Commuting - finally!

Today I finally got around to riding in to the office with a pannier full of stuff. All up I reckon the bag weighed around 7kg so I decided against hanging it on the pannier mount and instead strapped it to the top of the rack to centralise the load.

Riding with a load is an interesting experience and I've figured out a few things -

• Going up hills is a lot harder! Especially on a single speed - at times it felt like I was doing a series of single leg squats just to keep the bike moving. Luckily the Roadrat has very good geometry for standing & climbing, and allows me to have a completely straight back. Throwing the bike from side to side also feels cumbersome, but not as much as with a single-sided load.  
• You pick up speed quicker going down hills too. You don't notice it until you hit a downhill corner and find yourself running wide after picking your usual line.
• Bike handling generally is also compromised. All the weight at the back makes the front wheel feel lighter, so you have to compensate when cornering on loose surfaces by leaning forward more. I can see why regular tourers use both front & back racks to balance the load. It also feels like you could get into a front wheel wobble 'tank slapper' if you weren't paying attention. Would be very interesting riding singletrack with a load.
• The additional bangs and rattles from the bag were a bit concerning going over rough stuff and hucking off kerbs, although it's an old laptop and it' not even mine so that shouldn't really bother me. 
• The Freeload rack is working well now, but I'm glad I did some shopping runs to bed it in as at first it was slipping and the mounts needed tightening a few times. Didn't help that I was carrying a single pannier, which skewed the load to one side and caused the rack to rub on the tyre.
• I can now see why tourers like bike stands. Getting the bag loaded up with the bike leaning against a wall was awkward. However a top-tube pad, whilst not perfect, will go a long way towards saving both the paintwork and your dignity.
• I need to figure out the weight of my 'touring' gear before I embark on an epic single speed weekend away, only to stall on the first hill and roll gently backwards to home.

For the commute I'm using a Deuter laptop bag with an extendable compartment which was perfect for fitting my 15" laptop (in a padded case), shirt, smart trousers, smart shoes, undies, tools and spares. The top mounting seemed to help reduce clothing creasing. The shoe are heel-less 'minimalist' business shoes so don't take up much space - don't you just love it when two fads coincide?

 The one thing I did forget was my belt, but fortunately the Freeload setup provided a classy solution

 Don't want to brag, but that's a 1m long strap there :)

Edit - if anyone is interested in buying a Freeload rack then you may have to wait - it looks like the design has been bought out by Thule.