Here are a couple of ways to get your laptop to work via your bike:
- Put it in your messenger bag, and lug at least 6-to-10 extra pounds of electronics and power cords on your back.
- Put it on your bike in a rear pannier. Then remove the fat pannier and lug it into an business office via the usual short, sever-the-skin-on-your-hand handle. Oh, and have the metal rack clips dig deep into your leg as the awkwardly weighted bag bounces against your flesh.
- Use the Axiom laptop pannier that converts with a strap into a shoulder bag, and carry your laptop to work with little fanfare.
I talked with Frank at the Axiom booth. Axiom is a Canadian company, and the bag I like is on the Canadian (English) site. The Transition Weatherproof Laptop Pannier Single Side 8 Litre is nothing super special. It just does what it is supposed to do at a reasonable price ($80 Canadian). It's made of 1000 - 800 denier waterproof nylon. The seams are sealed waterproof compartments. It contains a padded water-resistant laptop holder. The outside corners are protected with black plastic wear guards. And it has a slim profile. You stow your laptop and attach the pannier to your rear rack via the hardware attached to the pannier. When you park you bike, you remove the pannier. Then, you zip the nylon flap that covers the rack attachment hardware; pull out the shoulder strap, and carry what appear to be yet another unflashy laptop bag made of synthetic material into your place of business.
It is not cool or edgy fashion statement. There is no fanfare or seasonal colorway about which to get excited. It is a decent choice for those who commute by bike with a laptop and don't want to look like they are about to go on a cycle camping trip every time they get in an elevator. (If you hate the color gray, the only color available, spray paint is inexpensive.)
Photos taken by Wheelgirl at Interbike in Vegas 2007, except for the last two lifted from the Axiom site.
