I think I might be looking into a trailer setup in the near future. I think a friend or two and I will be riding the US west coast this summer and we might be taking the tandem, in which case a trailer would be necessary. Either way it seems a good thing to have. If the cart bike proves to be too troublesome I might just convert it into a trailer as well for around town work.
Not until I get a backpack for when I can’t ride. But then, maybe. Or I’ll give it to my brother.
Hmm, I wants me some panniers.
Or I want to clear some space in my basement so I can bend back the fork on my beater so I can get it all set up to ride around with my giant basket on it.
Sometimes life is complicated.
Edit: #protestwordfilters
I might try a bob trailer. A friend has one that he’d like to part with.
I loved the shit out of my panniers when my commute was 15 miles (and then 22) but with my current 5 mile commute I’d much rather just use my bag.
EDIT: especially in the summer, not having a sweat soaked bag/back was really nice.
I wanna buy some panniers this weekend. Talk to me. How does putting stuff in them work? What I mean is that sometimes deep bags with no interior compartments can make it obnoxious to find stuff. I guess I’m thinking of switching over because I don’t need to take my laptop around with me anymore so it’d be nice to just throw a purse in and have a more manageable bag to carry around. I’ve got a locker at school and leave my bag (minus phone and wallet) in a safe place at work.
I think I’ve seen panniers that look like they might work as backpacks. What’s the story with those? Do some panniers have more interior support or structure than others? What’s totally waterproof? Any with interior pockets?
Do helmets fit inside?
Are there any I should avoid?
Like Kem Kem, I loved panniers when i had a ridiculously long commute, but i have switched to a backpack for my 2 km ride to the university of edinburgh. I’m now looking into a rack trunk and/or bar bag for my randonnerding endeavors.
Anita, Ortlieb and other roll top panniers are completely waterproof in normal cycling use. As for abnormal use, you could literally dunk them in a lake and as long as they came out in a minute or so your laptop wouldn’t get wet. Generally, there is a tradeoff between how waterproof a pannier is and how many inner compartments it has (there could be exceptions to this rule though).
And as you suspect, huge panniers can be a pita to dig around in if you have a lot of stuff in them and you weren’t very organized when you packed them. This is a property of most huge bags though.
finding stuff deep in my panniers is definitely the biggest issue I have with them, but I had the same problem with a large messenger bag.
Knog makes a pannier that you can wear like a messenger bag when its not on the bike. Ortlieb panniers come with a shoulder strap for carrying them around, though I usually don’t use it.
I know that my Ortliebs are totally waterproof, as are the Axiom knock-offs (though they don’t have the awesome Ortlieb attachment system). A lot companies sell panniers come with a removable rain cover or have one available to buy.
Yes, easily.
I used some inexpensive Axiom panniers I borrowed from a friend. I liked them because they were my first panniers, but now that I’ve used the Ortliebs, I never want to go back. Unless they were weighed down with lots of stuff (10lbs+), they were prone to popping off whenever I hit a bump in the road or dropped a curb. When I tried riding a fire road with them, they just kept falling off, even loaded. I take my Ortliebs everywhere and often ride the dirt paths home. I occasionally forget that I have them there and get a little bit airborne off of large bumps in the trail (usually just a few inches) or take small (6"-8") drops. They never, ever, ever come off until I want them to.
I would also like to take this opportunity to commend the robustness of 32h Salsa Delgado Cross rims.
Ortlieb.
Period.
“Every day for work and play!”
rusty can you tell me what size ortlieb bags you have? what do you usually carry in them?
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Ortli ... 7/#buyitem
any reason to buy any pannier other than this?
So I did a 1500-1700ft ascent today with a messenger bag that I was certain was going to kill me. It took the joy out of my otherwise dopamine-riddled ride. Fuck a messenger bag. Is there something better that doesn’t go on my body that could hold a set of clothes and maybe a few other small items. Also, something that’s relatively light. I’m thinking panniers, but anything else?
there are ones that work without a rack, too. my dad has one. it’ll hold some snacks, tools and some clothes, but that depends on how you define “a set”
[quote=“Rusty Piton”]Ortlieb.
Period.[/quote]
i somehow missed this before i asked if i should get something other than ortlieb, haha
Oh I got the normal panniers by ortlieb
So much better! There’s a little organizer that fits wallet, keys, phone for easy access
Shoulder strap is perfect for going to class
Shit rules
how about a big clip on seatbag that rests on the rear rack too…
i’m really unsatisfied with any of my current bag/pannier set ups. i’m thinking of ortliebs, or possibly adapting a small chrome roll top to something pannier style with a little nip and tuck and j hooks.
It would be rad to have a pannier that was a backpack when it detached.