Laptop on back or in pannier?

[fossyant]

iPads are ok! Got one in a Belkin neoprene case in my pannier. Not broken yet.

 

[RhythMick]

The hard disc should not be live when it is in standby/hibernation etc. The disc heads are parked. Its still better to shut down though as certain circumstances will make it wake up (low battery/the lid sensor being jolted etc.)

Be careful how you pack food with it too, my laptop only recently stopped smelling like yoghurt.

Oh that made me smile

 

[Terry Kay]

Oh that made me smile

Reminded me of the time we drove to France not realising we'd left nearly a pint of yoghurt drink in the bottle on the floor? After a few days and the warm weather..
Well, lets just say I'm glad we were pitching the tent when the contents ended up all over the roof and seats as it exploded! Never did get the carpet smelling right..

Anyway, always the pessimist, I'd be more likely to carry one in a towel in the panniers - should I come off its less likely to do as much damage falling from a lower height..

 

[Edwards80]

Would the vibrations have an effect on a tablet, specifically an iPad?

Should be fine. They have flash memory rather than hard drives so no moving parts to worry about!

 

[Moodyman]

Get a laptop sleeve or even better a laptop specific pannier which has the right cushioning to negate vibrations. Halford do a very good quality one for £20. It's only beaten by Ortlieb and Carradice, but they're silly money.

 

[MisterStan]

Should be fine. They have flash memory rather than hard drives so no moving parts to worry about!

Thanks, I know thay have a flash drive, some one had mentioned that the circuit boards may not enjoy being shaken to pieces - I was wondering if this would affect the iPad like it may a laptop?

 

[Glow worm]

I carry my work laptop in my pannier all the time and have done for years without any problems. My biggest concern is going round Sainsbury's with the laptop in my panners in the trolley and worrying some f****r's goung to nick the thing. It has a good cover and of course I remove all big files like PDFs etc from it before cycling so it weighs less. Or something.

 

[twowheelsgood]

Depends if it's your laptop or belongs to your work.

The best solution which is simply to have a computer at home and one at work and keep your docs or a server and synchronise your personal stuff through something like live mesh.

Carting hardware around isn't a smart solution unless you need stuff on site as in a sales role or something.