Should I shell out for panniers?

sylvestermorgan

Did a 50 mile tour around Wales today (I've only recently started cycling again). I carried my food and bits in a hiking rucksack which houses my hydration system. I find myself feeling heavy and clumsy on the bike not to mention the backache, so my question is whether to shell out for panniers or not (I have a flatbar road bike, 700 wheels)? Will the bike handle worse? I saw someone today with a pannier on one side, surely the bike will pull to one side? Likewise, what do I do about my hydration system?

If I do buy panniers, I want to go touring later in the year so presumably need large panniers. However, my main use is one day rides, so would pootling around with large panniers be wasteful?

Thoughts much appreciated!

dilemna

It always amazes me when people post a query like this they seldom say what bike they have. Maybe your bike does not have braze on mounts to mount a rear rack or low loaders so you can't even mount a rack to carry panniers so then no there is no point buying them........ :roll: If your bike does not have braze ons you will just have to be happy with a seat post rack (Topeak) and bar bag. You might not be able to carry so much but that can be a blessing. And do bikes "pull" if you ride with just one pannier? Is it 1st April?

sylvestermorgan

Thank you for your response. As I say, I'm new at this so I'm bound to ask some dumb questions! . I have a Marin Larkspur (flatbar road "city" bike) and I have a rear pannier rack fitted, I just haven't had cause to use it yet. Let me refine my question a bit, I could go out and spend good money on the biggest pair of panniers I can find so that I may use them for when I eventually go touring. However, my more most frequent use would be to just to carry a few bits around on a day ride, so lugging 2 large panniers around would seem like overkill to me, hence the (April 1st) question about whether I can comfortably ride carrying one bag only.

ariege_cyclist

Why not buy a handlebar bag for now and then get the panniers later. You'd still use the hadlebar bag for touring (put your valuables in it as it's always in your line of sight and can be whipped off the bike easily to go shoping etc..) so no waste of money. Plenty to choose from and can have a map on top too for finding our way.

Mark.

crankycrank

If you are trying to limit your spending or avoiding having 5 different types of carrying bags you could just strap your rucksack to the rear rack. Using a large pannier for just a few items is not really a problem either so I wouldn't say it would be a waste. The more weight you carry the more it will affect the handling and I wouldn't say your bike is an ideal tourer but it will work. I did a tour on a similar bike carrying about 16 kilos and the main drawbacks were that the rear stays were slightly too short which meant I had to mount the panniers as far back as possible to keep my heels from hitting them and since I didn't use front panniers the front wheel was a little light forcing me to slow down in turns slightly. You could still use a hyration pack but as you have found out it can make you're back uncomfortably sweaty on a long day in the saddle but not everyone finds that to be a problem, personal choice. If that's the case just use water bottles.

dilemna

You could buy a pair of smaller front panniers which you could use on the back either as a pair or singularly. Fronts typically vary in size from 25-35 litres. Backs anything from 40-50 litres. IMHO it is a mistake to compromise on buying "cheaper" or less capable non waterproof panniers as you are forever trying to prevent your stuff getting wet and they fall apart. Buy a decent pair large or small and they will last a very long time and you can rely on them 100%. The main makes to go for are the Vaude and Ortlieb waterproofs both seam sealed, Altura and Agu. I have all of the first three but the waterproof Vaude Aqua Pluses in red are by far the best I think although my Ortlieb roller classics in yellow are a close second. The Altura Orkneys (circa 1996) are great as they have loads of handy pockets. The fabric is still like new as it is very tough but they are not 100% waterproof like the Vaude or Ortliebs panniers. Vaude and Ortliebs are the choice for serious touring. As already stated if your chain stays are short you will have less space for a large rear pannier. It is simply a case of just mounting it farther back on the rack. But most mountain bikes are fine. Buying a bar bag first might be a good idea. Personally I think loading up the steering with weight is not a good idea if you don't have to although bar bags are a handy option. Hope this has been of help.

sylvestermorgan

Thanks everyone for the replies. I was going to order some panniers online but given the issues raised, I might be as well as take3 my bike along to my local shop and try different ones to make sure i have heel clearance. I think buying the best I can buy is also a good point, as I'll need a new (probably more expensive) bike one day, so no point buying everything twice. Thanks again.

TheStone

Might not be enough room for you, but have you tried a road type jersey with 3 large pockets on the back. Combined with 2 bottle cages and 2 large bottles and a saddle bag for your tubes/tools you might have the capcity you need. Rucksacks can get uncomfortable on a long day, but panniers are heavy and slow you down a lot in the wind.

dilemna

TheStone wrote:

........ but panniers are heavy and slow you down a lot in the wind.

Really.....doesn't it depend on how much weight you put in them? Surely a heavy pannier is a non starter. As to the wind, any head wind will slow you. Presumably if one is carrying panniers one is not competing in a TT but touring so wind resistance is not so critical. A TT helmet might mitigate any increase in wind resistance caused by panniers.

sylvestermorgan

dilemna wrote:

You could buy a pair of smaller front panniers which you could use on the back either as a pair or singularly. Fronts typically vary in size from 25-35 litres. Backs anything from 40-50 litres. IMHO it is a mistake to compromise on buying "cheaper" or less capable non waterproof panniers as you are forever trying to prevent your stuff getting wet and they fall apart. Buy a decent pair large or small and they will last a very long time and you can rely on them 100%. The main makes to go for are the Vaude and Ortlieb waterproofs both seam sealed, Altura and Agu. I have all of the first three but the waterproof Vaude Aqua Pluses in red are by far the best I think although my Ortlieb roller classics in yellow are a close second. The Altura Orkneys (circa 1996) are great as they have loads of handy pockets. The fabric is still like new as it is very tough but they are not 100% waterproof like the Vaude or Ortliebs panniers. Vaude and Ortliebs are the choice for serious touring. As already stated if your chain stays are short you will have less space for a large rear pannier. It is simply a case of just mounting it farther back on the rack. But most mountain bikes are fine. Buying a bar bag first might be a good idea. Personally I think loading up the steering with weight is not a good idea if you don't have to although bar bags are a handy option. Hope this has been of help.

Taking on board your advice, I may as well buy the panniers anyway (as they will be needed for touring anyway). A couple of makes interest me:

- Vaude Aqua Back Plus
- Ortlieb Bike Packer Plus (2009 - outer pocket is now waterproof)

Essentially, an outer pocket that is waterproof is highly convenient.

Any thoughts? Thanks again.

Sylvester