Panniers?

[abyssinia]

So since I got a new bike last May (a Giant Seek, and it's awesome) I'm remembering how much fun it is to ride when your bike doesn't suck, and I'm commuting by bike way more than by bus.

But grad school means I'm generally lugging around a laptop and books and other heavy things and, well, it gets kinda heavy. So I'm looking to get a set of panniers.

I'd like to find panniers which are waterproof, easy to put on and take off the bike, and have some sort of strap to make them easy to carry to my office/to class/etc. Something that converts into behaving like a backpack would be extra awesome. I'm planning to hit up my local bike shops this weekend, but I was hoping for advice beforehand.

Does anyone have any advice for features to look for/avoid? Materials or styles? Brands?

Thanks!

Comments

[kuwdora]

this is way too early for me to be commenting. caues clearly. I did not actually read where you were posting.

....

*handwaves at you*

I be emailin' you soon w/ other stuff anyway.

[abyssinia]

I totally cracked up (in the good way) at your comments in my inbox.

*eagerly awaits your other emails*

[sara]

I have a pair of Jandd panniers that are very waterproof and easy on-off, but they are kind of a bear to carry around. I would look generally at Jandds, though -- they aren't cheap but they really do work well, and they make some different commuter models.

[abyssinia]

Sweet. Thanks!

It's weird - I live in a town with a lot of bike paths and a large bike commuter population (and large competitive biker population) with a bunch of small independent bike shops and yet the in-store pannier selection is very limited, from what I can tell. Internet shopping is great, but it doesn't always beat holding things in your hands and deciding if you like the feel.

[juliet]

I have & love a pair of Ortlieb panniers -- fairly expensive, but built to last (and they even do repair kits for if they do wear through anywhere!). They're very, very waterproof (you can submerge a roll-top Ortlieb in a river & it'll come out dry on the inside), have an easy catch (pull-loop-to-release), and a shoulder-strap. Not the most comfortable thing ever to carry, but tolerable. I carry mine into office / college (when I still was at college) / to the pub / shopping / etcetcetc.

I have the Back-Roller Plus; it looks like the Bike-Packer Plus now comes with an external pocket, which is neat.

[abyssinia]

ah ha! Those are the ones (the classic) that a bike-obsessed colleague had this summer and now I don't have to email her to ask what she had because you pointed me at them! They do seem to be ranked really really highly everywhere I'm looking, and you're now the second person I know who swears by them. I don't need them to be super comfy to carry, since I don't expect to do so over long distances.

Are there reasons you like the Back-Roller Plus over the Classic?

[juliet]

I bought them about 5 yrs ago so cannot now remember why I went for one over the other! Possibly the B-R P had a shoulder strap & the other didn't? I think I did like the roll-top closure (it's a bit more flexible; if it's not raining, you can overfill it & leave it open & there's no lid to flap everywhere).

I currently work in a cycle-training co-op; looking around the office, I think every pannier in sight is Ortlieb, and they all look very well-used :)

[zingerella]

I love my Arkel Metropolitain with a mad, inhuman passion, but for commuting to grad school, I might recommend their Malette Messager.

They're spendy, but the mounting system is amazing, they're waterproof, and they work as well off the bike as on.

[abyssinia]

Oh, wow, they have ones that actually become backpacks. Tempting.

Thanks!

(I can't see much of the mounting system on the website - are they relatively easy to take on and off?)

[jae]

I have no advice for you about the panniers (I just bought what was available at my local bike shop at the time, and have never had any problem with them), but I want to give an enthusiastic "YES!" to your comment about "how much fun it is to ride when your bike doesn't suck." It makes SUCH a difference, doesn't it?

-J

[abyssinia]

YES! I knew my old bike was, well, cranky and hard to ride. But I hadn't realized quite how bad it was until I got my new one (well, aside from my hardcore-biker roommate borrowing it once and commenting "well, that was an experience" - she now tells me she has no idea how I used my old one as long as I did).

And the one time last week when I actually biked without a backpack (I pretty much am always carrying something) and realized how awesome that was, is what's making me want panniers.

[vlion]

My fiance and I have Cartier panniers. They work for us. There's cords and widgets to attach stuff too.

They seem to be semi-rain-resistant.