Panniers

work

Hi looking for some pannier advice:
I have an altura pannier, good quality but a bit small and only one compartment so everything is bunged in together.

I have looked on wiggle.co.uk and there is far too many available so I am looking for some recommendations.

Can anyone suggest a pannier that meets as many of the following requirements as possible. It will be used for work commutes (2 diffrent work locations per day):

• Can be carried as a back bag, bag or "manbag" when off the bike, ie looks somewhat professional so you can go straight to a meeting not looking like you are off a bike.
• Be waterproof, or even better have a waterproof reflective inbuilt cover.
• Be big enough to carry a laptop and accessories, wet gear, work cloths (shoes, trousers, shirt), shampoo and towel.
• have compartments for the different items.

Within reason I do not care about cost, always take quality and function first.

WAPAIC

I have one of these in grey, looks fine, never leaks, hold a variety of different things (like the laptop) and has never fallen off the bike. I use small stuff sacks to divide up clothes, personal items and lunch. I add a shoulder strap from another bag so I can carry it over my shoulder.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/altura/urban-20-pannier-ec008432

Skrynesaver

WAPAIC wrote: »

I have one of these in grey, looks fine, never leaks, hold a variety of different things (like the laptop) and has never fallen off the bike. I use small stuff sacks to divide up clothes, personal items and lunch. I add a shoulder strap from another bag so I can carry it over my shoulder.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/altura/urban-20-pannier-ec008432

Another vote for the Altura Urban, though, while it can be carried as a bag, it's obviously a pannier. The click fit system ensures it won't fall and I use it to hold a laptop, office clothes and towel with ease, though i have a separate padded carrier inside for the laptop.

cdaly_

work wrote: »

Be big enough to carry a laptop and accessories, wet gear, work cloths (shoes, trousers, shirt), shampoo and towel.

Would you consider leaving shampoo, towel, shoes (and maybe a suit) at work and carrying only shirt. Frees up a lot of space. I leave a week's worth of clothing at my desk and save a whole lot of weight.

murphyebass

Always wondered about the whole cycling to work thing. Would love to do it but with no shower in work it just a no. I know you could have shirts etc in work and use the sink maybe in the loo or baby wipes but still can't see it being ideal.

awec

cdaly_ wrote: »

Would you consider leaving shampoo, towel, shoes (and maybe a suit) at work and carrying only shirt. Frees up a lot of space. I leave a week's worth of clothing at my desk and save a whole lot of weight.

But then how do you refresh that weeks worth of clothing?

cdaly_

Truck it home by panier on a friday, back on a monday.

Sagi

I'm also ooking for panniers,

I'm looking into the foolowing

Altura Orkney

http://www.altura.eu/products/luggage/panniers/orkney-panniers.aspx

or Night Vision

http://www.altura.eu/products/luggage/panniers/night-vision-20-pannier.aspx

the alturas don't look bad and would be available in the shop which is nice because cycling without panniers is starting to annoy me (dropped my shopping bag with a glass of honey a few days ago, because it was bady balanced on the rack)

Vaude Discover pro

http://www.vaude.com/epages/Vaude-de.sf/en_IN/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Vaude/Products/10225/SubProducts/102250840

They look very interesting actually, quite big with 52 liters and vaude normally offers good quality


Arkel Xm 45

http://www.arkelpanniers.co.uk/uk/all-categories/touring-bike-bag/xm-45-touring-rear-panniers.html

or XM 28

http://www.arkelpanniers.co.uk/uk/all-categories/touring-bike-bag/xm-28-touring-accessories.html

Arkel seems to have a very god reputation and cater to more sportive needs, as I like Mountainbike Tours they are very interesting, but pretty expensive.


it's a tricky thing to find the ideal panniers, I'd need some for the daily commute, to go to work and and do the shopping on the way home, for that purpose the smalles models would be fine, but I'm also looking for something to go on a tour in summer, last year I was cycling for 3 weeks and had a pair of ortlieb panniers with 40 liters and it was ok allthough I had some stuff i did not really need with me, but on rocky terrain and bumpy roads they reached their limit.

I think I'll give the small Arkel XM28 a try as I won't be on a biger cycling tour in the next few month and I think for smaller trips they will be fine.

Ant

I have this Ortlieb bag. I bought it about 2 years ago and I'm pretty sure it only cost me €100 back then. I'm amazed the price has gone up by 25% in the intervening years.

work wrote: »

[*]Can be carried as a back bag, bag or "manbag" when off the bike, ie looks somewhat professional so you can go straight to a meeting not looking like you are off a bike.

It fits the bill for this criterium. The cover folds down neatly and there's a handle on top if you want to carry it like a briefcase. It also comes with a padded shoulder strap if you prefer.

[*]Be waterproof, or even better have a waterproof reflective inbuilt cover.

I take care to make sure the cover is secured properly and I've never had water ingress. There's a plain, unobtrusive reflective symbol at the back which works effectively as observed when encountering other cyclists with the same bag.

[*]Be big enough to carry a laptop and accessories, wet gear, work cloths (shoes, trousers, shirt), shampoo and towel.

Again, it'll be fine for the above. On two occasions, I chanced carrying my 17" laptop. It fit in just fine but I'm wary of vibrations and if I ever need to transport the large laptop, I have a backpack or old messenger bag.

[*]have compartments for the different items.

It has pockets on either side. They're thick enough to fit an A4 refill pad but not much more than that.

Overall, I'm very happy with the quality and durability of this bag.

ciotog

I have a previous generation of http://www.vaude.com/epages/Vaude-de.sf/en_IN/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Vaude/Products/11169/SubProducts/111690760 which I quite like. The one I have has a roll up/down panel (held by zips) for rack attachment or access to the backpack straps. Space is decent and there's a waterproof cover in a bottom pocket. Cost around €70 in Halfords. Would suggest trying to get your hands on any of the bags before buying so you can get a proper feel for the suitability.

Sagi

I went for a Pair of Altura Fuse in the end, and I'm pretty happy with them so far, the bright colour and reflective par6ts are nice in the dark.

The arkel would have been nice, but the Proce is already quite high and as i Found out its without VAT plus high shipping costs and the currency exchange fees....

bloomfield

I use a Basil Sports Pannier bag. It's not fully waterproof, but it does have some useful side pockets, and has a shoulder strap for use off-bike. I use it every day on my commute.

seamus

I'd recommend Altura Arc panniers if you can find them at a good price. Completely waterproof, as in cycle-through-floods-and-stay-dry and carry a tonne of stuff. I love mine, especially since Wiggle only sent me one (supposed to be a set of two) and when I alerted them to the error, they send me out two more

They are however quite fiddly to carry off the bike and not high-vis, if that's your bag (pun intended).

Edit: Actually the Fuse appears to be the bigger brother of the Arc, so you've made a good buy Sagi. You might find it a little annoying when you're carrying it off the bike, but not a biggie.