Panniers or Rucksack?

goldencleric

Heading back to college next week and so the time is upon me to restart commuting by bike. After a year of working at the other side of the county I really cannot wait to get back into the routine.

All this excitement has gotten me thinking about the practicality of using my old rucksack or posenger bag and whether it might be better to install a rack and some panniers on my fixer.

Anyone have any preferences for panniers? My one query is what to do with them after I've reached my destination. Can you take them off and use as a rucksack after that? Would like to hear peoples thoughts.

Cheers

petethedrummer

I'm a total convert to rack and panniers, so much more comfortable. The only issue is putting on and taking off the rack at the weekends if its on your only bike.

My laptop pannier bag has a shoulder strap, but to be honest its not great for carrying around. Great for the bike though.

coolbeans

Panniers beat a sweaty back every time but the coolest bikes often won't take 'em and they do slow you down a fair bit due to increased wind resistance. If you do go down the pannier route though I'd recommend Ortliebs, they being both bomb and waterproof.

As an aside can someone please tell me why most people using one pannier in Dublin place it on the left side rather than the right. Surely placing it on the right would make a cyclist appear more substantial by virtue of their mass and therefore command more space from other road users when overtaking. That's my take on it anyway but I'm feeling fairly notional tonight and I may be talking rot.

goldencleric

coolbeans wrote: »

As an aside can someone please tell me why most people using one pannier in Dublin place it on the left side rather than the right.

Guess people don't want to use their laptop as a bumper

My commute won't really be that long, only 10km each way so I'm unsure if I'll really need them. It'll be on my beater bike so no need to take the rack of at the weekends.

Just looked at some prices yikes!

The one thing putting me off is what to do with them when I've reached my destination.

Alanstrainor

I got one of these backpacks during the summer and i find it great.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/vaude-cluster-air-10-3-rucksack/
It keeps most of the bag off your back, and it's well ventilated. It's never going to completely eliminate sweaty back syndrome, but it does a damn good job.

carthoris

coolbeans wrote: »

As an aside can someone please tell me why most people using one pannier in Dublin place it on the left side rather than the right

Because traffic is left orientated - we drive on the left. If I stop at the side of the road then the left side of the bike is closer to me (as I also get off to the left), so access to a pannier is easier from the side of the road rather than going to the outside of the bike (and potentially into traffic) to get the pannier.

Do you ever get onto the bike for the right hand side ?

coolbeans wrote: »

Surely placing it on the right would make a cyclist appear more substantial by virtue of their mass and therefore command more space from other road users when overtaking.

I am not so sure - a pannier can be pretty low down so it would not really be something that another road user would take note of - they would take more notice of the persons body IMO.

Peetrik

These are pretty good.

http://www.carradice.co.uk/products/type/sqrtour

Easy to clip on or off and only leave the mount bracket on your seatpost if your not using the bag. Also water proof, acts as a mudguard and dont weigh anywhere near what pannier racks do.

coolbeans

carthoris wrote: »

? I am not so sure - a pannier can be pretty low down so it would not really be something that another road user would take note of - they would take more notice of the persons body IMO.

Fair enough but my Ortlieb has a big built-in reflector facing traffic to the rear. Placing it on the right rather than the left surely gives some benefit from a road safety POV.

carthoris

coolbeans wrote: »

Fair enough but my Ortlieb has a big built-in reflector facing traffic to the rear. Placing it on the right rather than the left surely gives some benefit from a road safety POV.

My comments are purely speculation so they are not worth much

If it is dark out and you have two points of reference (the reflective panel on the pannier and a tail light of some form) then yes I would think that having a pannier on the right would be helpful as another road user would estimate the width of the cyclist based on those two points. Having the pannier on the right the reflective panel would be at or beyond the right hand side periphery of the rider and this would cause the width to be exaggerated.

During daylight hours then the silhouette of the rider would count for more and this is what the other road users would focus on, not the pannier.

monument

Panniers.

I don't understand how I managed without them.

You have three options -- bring it with you and carry it, bring it with you and piy it somewhere like a locker, or leave it on the bike. Not all practical or at all possible depending on the panniers or the cost.

Buy cheap ones, like these, use leave them on the bike -- just use one or two of the side ones. Or even something a bit better looking like these.

Buy something that looks half decent to carry. Here's one example -- maybe it's only half decent ... there's a good few options, like this or this.

There's quite a wide range of type and price of pannier bags -- you just have to look around to find more than just the touring-bike style.

bonnieprince

how about the butcher boy look?

http://copenhagenparts.com/products/bike-porter

goldencleric

monument wrote: »

Panniers.

I don't understand how I managed without them.

You have three options -- bring it with you and carry it, bring it with you and piy it somewhere like a locker, or leave it on the bike. Not all practical or at all possible depending on the panniers or the cost.

Buy cheap ones, like these, use leave them on the bike -- just use one or two of the side ones. Or even something a bit better looking like these.

Buy something that looks half decent to carry. Here's one example -- maybe it's only half decent ... there's a good few options, like this or this.

There's quite a wide range of type and price of pannier bags -- you just have to look around to find more than just the touring-bike style.

Cheers monument, I am going to have a good look around to find something. I do really like the idea of panniers, specifically something that looks good both on and off the bike (attempt at cycle chic :P).

Tonyandthewhale

I use the standard big back-roller ortliebs on the commute to college and just carry them around with me during the day. They're not as comfortable off the bike as a rucksack but they have a shoulder strap so it's not so bad.

Gavb

How about one of these?

ortlieb-vario-pannier-rucksack

goldencleric

Gavb wrote: »

How about one of these?

ortlieb-vario-pannier-rucksack

Great idea thanks but very expensive!

tomasrojo

carthoris wrote: »

If it is dark out and you have two points of reference (the reflective panel on the pannier and a tail light of some form) then yes I would think that having a pannier on the right would be helpful as another road user would estimate the width of the cyclist based on those two points.

I think from observing other cyclists, both from the bike and from a car, the reflectors on panniers are very effective, because they are low down but not too low down. Being a bit lower down means that they catch more of a car headlight's beam, since these throw light down rather than horizontally or upwards.

The pannier reflectors also are not red, which is a very poor colour for reflectors, in that not much of the incipient light is returned with red reflectors.

Lumen

Gavb wrote: »

How about one of these?

ortlieb-vario-pannier-rucksack

This video is oddly engrossing, with sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5rzI6XOCjA

cdaly_

I use a Trek 'Interchange' pannier which clips on and off like the Ortlieb but not quite so fancy schmancy...