Factor in all you must carry when bike commuting and the thought itself is more grueling than an uphill commute into a headwind: Change of clothes, grooming essentials, MP3 player, phone, laptop, blinker light, keys, lunch and bike lock. It all has to fit inside a pack that doesn’t make you feel like the Sherpa.
That’s why my new best bike commuting friend is the Osprey Momentum. It has all the standard pockets and compartments that are expected from a pack, but with some unique extras. Bike commuters of the world, rejoice.
Smartphone pocket: Osprey actually sat down and considered the evolution of the cell phone. When you’re riding and your phone rings, you want the phone where you can easily reach it. You also want to be cognizant of your Smartphone’s touch screen. If they get cracked or scratched, and you don’t have an insurance plan, you could be out a chunk of cash for repairs. That’s why Osprey put the phone pocket on the shoulder strap for quick access and lined that pocket with a soft material to protect your phone. A large, glove-friendly zipper pull allows super-easy access.
Padded laptop compartment: The padded laptop sleeve holds your 17” laptop snugly and is located in the middle of the pack and not against the back panel. Such minor changes to the standard laptop backpack, yet the result is major comfort during longer bike commutes. Here’s how I came to this conclusion. I left work one Friday in Eagan and met my husband in Mendota for dinner. After dinner, we decided to ride along the Big Rivers trail to witness the Minnesota River at full flood (way cool!). When the trail descended under water, we opted to take the scenic route home rather than retrace our ride back to Mendota. Twenty-three miles later, I was home. And it never occurred to me that I had a laptop in my pack.
LidLock™ helmet clip: This is a nice feature and quickly secures your helmet to the pack after your ride. Just pull the LidLock away from the pack, pass it through an air vent in your helmet and voila. Hands-free helmet transport through the office front doors or the grocery store aisles. This feature is also on their Raptor hydration pack.
Key pocket/key guard: Osprey designed this zippered pocket on the shoulder straps to stash your keys. Another useful and unique feature because when I get home from my commute, I can easily remove my house keys without having to take off the pack and sift through compartments looking for them. Glove-friendly zippers make this feature even more useful and accessible. You can also use this pocket to stash your MP3 player.
Blinker light attachment: The best way to get hit by a car is by being invisible. Attaching your blinker light to your seat post works, but cars can see you a lot easier when your blinker light is at their eye level. A car’s eye level is just about at your back—which is why Osprey put the blinker light attachment there.
Dual compression straps: Let’s keep moving. These are pretty standard in any decent pack.
Tuck away hipbelt and shoulder straps system: But this is so totally not standard in packs! This is way cool. You can actually unclip all the obvious clips and stuff the shoulder straps in a tuck-away compartment. Do the same for the hip belt. Then you can carry the pack by its side handle ala briefcase.
Integrated rain cover: This is a highly visible (neon yellow) rain poncho with reflective materials and a built-in blinker attachment tab to increase safety. It will also keep your laptop dry and all items inside the pack dry. These are becoming increasingly standard on packs these days so I’m pleased it’s standard on a commuter pack. It stashes in its own special compartment at the bottom and a Velcro attachment keeps it in place. When you’re riding, it doesn’t make any noise. Genius! It also detaches for easy washing.
Mesh side pockets: Located on both sides of the pack, these are handy for stashing your bike lock, employee badge, water bottle, bike pump, tool kit, iPod, or any other item you want access to without having to remove the pack.
This is an impressive pack. Genius incarnate at its finest. For the bike commuter, it has everything you need and everything you need is conveniently and thoughtfully located. At a stop sign and your phone rings? Just unzip the pocket on the left shoulder strap and answer it. Walking to your front door and need your keys? Just unzip the right shoulder strap and you’re in. The retractable key clip prevents you from forgetting your keys in door or bike locks, too.
If you live in Minneapolis, you can find the Osprey Momentum at REI, Hoigaard's
45 Degrees and Midwest Mountaineering. It also comes in two sizes: 26 and 34.
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