Panniers - Racks - Bags - Bike Luggage

Paneer

After working with a messenger bag for a year, I will hands down support the humble yet glorious Pannier. Not ending the day with a spine like a broken sweaty slinky is a great feeling.

Im sure your body will answer for you...

I ride with a pack appropriate for the situation... weight on the bike will feel heavier than on back

less pack weight/short distances=no need for rack
more weight+rack=less ensuing back pain/better ventilation to dispense heat
Comfort=more Stamina

based on personal experience... take it for face value

Find out for Your-Self

Panniers are definitely a better idea but I always stick with the bag for commuting.

Until the pain becomes unbearable

... than again, guilty of Self Medication.

Rains then pannier?

haven't yet crossed that bridge...

Normally i run a shoulder pack... still a Rookie to Rack Game

weighted back end is definitely more challenging panic stopping

... in the Wet

Carradice. Lighter, more aero, better handling than panniers. Same carrying volume as a messenger bag. No sweaty back or back strain over distance. Plus the rack isn't a penalty if you decide to change to backpack /messenger bag for a day.

Good question. Would a laptop in a pannier suffer from vibration and bumps and road buzz shaking it all about? Or is that not a problem?

Versus a rucksack or messenger bag where your body is the damper.

The wife has done a lot of hauling laptops in panniers to no ill effect.

Messinners.

around the ten mile mark is when I get sick of a messenger bag and want panniers.

I read his post as 10 miles in total, not 10 miles each way. For a five mile ride there's not a chance in hell I'm going to piss about clipping my panniers on and off and switching things between bags, that'll take almost as much time as the ride itself.

My commute is 7 miles each way and I use a messenger bag. I have yet to die from a broken back.

I use a messenger bag(the one in the link), the pockets inside are mostly filled with pump/patches/multitool/ect for cycling then the main bit I can put shopping or a change of clothes or whatever in.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/tilt-3-messenger-bag-blue-id_8244000.html

For a messenger bag I find you need one that fits well and has a decent thick strap that spreads the weight across your shoulder/chest. If you try to lug bricks in one then it will put all the weight at the lower end and the bag will fall down/around you to be beside you more than on your back. You get a rough idea what's too full very fast, for me in the above bag it's 1kg bag of pasta, 750g pack of mince beef, pasta sauce jar and 1l lucozade as the limit, 2x lucozade and it's not happening.

tl:dr just buy a cargo bike

I can't have a rack on my commuting bike. messenger bag is fine for me (12 miles each way). panniers would be better though I think, but not hugely. I don't lug much stuff between the office and my flat though

What a merge!
Can we have some Paul-Michel photos please.

I'm sure they're out there on websites catering to specific tastes..

Massive Wald wins hands down for commuting.

Doing lots off the bike? Chuck stuff in a rucksack and throw that in the basket.

Pissing down? Pack stuff in roll top Vaude pannier and chuck that in the basket.

Need to pick up a week's shopping on the way home? No problemo.

Set off wearing waterproofs but it's dry now? Whip em off at the lights and chuck em in the basket.

Needed some cheap panniers, so checked Tesco Direct click & collect site. Fifteen quid, looked good, so checked the two reviews. First review, 10/10. Great value, great quality, can't go wrong.
Second review, 0/10, came with the tabs stitched on wrong way around & in wrong places, so could only fit as bought some previously and knew panniers would have to be returned.
Mine wouldn't be like that surely............................really??...................F^

I have some of these from decathlon. Not huge but won't fall apart and you can see them before you buy them.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/city-2x9l-rear-pannier-bike-bags-id_2404523.html

Evans?

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/basil/mara-double-pannier-bag-ec028325

Tesco direct is iffy they have an amazon marketplace thing going on so randoms can sell via tesco.

Aldi had some in the other day that I nearly took a punt on but they weren't labeled with a price so I left it. Fixings didn't fill me with confidence but I have nothing to compare them to.

Love how diable the 6"2 Greek para gave up when one other person challenged their story.

What was the para thing about anyway, was he going to shoot you if you went along?

Love how diable the 6"2 Greek para gave up when one other person challenged their story.

What was the para thing about anyway, was he going to shoot you if you went along?

You what?

diable's Polish, not Greek.

Just bought a nice retro front rack off PhilJimPott here. I've got some panniers but I'd quite like a small rack top bag to fit some work essentials in. Any suggestions for something nice and compact? The top of the rack is about 13 x 24 cm.

Just bought a nice retro front rack off PhilJimPott here. I've got some panniers but I'd quite like a small rack top bag to fit some work essentials in. Any suggestions for something nice and compact? The top of the rack is about 13 x 24 cm.

Might be best to re-purpose a seat bag as rack top bags from all the usual suspects are around 30cm and up. I was surprised that their aren't any in the size you want.