Issues with Apple Silicon MacBooks when commuting by bicycle?

[iampoker]

Hello everybody!

I am currently typing on a 13" non-Retina MacBook Pro from 2012 and looking for an upgrade. I've been thinking of getting a brand-new M2 MBP 14" or 16" or maybe a 2nd hand 16" 2019 model, but I am somehow worried about damages when the laptop is in transit – I usually commute by bicycle to university where my MacBook Pro is in a sleeve inside the laptop compartment, which is closest relative to my back. While I have never had problems with my MBP, I have a feeling that this might be different with a new model – My brother has a 16" M1 MBP and the lid does not seem robust in any way, especially when a backpack is a little bit filled, and my biggest nightmare would be any display damages due to some force exerted on the lid. This is the next best post that addresses my concerns, and while the notion of "burnt pixels" is a little bit confusing, the original poster has taken some measure by using a hard case and a sleeve only to still have dead pixels due to sandwiching the laptop in the backpack. Again, with my current MBP, I have no doubts of its "ruggedness", but as of now I am too risk-averse to spend 2500+$ to realise that the laptop does not like bicycle rides in a backpack. So to all owners of 14" or 16" MacBooks (both Apple Silicone and Intel) who commute by bicycle with their laptops, what is your experience?

 

[bollman]

Buy a better bag. Too much force on the lid will crack the display. It has been this way for years, no news really but since the computers are a lot thinner now than your old 2012 they are not as rugged as the old tanks. That said, you have to put substantial force on the lid for them to crack. The most common issue from what I see are id*ots that put a stack of paper with a clip betwwen the keyboard and screen and then put it in a bag where force is applied and then it cracks almost immediately.

 

[Fishrrman]

Do not, DO NOT, pack ANY Macbook in a backpack that doesn't provide adequate protection for the laptop.

By "protection", I mean there should be NO pressure on EITHER SIDE of the case when it's packed inside.

If your current backpack won't do, get another.
And it had better be WATERPROOF, as well.

 

[sgtaylor5]

What Fisherrman said, plus do get a backpack that has a well-padded compartment a half inch larger than your laptop. Fill the gap with a side loading neoprene sleeve and leave the sleeve in the backpack. You can put a wool tube sock in the backpack's padded compartment before you insert the sleeve if you're prone to drop your backpack when you take it off.

 

[iampoker]

Thanks everybody for the replies. I've upgraded to the 16" M1 a few months back with a sleeve. I have never had any issues until now, even when my backpack was crammed with other stuff. My fears seemed to be ungrounded.