by laying my towel over it! Next wet commute, my stuff has somewhere to dry 🙂

Sounds very civilised, DezB!

In our place, the building manager has decided that radiators aren’t necessary from March to September – the juice is off. Which means I’m pretty much always moist somewhere 🙁

return cycling shirt

Blimey. I’ll wear a new jersey/baselayer every day but the rest gets used all week.

Next wet commute, my stuff has somewhere to dry

My wet kit usually goes on radiator at the top of the (well used) stairwell. It doesn’t half pong towards the end of the week and has drawn a few comments.

I so wish I could get a handle on commuter clothing logistic skillz

Just make sure you have an emergency change of clothes (inc. socks/underwear) at work. For emergencies. Like getting soaked on the way in (if you ride in work clothing). Or missing your face with the mug of hot chocolate.*

*an ever-present danger.

I thought the CO2 was some sort of fetish thing.

It is.

In my rucksack,

tube,
tools,
pump,
rain jacket (lightweight)
pass for work,
work phone,
my phone,
wallet,
towel,
t-shirt,
pants,
keys,
water bottle,

No lock as the bike get propped up against my desk & I leave shorts/jeans at work.

Some of the stranger things I’ve taken home in/on my rucksack include, a green plastic sledge – I looked like a ninja turtle and a new front wheel.

jacket (if it looks like raining)
shirt
maybe a sarnie or a banana or something else lurking in our fridge
errrr thats it!

only a 2mile commute though i can walk home in 20mins and carry keys/phone/wallet in my jeans pockets, lock at work car park etc 😀 above will change when we move to 13 mile each way though 😕