Rear Pannier for Commuting

chrism_scotland

Hi folks,

I'm looking to buy a good rear pannier bag to use on my Giant Defy 2 for my commute, its mainly to carry my work clothes, lunch and any paperwork I need and ideally would need to be waterproof, would prefer not to spend it all but I have £100 of Evans Cycles vouchers that I'm looking to spend!

I don't mind possibly buying a pair of rear bags as I would like to do some light touring perhaps.

Agent57

I've had favourable comments (from drivers) regarding my bright yellow Altura Night Vision Pannier.

The bag shows up well in daylight, and the reflective "Night Vision" wording and logo on the side are very visible under a car's headlamps.



Seems to be 100% waterproof, too. At least, I've cycled through heavy rain without anything inside getting damp.

Wiggle say it's no longer available, but you may be able to find some somewhere; a colleage of mine bought one from a LBS a few months ago.

chrism_scotland

This may seem an odd query, but how big is big enough for an average commutting pannier?
I've been looking at a few today and the pair of Altura Orkney Panniers caught my eye, I think they're 56 litres the pair so that 28l capacity if I'm using one, is that a lot or not a lot for a commute?

Agent57

That one I have says it's 20 litres. I find that plenty for everything I normally carry to work; spare tube, some tools. mini pump, pair of jeans, T-shirt, underwear, socks. That still leaves plenty of room for a packed lunch, pair of shoes, jacket, book, and other random assorted items I carry at some time or other. 28L should be more than enough; and I doubt you'd ever need the full 56 litres on a typical commute unless you carry a lot of gear to and fro.

chrism_scotland

Cheers mate, I will take a look at the Night Vision one you have also as I don't really want to be spending the best part of £100 on a Pannier Bag when I need to get some new tyres as well, I was tempted by the Pair of Altura Arran Panniers which are around £50 but they're not waterproof, something which I think it going to be pretty vital commuting in Edinburgh!!!!

Wallace1492

chrism_scotland wrote:

This may seem an odd query, but how big is big enough for an average commutting pannier?
I've been looking at a few today and the pair of Altura Orkney Panniers caught my eye, I think they're 56 litres the pair so that 28l capacity if I'm using one, is that a lot or not a lot for a commute?

I have these for touring. Superb panniers. Also use them to load my locker at work, have fitted in 10 shirts, 10 pairs socks, 10 pairs boxers and a towel into 1 pannier. Plenty room for touring too.

Kieran_Burns

Altura dryline anythying really... If you want to carry papers then the laptop specific models are very good for A4 size papers

Pep

I bought the cheapest ones from Argos.
I ride a bike with disc brake, so got to have slightly different rack. Panniers I have are not supposed to fit, only expensive ones from Altura are, but they do perrfectly.
No waterproof, but 99.99% of the times if things get weet so what, and can always use a shopping bag.
No visible in the dark, but have good lights.

Panniers are fantastic. No sweaty back. And no need to drive to the supermarket EVER as I can do ALL our family shopping on the way back from work whenever needed.

notsoblue

I've had a pair of Ortlieb Rollers for the last three years and I love them. Done LEJOG, and use them for grocery shopping etc... Very spacious and totally waterproof. I have a bag thats made of the same material, and has the same closing mechanism, and its survived falling in rivers etc... Had a few offs with the panniers attached and they seem to be bombproof. Very hardwearing. Only issue you may have for commuting is that there aren't any compartments in them. Its just a single space, with a zip sleeve in each.



Thoroughly recommended.

chrism_scotland

Cheers guys, I'm going to nip into Evans down here in Woking today or tommorrow and see what they've got, very tempted by the Alturas though.

rmhodv

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Altura dryline anythying really

+1

Been using Altura dryline panniers for about a year now. Never let me down even in the worst of downpours.

fnegroni

+1 for Altura from me too.
I even posted a review with pictures on my blog (for the Altura Dryline 56):
http://wokingham-cyclist.blogspot.com/2 ... -rear.html

IMHO, when it comes to panniers, get the biggest you can afford. The difference in weight between a medium and large size one is negligible, and in the great scheme of things, once you have pannier bags, you can't stop yourself from filling them up with stuff.
After all, that's what they are for!

davmaggs

If you like the quality of the Ortlieb's, but want an external pocket then go for Vaude Aqua. Love mine and they are worth the cost (got a deal online from Germany).

davis

Altura Orkney 34s here. They're Dryline and pretty damn bright in red/black. They kept everything totally dry in the virtual waterfall I was going through yesterday. Love 'em.

wgwarburton

fnegroni wrote:

...once you have pannier bags, you can't stop yourself from filling them up with stuff....

The biggest disadvantage of panniers!! The next biggest is either the increased frontal area, which makes headwinds just a little bit more frustrating, or the extra weight on the bike, which makes it harder to throw the bike around and unweight for hazards.

Don't get me wrong, though- if you do need to carry stuff, they are the best way to do it... just be wary of carrying stuff because you can, rather than because you must.

Cheers,
W.

fnegroni

WGWarburton wrote:

fnegroni wrote:

...once you have pannier bags, you can't stop yourself from filling them up with stuff....

The biggest disadvantage of panniers!! The next biggest is either the increased frontal area, which makes headwinds just a little bit more frustrating, or the extra weight on the bike, which makes it harder to throw the bike around and unweight for hazards.

Don't get me wrong, though- if you do need to carry stuff, they are the best way to do it... just be wary of carrying stuff because you can, rather than because you must.

I agree that if you always carry unnecessary stuff it is probably bad for you, but the thing is, when I go shopping, I can just carry more and there is nothing more frustrating than *not* being able to fit something in the panniers.

Also, big panniers mean better efficiency:

I carry my change of clothes for a whole month in one journey, enjoying pannier free trips more frequently.

I haven't really noticed much difference in head wind resistance, under 16mph: a little, but not much. Maybe when they are full to the brim, or when travelling around 18-20mph, but even then...

Harveytile

I have Altura Orkneys and they stay pretty dry. Just the outer pocket gets a bit wet from the road spray (yes, I'm that fast :roll: ) well the deep puddles really :oops: .

The other point is panniers add to FCN but its not a race so who really cares???

mkchu84

I have a pair of Ortleib back roller citys. They don't have the built in strap like the normal rollers and they're not as easy to over fill but they're quite a bit cheaper. I think I paid about £60 for a 40 litre pair

landrew

I have a pair of Altura dryline. Waterproffing is fine but I have found that some of the stitching is coming apart after a lot of use. If I was looking to replace them I would go for Ortleib. I know they are expensive but if you are using them every day you need a good quality bag.

I use a pair of 32 litre panniers and these are sufficient, you will not need anything bigger than 40 litres. I keep all my work clothes in one bag to stop them creasing and everything else (pump, inner tubes etc.) in the other.

jimmypippa

davmaggs wrote:

If you like the quality of the Ortlieb's, but want an external pocket then go for Vaude Aqua. Love mine and they are worth the cost (got a deal online from Germany).

Yes the Vaude ones are good. Hardly any wear in 18-months. And the pockets/inner separators are good. I imagine the quality is equivalent to the Ortleib ones. (I did look at some cheaper ones at the LBS, but when I asked to see how they fitted on the bike, they fell to pieces in the assistant's hands. I thought those might be "buy cheap, buy twice").

Symmetrical, front and rear / left and right, and quick to put on and take off the bike.