Suggestions me some pannier bags - please!

72hundred

Hey,

I've just fitted the rack to me new commuting bike and I'm looking for a set of pannier bags for it. Here's a pic of the rack on the bike (taken with camera phone):



What I'm looking for is:

• Waterproof.
• Quick release so I can bring them with me into work.
• Light enough.
• Safety: High-Viz strips / somewhere to attach lights to rear of them.

Many thanks in advance!

Supercell

I have these Ortlieb Back Roller Classic Panniers which are everything you want above.
Very happy with them, literally takes about one second to attach or detach, really clever design.

cgf

Have these http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Altura_Dryline_56_Rear_Panniers/5360029300/

and they do all of the above bar the light attachment - I just have my light on the seat post which I thought was the norm. Not sure why you would want to attach a light to these as they are just a small extension to the width of the bike at the rear. If anything the 56l is a bit too big. I tend only to use one and plenty of room for rain gear and office clothes.

Also have one of these for the lapper http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Ortlieb_Notebook_Insert/5360014349/

A quick Q for others with panniers - if using one, do you put in on the LHS or RHS of the rack? I use the LHS - the logic being that it is on the inside and therefore less likely to get clipped by passing traffic (but then again if they are clipping my pannier I guess it is the least of my problems)

penexpers

I have a set of Altura panniers that I don't need anymore. Would let them go for 25 euro.

They are these ones

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Altura_Arran_36_Rear_Panniers/5360029308/

rp

Supercell wrote: »

I have these Ortlieb Back Roller Classic Panniers which are everything you want above.
Very happy with them, literally takes about one second to attach or detach, really clever design.

I'll second that recommendation. Ortlieb are the business: never the slightest dampness inside all summer (and that is saying something), and they've been in daily use for several years now. Don't need 'extra' waterproof covers or any of that messing, either. The QR2 fitting is superior to the older quick-release, though (more adjustment possibilities).

oobydooby

Supercell wrote: »

I have these Ortlieb Back Roller Classic Panniers which are everything you want above.
Very happy with them, literally takes about one second to attach or detach, really clever design.

+1 on these. I use them for everything now. Good price there too.

72hundred

Supercell wrote: »

I have these Ortlieb Back Roller Classic Panniers which are everything you want above.
Very happy with them, literally takes about one second to attach or detach, really clever design.

Seems these are the most popular ones going!

More info on them here, in case anyone else is thinking of buying (including a 360 view):

http://www.ortliebusa.com/CartGenie/prod-31.htm

I'd have 'em in yellow, for the bumble bee visibility look!

Did you buy them locally to make sure they would fit first or take a chance over the web after measuring the rack?

EDIT: Also how secure is the attachement system? Having a look here in the 360 view its hard to see how the clips at the back actually attach on.

MadHatter

72hundred wrote: »

Did you buy them locally to make sure they would fit first or take a chance over the web after measuring the rack?

There should be no problem fitting them, the attachment mechanism is very configurable. However, you may need to fit them towards the back of the pannier to make sure your heel doesn't hit them when pedaling.

It may be worth checking them out locally before you buy to make sure you're happy with the size of them. I use the smaller front rollers on my rear rack, plenty of space in them for my needs. Cycleways stock them and have them on sale at the moment - cheaper than the Wiggle price. You may need to buy from the Cycleways website though - I was looking to buy pedals a while back and they wouldn't give me the sale price in the shop, said it was online only :rolleyes:

72hundred wrote: »

EDIT: Also how secure is the attachement system? Having a look here in the 360 view its hard to see how the clips at the back actually attach on.

The attachement is very secure. If you look at the side profile, you'll see the 2 attachments at the top. These are spring-loaded - when you pull the grab handle these separate and you slot them onto the rack, release the handle and they lock in place. They come with "shims" to fit racks with narrower tubing too. The bottom attachment hooks in behind the vertical tubing on the rack so the bottom of the bag doesn't flap in and out.

Hope that makes sense.

rflynnr

MadHatter wrote: »

They come with "shims" to fit racks with narrower tubing too. .

Also strongly endorse Ortlieb - I've bought five different types of their bags over the past 10 years (front rollers, back rollers, handlebar bag, seat bag and back roller outer pockets). Never had to consider buying a second set of any of them as they're indestructable and absolutely rainproof.

One tiny thing with the shims though: they tend to fall out of the rack mount. I'd consider supergluing them in.

72hundred

Thanks MadHatter and rflynnr.

+1 to both of ye.

Great advice. I'll be investing in a pair shortly I think.

72oo

studiorat

I've got the front rollers. Just big enough for the laptop bag and a few bits and pieces for work. In fact I have a spare, I only ever use one...

thumpybum

Have these http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Al...rs/5360029300/

and they do all of the above bar the light attachment - I just have my light on the seat post which I thought was the norm. Not sure why you would want to attach a light to these as they are just a small extension to the width of the bike at the rear. If anything the 56l is a bit too big. I tend only to use one and plenty of room for rain gear and office clothes.

cgf, when you bought those panniers, is that price on wiggle for the pair of them? would one (28l?) bag do for shoes, towel, shower bag, shirt, trousers?

Is there any balancing issues having only 1 pannier on?

studiorat

thumpybum wrote: »

Is there any balancing issues having only 1 pannier on?

No, you feel it there but it's not a problem. Bunny hops are a little trickier though. Much better than carrying on your back.

cgf

thumpybum wrote: »

cgf, when you bought those panniers, is that price on wiggle for the pair of them? would one (28l?) bag do for shoes, towel, shower bag, shirt, trousers?

Is there any balancing issues having only 1 pannier on?

The price is for a pair. Each bag is 28l and should be able to take shoes, towel, shower bag, shirt, trousers. I don't bother taking shoes/shower bag in/out of work daily - keep them in desk/locker but heaps of room for towel, shirt, trousers.

Generally no balancing issue - depending on the load you may notice it slightly when mounting / stopped but when cycling not a bother. Only time I had an issue with them and the load over-balancing was when Joe Duffy started his mini bank-run

Turbulent Bill

The Ortliebs might be the best, but for commuting I picked up a Dawes Universal Pannier. Fairly easy to get on and off, light and has reflective strips. It's ok on its own in drizzle/light rain, but for anything heavier you'll need the included rain cover. Capacity is only 15l which is just enough for commuting, and it's €75 cheaper than the Back Roller.

blorg

I've done long cycles (Dublin-Cork) with one pannier, you really don't notice after the first few km.

Just got a rack on the Bowery last night myself, I'll see how it goes and if all is well might splash out for a nicer one. This is an old steel yolk salvaged from my hack and weighs almost 1kg. Also due to the design it actually doesn't take panniers great (the supports stick out a bit from the rails on the top.)

oobydooby

blorg wrote: »

I've done long cycles (Dublin-Cork) with one pannier, you really don't notice after the first few km.

Just got a rack on the Bowery last night myself, I'll see how it goes and if all is well might splash out for a nicer one. This is an old steel yolk salvaged from my hack and weighs almost 1kg. Also due to the design it actually doesn't take panniers great (the supports stick out a bit from the rails on the top.)

I see you found a way around the lack of braze-ons for the carrier. Do you think that setup would be ok for a decent load (eg touring rather than commuting)?

blorg

oobydooby wrote: »

I see you found a way around the lack of braze-ons for the carrier. Do you think that setup would be ok for a decent load (eg touring rather than commuting)?

I used P-Clips at the bottom and the bit at the top is attached to the brake hole. The weight would all be supported below, by the P-Clips.

I don't know, probably though, I tend to tour substantially lighter than some of the loads I might carry on my commute/shop in any case. Generally under 10kg although I could go over if I am carrying bags for two as occurred on my last tour

This particular carrier is quite wobbly but it is the carrier rather than the P-Clips as far as I can make out, it was a bit wobbly on the previous bike and I carried substantial enough loads on it.

I'll be in a better position to let you know how it is going after I've been running it for a while, if it is working out well I reckon I will replace with a TorTec Ultralite which is a good light (400g) stiff aluminum rack (have one on my tourer.)

Note 72hundred has his rack mounted in much the same way, his BeOne doesn't have rack mounting points either.

oobydooby

Hadn't thought of shopping. Didn't really look at 7200's picture, just had been following your commentary on the pros and cons of the bowery... that's the one big con overcome.. glad the offer's over!

blorg wrote: »

Note 72hundred has his rack mounted in much the same way, his BeOne doesn't have rack mounting points either.

OP - for the high-viz thing, the ortlieb bags have a logo painted on which reflects light extremely well. Whether you got darker bags or (supposedly insect-loving) bumble bee bags, at night time anyway they would be equally visible. Any flash photos I took with the bikes/bags in them have this glow around the logo. And car headlights have the same effect. Personally I like the yellow ones, but I bought grey to match the bike:)

72hundred

Here's a few pic's of the overall effect! I've very happy with it so far, I guess the real test will be over the next few months of commuting to make sure no problems crop up.

The attachment in black plastic came off a saddle bag purchase and seems to do the job well, with some adhesive plastic tape and superglue to stop an movement.

blorg

Looks good 72oo, should be a nippy commuter. Are you planning on mudguards though?

Supercell

What do you guys think about this Ortlieb Bike Box 3 Rack Bag to go on top, is it as easy to mount and dismount as the panniers?

72hundred

@ Blorg: Yes defo, mudguards are next on the list. Didn't want to get them till I had decided on the rack and bags in case of fitting problems. Cycleways showed me a pair for €50 that attached onto the front fork for the front and the seat stays for the back. Going to keep looking on-line for a while though in case I can spot better value.

@Supercell: I think I'm going to go with the back roller classics. Seems a lot of people use them for years without problem and completely waterproof which is a big winner given the down pours we get occasionally.

Should have the bags bought by the end of the weekend. I'll post up pic's when the whole thing is complete and I've my perfect commuting bike!

blorg

Supercell wrote: »

What do you guys think about this Ortlieb Bike Box 3 Rack Bag to go on top, is it as easy to mount and dismount as the panniers?

No experience with that bike box although I imagine it is probably pretty easy. Note with a bike box you are losing one of the key advantages of panniers, the low centre of gravity. Having all your stuff down so low really does help the handling.

Having said that when commuting I generally strap all my shopping/stuff in random bags or a massive big box on top of the rack and rarely use the panniers, only use them for touring.

72oo- €50 seems a lot for mudguards, Race Blades are about the most expensive you can get and they RRP at €45; I got them in Joe Daly's for €40. SKS Chromoplastics, which are the best you can get if the frame will take them, are available for less but you would probably have brake and frame clearance issues even with the P-Clips. I have just my rear Chromoplastic on the Bowery, I can then swap it over in seconds to the road bike if I reckon I will need it on that. Don't currently bother with the front but I could attach it if necessary.

Race Blades are really great BTW, I would strongly recommend them. TorTec do ones that look similar for less money, I haven't tried them though.

72hundred

Thanks for those suggestions Blorg.

I didn't even occur to me to put the chromoplastics only on the back. I'm sure I could squeeze 'em under the brakes and maybe attach 'em onto the brake screw, maybe a little modd'ing (bending/bashing) could be required.

I'll be in Cycleways tomorrow more than likely. I'll see what they have to say/sell (interestingly enough often the same thing ).

72oo

barrabus

cycleways are surprisingly competitively priced for ortleibs

http://www.cycleways.com/store/product/11928/Ort-Bag-Back-Roller-Classic-Bl/

blorg

Sorry, i mistyped, i meant i have just the rear raceblade on the back, it doesn't have brake clearance for the chromoplastics. Point being that the rear is more important than the front.

Capt'n Midnight

blorg wrote: »

I've done long cycles (Dublin-Cork) with one pannier, you really don't notice after the first few km.

ditto
though you might notice a slight tendancy to drift to the side with a heavily loaded pannier when extremely tired and just about to nod off


off tipic
if travelling long distance panniers with lots of accessible pockets can be handy
I'm looking for something like these - three pockets you can dip into while on the move, and some give you another pocket at the back to put all the tools and spares so easy to get to when you stop
http://www.bikecommuters.com/2008/01/19/another-great-cargo-trick/


for commuting waterproofing is essential
having a strap to carry it would also be high on the list
having an external pocket for spare tube might be handy

in the past I've used large handlebar bags with straps and modified the bracket to fit on the back carrier, not entrely successful but doesn't intefere with the steering

72hundred

Ended up getting these actually for front racks, but perfect me as I don't need the extra space that the rear ones had.

Very happy now with the overall effect. I'll post up some pic's shortly.

EDIT: Also must say that the service in Cycleways was very good. They were very helpful and informative and gave me 10% off. (Also thanks to Cyclogical for lending me some tools to get my bike back on the road after a puncture.)

Húrin

penexpers wrote: »

I have a set of Altura panniers that I don't need anymore. Would let them go for 25 euro.

They are these ones

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Altura_Arran_36_Rear_Panniers/5360029308/

I would like to buy them from you if nobody else has asked!

Ian

Vélo

Would the panniers mentioned hold a laptop?

I'm looking at yet another bike for those wet days commuting. It would be a big mistake not to get one under the cycle to work scheme

Thinking of this


I'd appreciate any opinions on this. By the way I'm seriously considering selling my car also!!

Ryaner

I've just order http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Altura_Dryline_56_Rear_Panniers/5360029300/ which are 15" by 15" inside. Should fit my laptop.

irishlostboy

sorry to necro this thead folks. thought it better than starting a new one with similar theme.
i am looking to get my hands on Cheap and Large pannier bags. i have a basic and sturdy raliegh hybridy thing, with its basic and sturdy pannier frame attached. been using the fram and bungie chords for ages. want a system that i can rig up and use for carrying gear for camping.
bags do not have to be waterproof, as everything will be drylined individually. i dont travel light, so they need to be basic and simple with no fancy do-dads. but most of all, cheap. ortlebs etc are way out of my price range.
thanks for any sugestions people might have.

monument

http://carradice.co.uk/commuter-bike-bags/index.html

I've one of these. It's on the large side, but it fits my massive laptop and lots more when needed.

Civilian_Target

That looks awesome monument.

Personally I have the old versions of these http://www.raleigh.co.uk/p_details.aspx?id=411 Can just about fit a 15-inch thinkpad in the padded bag, in which case you'd have to take the second bag for your shoes.

Question, do you guys generally just take one pannier, or take both and try to balance them?

blorg

One, if everything fits in it. There is no real balance problem, I've done long cycles (Dublin-Cork) with one pannier and you get used to it pretty quick. If you actually need two though, may as well balance them.

monument

Civilian_Target wrote: »

That looks awesome monument.

Here's a few better shots of it when in off-bike mode:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cianginty/3337802479/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cianginty/3338644110/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cianginty/3338653594/

Civilian_Target wrote: »

Question, do you guys generally just take one pannier, or take both and try to balance them?

One, I only have the one. It's grand cycling and when stopping and starting etc. The only time I have a balancing problem is when it's fully loaded and I'm off the bike and, say, trying to open a heavy gate while still holding the bike.

Tayto2000

I got a great set of waterproof Alturas in Cycleogical last year, they've been great for the commute although I mainly envisaged using them for touring...

Funnily enough I ended up going back to using a backpack over the winter, extra warmth and padding for falling off on the ice

dermots

I'm looking into getting some panniers for commuting. I can't decide whether to get a laptop-friendly design bag like this:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Altura_Urban_Dryline_17_Inch_Briefcase_Pannier/5360029305/

or just use a laptop sleeve and get a basic pannier like this:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Altura_Dryline_56_Rear_Panniers/5360029300/

Does anyone commute daily with a laptop regularly? Any advise on whether or not the briefcase panniers are more handy?

DualFrontDiscs

My 13 inch MacBook travels in my Ortlieb panniers most days. There's an internal pocket that keeps it snug. I don't even bother with a laptop sleeve.

DFD.

dermots

Thanks for the reply DFD. I have a 15" Dell. I guess I'll just bring it with my to the shop and see what fits. I'm just concerned if the laptop can handle the vibrations that the panniers see. I'm between the Ortleibs and the Altura Dryline. I'm guessing either one will do, just need to figure out heel clearance and whether the laptop fits snugly.

blorg

dermots wrote: »

Thanks for the reply DFD. I have a 15" Dell. I guess I'll just bring it with my to the shop and see what fits. I'm just concerned if the laptop can handle the vibrations that the panniers see.

That would be my concern, I use panniers myself and am no fan of weight on my back but have always carried my laptop there (after I shook the screen cable loose on one carried in panniers.)

Planet X

Carradice Prima Top Bag on a Tubus rack,






http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Carradice_Prima_Topbag/5360042577/

Ryaner

I have those DryLine ones on my bike and they fit my Dell 15" laptop fine. Had no real problems although a screw did come out yesterday. My guess is not from the panniers though.
They are on the heavy side so works out that I can be carrying an extra 10kgs some days. But they have lasted through some very very wet days. Can't really fault them.

BostonB

I've a set of the Ortlieb's. Great in the wet, but they've no pockets so you have to open the whole bag to get anything out. Also as they are fully water proof, they don't "air" well. So it can get a bit stuffy in the bag.