1. Lower back, back and shoulder pain
During the first few minutes of your ride, everything is fine, no pain is reported! However, after a few kilometers, discomfort sets in, the need for a break may arise, and ultimately pain the next day, or worse, significant discomfort for several days.
Of course, the backpack is not solely responsible; the bike's geometry, your body position, the effort required... All these factors must be taken into account. However, a backpack is very often the trigger for pain, the "last straw" that, over time, can be very debilitating.
Indeed, the backpack constantly pulls you towards the back of your bike, while you naturally want to go forward. The force you need to exert is therefore greater, and in this situation, your body compensates as much as possible with all the muscles at its disposal to keep you in the saddle. However, you are creating internal tension in parts of the body that should normally not be, or only slightly, stressed by the effort. Over time, these tensions can become bothersome, debilitating, or even cause injuries.
Of course, the observation is not alarmist; it depends on the weight you carry on your back. The tension in your muscles is directly proportional to the mass transported; therefore, the risk arises when your bag is heavy and you feel its weight while pedaling.
2. Sweaty back
Here, nothing very dangerous, and yet, excessive sweating is generally undesirable, especially when you are expected somewhere after your journey, or when you arrive for a day of work.
Whether it's summer or winter, carrying a backpack will definitely make you sweat. Worse still, bags with breathable padding, supposedly designed to alleviate this problem, are not effective! The effort expended and the compression of weight on your skin for several minutes or hours will inevitably result in a wet back due to your exertion.
If you commute to work every day, you will quickly realize that carrying a backpack is heavy during the journey, and the feeling of a sweaty back is rarely pleasant.
3. Loss of balance and poor weight distribution
Unless you are a balance expert and don't budge an inch while pedaling, chances are a backpack won't help your riding.
When we pedal, our body sways from left to right, then from right to left, accompanying the movement of our legs. Despite the straps you might attach to your torso, the backpack will act like a dead weight swinging arbitrarily, bouncing with every bump encountered on the road.
Your body balance is then no longer in equilibrium and your muscles are stressed to bring your center of gravity back to the center of the bike, which can cause pain. Also, when taking a turn, be careful not to be thrown off balance!
4. Unpleasant ride
What a relief when you take off your backpack... Isn't it? All the accumulated pressure fades and your muscles relax, which is why you often want to take it off when you still have a few kilometers left before reaching your destination!
Your body position indeed plays an important role in your comfort on the bike. With a bag that weighs on your back, sways, and constantly unbalances you, it's difficult to stay upright and well-seated to enjoy a nice breath of fresh air. The ride becomes significantly less comfortable, and you have only one wish: to reach the end of your journey.
5. Impossible to ride long distances
All the problems mentioned above can still be managed in the short term, without immediate harmful effects, but they intensify with the length of your journey.
Especially for all budding adventurers or experienced hikers, opting for a backpack on long distances is certainly not recommended. And ultimately, why bother carrying a backpack on your bike when your bike could carry it itself?
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