Currently I use a touring bike with rear rack and a single panier on my 15km commute. In my panier I carry a full set of clothes including shoes, a small coat and a towel. I want to start using my road bike on my commute because it is a better bike in almost all ways except for the cargo situation. The panier I use is an ortlieb back-roller classic. It is huge, it is completely waterproof, and I fix it to my bike in one quick motion. I'm looking for something that matches or improves on most of those characteristics but fits on a road bike. More specifically, I'd like to find a cargo solution for my road bike that:
- is at least 15-20 litres.
- is waterproof in standard setup (no rain-covers).
- does not interfere with my biking.
- attaches and detaches with minimal effort.
- (bonus points) is aerodynamic.
- (bonus points) looks good
I've tried a backpack, but that violates point 3 and (somewhat) 5. Also, it is sweaty and bad for my back. I've been looking into the various bags that attach on top of a rear-rack such as the ortlieb trunk bag and the topeak trunk drybag but they are too small. Topeak has bigger models but those have a strange compartmentalisation, and they are not waterproof (since you can buy separate rain covers). I'd like to avoid the asymmetry of a single panier, and I'd also like to avoid attaching a full rear-rack to my roadbike. Seatpost-mounted rack is fine though.
Edit (2014-12-01): In the end I decided to go for a backpack, the ortlieb packman pro 2 to be exact. Reasons:
- 100% waterproof
- some bike-friendly features (notably, some ventilation on the back)
- Exactly the size I need.
- Quicker and better ease of use than all rack-mounted or seatpost-mounted solutions I could find.