Firstly, apologies - not really a triathlon question…
Have been commuting for ages and recently figured out that my skin is not a massive fun of heavy backpack sticking to it for an extended duration… Hence the need to invest in some decent, waterproof panniers to carry work clothes + laptop on a daily basis.
Any recommendations?
Quick search reveals ortlieb or thule as pretty highly ranked options; but i can see this is an outlay of around 100 for bags + another 100 for the special mounting system. Any users here? any alternatives?
This is to go on a fairly regularly shaped single speed (i’m sorry Paddy Wagon, it has to be done) which at present does not have the rack at the back…
After 20yrs of commuting with a rucksack I recently invested in a rack & pannier.
The rack I bought was a Bontrager BackRack Lightweight from Rutland Cycles, it’s been great. Easy to fit once I bought a Passport Rack Mount Seatclamp as my old crosser has no attachment points & cantilever brakes. I’m pretty sure if it’s still in one piece when my crosser dies that it should transfer to the next bike I decide to kill my commuting.
I only need a single bag so decided to get an Upso Potters Pannier as they were a bit different & looked waterproof & bombproof. It’s been all of those things & I’ve been chuffed with it.
Although I don’t have to walk far with my bag - & a pannier can be quite cumbersome to carry - the one drawback with the Upso is that you can only use the shoulder strap once the bag has been opened as it uses the same attachment points that the bag uses to fold down/seal.
If I needed a pair of bags or needed to carry them for any distance I’d be looking at the popular Ortlieb Back Roller Classic.
I have a rack that’s ancient - they just don’t wear out; and it was fairly cheap iirc. Pannier wise; in the old days I had some Carradice Carradry panniers (I only use one at any given time btw) and found them not very well made/robust, certainly for the money.
Since being back commuting; on the recommendation of a colleague I bought some Axiom panniers (Monsoon Hydracore). They are actually heavy duty cordura with a separate waterproof lining. I think I got them reduced from nearly £100 down to £40. I also use a day-glo rucksack waterproof cover over it, so my kit actually has 3 layers over it! So far so good. They seem robust, despite the way I yank them off the rack. They aren’t that big (I think the “32+” is optimistic), but I have a locker at work, so don’t need to transport a lot of kit. £39.99 at Rutland cycling still I see, for that they’re a bargain imho.
I have an UPSO pannier… I think a sideline of Carradice made from recycled lorry tarps… kinda basic, kinda fun and each one unique. Uk made etc… all good
I commuted for a year recently and bought a standard Topeak rack (there are lots which to my eye look very similar). Easy to fit (I had to get some p-clips to attach to the chain stays but this wasn’t hard) and suited to my needs as the pannier slides on and off, plus you can roll up one or both sides to use as a top box (Topeak-mtx-trunk-bag-dxp-with-side-panniers) … it might not have been this exact model as there seem to be more than one, again, very similar to each other.
£100ish total investment, commuted summer and winter without any issues at all.
The only other think to mention is the possibility of using a beam rack, but I think that’s only sensible if you are carrying very little weight
I’ve just been tidying my garage and found a brand new set that I’d bought a couple of years ago and never used - let me see if I can find the brand and model if you’d be interested?
Thanks all for the responses - appreciate the various recommendations.
Thanks for the offer, do let me know please… (also where you are so that i get a sense of postage cost damage …
i just got a standard rack put on my bike today, and will probably go for UPSO as one pannier is all i need and i must say the environmental friendliness as well as looks are pretty good…
