Managing hypos during exercise.

How about a bike bag of some type eg bar bag that straps to top of cross bar, triangle bag that fits just below front of saddle, or saddle bag, or stick some chewy bars, bananas, sweets etc in pocket on back of cycle jersey.

For more general advice about exercise with type 1 diabetes, adjusting insulin doses etc try www.runsweet.com and www.teambloodglucose.com

If i prepare for longer trips i usually drink a glass of cola. What i also do is fill halve a cannister with water and grenadine or something extremely sugary and lay it on it's side in the freezer the previous day, on the day i go cycling i fill the rest up with water. Even during summer time it stays cool for about 2-3 hours. Having slightly higher BG levels before cycling doesn't really bother me, when i'm around 200 mg/dl i can do a 45 km mountain bike ride through field roads, uphill, dirt roads,... without stopping for sugary drink.

As for backpacks i know what you mean, when i commute to work my backpack is around 6 kg heavy. Having a backpack with a net between your back and the actual pack does help a lot. Thule and Vaude are the best packs i've used though they're quite expensive for a backpack but then again they last long too.