acidfast7

tout terrain

FWIW, peter white just resells european bike stuff in the US. it's usually more economical to go around him and get it shipped directly or through a middleman to the US.

https://www.en.tout-terrain.de/accessories/racks/

https://shop.tout-terrain.de/epages/e...Rucks%C3%A4cke

compare that to the PWC price ... in addition you can take 19% of the total price off as you won't have to pay VAT for a US sale. (€149-20%+shipping for the bag and frame).

acidfast7

also, I don't like panniers are they're too mono-functional.

they're not comfortable for shopping or rock-climbing and not so good for an airline carry-on.

however, i will say that when I fly into southern Germany, I often see a tired Ortlieb or two used as a carry on.

Germans

Drew Eckhardt 

No. I get a couple MPH drop on flat ground and estimate a 20% drag increase.

Completely and worth the slow down.

Yes.

Bike Gremlin

When it is raining, it is a lot more convenient to carry panniers, than backpack with rain cover - for me at least. When shopping for lots of stuff, panniers give extra space in addition to backpack.

However, I too prefer backpack - most convenient when off the bike, or when riding off road aggressively.

acidfast7

I agree although my backpack seems to keep most stuff dry.

Also, it's the transition that's nice ... lock bike and head into the gym or on a bus ... it's just more hassle with a pannier ... even those weird Ortlieb wanna be backpacks

KGood

I just got the Ortlieb Back Roller Classics yesterday and biked to college today with them packed to the brim probably 30+ lbs. So far they are great. Bumpy roads didn't budge them from the rack at all and they were relatively easy to carry them with the strap to class. I have a feeling I will find many uses for them and maybe make some to trips to the grocery. At the beginning of the year I ordered the Patagonia Black Hole Messenger Bag which offers ample room for a big laptop but it was too big for me so I went with the Patagonia Half-Mass Messenger Bag. Only down side is it's not very big and isn't waterproof so that's why I bought the Back Roller Classics.

DX-MAN

Yep, full-suss Kona. Old Man Mountain makes pannier racks, but they are PRICEY. I've been working up a little design change to a standard rack, but it hasn't come together yet.

UHH, just a note for future reference: if you're ASSUMING I have full-suss, why tell me about hardtail stuff? And TRUST ME, I KNOW about accessories, particularly as they apply to MTB. I live, eat, breathe, and sleep that shat.

Shahmatt

Regarding bungee nets and the like. I used a cheap bungee net once on my rack but it got stretched and soon became useless. I understand that the Delta net is very good and well reviewed.

I've been using the TECHKIN three hook bicycle cargo tie.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/21423...604597329.html

They've held up extremely well for around 5 months of use and show little wear and no perceivable stretching. A couple of these and anything can be strapped on to a rack.

I combine this with a Roswheel 14224 6 litre seat post bag for my phone, wallet, tools and the like.
https://www.roswheel.com/en/prshow.asp?id=266

cyclokitty 

I bring home groceries in panniers on my bike and it's much more comfortable and I can carry more in a pair of panniers than in a backpack. I like it. It works. The panniers were bought on sale and the rack was $20. All is good in my world.

Leebo

I got some stiff canvas bags at the army navy surplus store for bags on the rear rack, 3 for $25.00. Works great. If I'm going to carry 10-20 lbs, much easier bike handling to carry the weight lower instead of on my back.

noglider 

I bought my wife a pair of Nashbar shopping panniers. We are pleased beyond expectation with them. They are sloppy and ugly, but they were cheap, and they're very convenient. They're lightweight, and they go on and come off very easily. I think I paid only $50 for them. They work much better than the Basil panniers I have and paid more for.

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...2_172282_-1___

They're uglier in person than on the web page.

the sci guy 

i wouldn' call those shopping panniers. these are shopping panniers: https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/61867...niers&subrnd=0

Wanderer

I bought a set of these, about 5 years ago. https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...47_-1___000000 They get used every day, and have been the handiest things I have ever bought. I keep them mounted flush tight, against the side of my rack when not in use, with monkey balls.

noglider 

Call them whatever you like. They have only one compartment and no pockets. Closing them does not result in a neatly folded bag. But it's fine. The two bags are not attached, so you can use one at a time. In fact, we keep one in each of our two homes.

I discovered that strapping my 8-pound lock to the top of my rack gives my bike a shimmy. Tossing it in the pannier does not.

alan s 

I have a full set of Ortleib rollers for touring, but for commuting, use a Topeak MTX DXP trunk bag with slim drop down panniers. The trunk bag is more aero, even with the panniers deployed, and carries everything I need. I love the Ortleibs, but they are more than I need for commuting.

droy45

Your laptop will not be hurt inside the bag or pannier as long as its shut down and not just suspended. I can't imagine your commute route being that rough to break the display or hurt anything else. The internals are all solid state and it is a mobile device so I would pack it. I have a new fairly expensive dell laptop from my company and it is the cheesiest, crappy laptop I ever had and I have carried it in panniers with no problems. If all you have now is the backpack, then by all means strap it to the rack, absolutely do not carry it on your back, that just puts more weight on your saddle which hurts your butt and you'll get really sweaty. You can get a set of panniers for fairly cheap that will carry your clothes, lunch and laptop. Mine does. Its a lot of weight when you add this all up but its commuting not a race.

bigbenaugust 

I toss my netbook or lappy in the panniers once in a while, sometimes in its own case and sometimes not.

My ancient pair of REI panniers has finally gotten moldy (welcome to the south??), and the Seattle Sports pair is falling apart. they are being sacrificed for hardware for a set of Cannondale panniers... and of course, the kitty litter bucket pannier.

noglider 

Hard disks have a tendency to crash, especially when jostled. I'd recommend a SSD if feasible.

Or removing the hard drive is easy with some laptop models. You could carry the hard drive in your pocket where there's more suspension than on the bike.

Bike Gremlin

What in the world happened to the "park" command?!

DXchulo

For the OP I would just bungee the backpack on the rack.

I have panniers, but to me a backpack plus bungees is more convenient off the bike. I only use the panniers when I have to (carrying lots of stuff or something big).

the sci guy 

panniers are also more "convenient" if you bring your bike inside your office instead of locking it up somewhere outside or in the parking garage.

Telly

• Are Panniers worth the cost?

Absolutely! At least the ones I buy for commuting purposes which are inexpensive.

* Panniers are practical since they ARE your bag/tote where you can have everything you need with you, on or off the bike.

* I believe that they also add a degree of safety in commuting because from my experience drivers often leave more space when overtaking, especially at night when the panniers have big distinguishable reflective stripes and patterns (adding a light on them also helps!).

* Personally, I hate having objects in my pockets when commuting, so even if I don't carry stuff with me, I always have small personal items placed in panniers (helps if they have adjustable straps to take up the slack when empty).

* and last, and this might sound silly, but I've been told by a couple of drivers that they tend to trust cyclists which have panniers (and protective gear) since they are generally the ones which abide to traffic laws and safer to ride with in traffic.

Hope this helps!

noglider 

I've spent years and years strapping my whatever-bag to my rack with bungies. It takes a lot more trouble than something that's made to attach and detach easily. Every time I use bungies, I have to invent a new way of attaching things. I also have to be careful that the bungies are tight, because if they come loose and grab the wheel, it's inconvenient at best and dangerous at worst.

westrid_dad

I went through the same decision process this fall. I had been commuting for years carrying everything on my back, either via a messenger bag, or a laptop backpack most recently. But, as I get older I was getting more and more tired of the weight on my (sweating) back, and being restricted in how much i could carry. I went back to panniers (after about 10 years of back-packs) and am really happy. I have one pannier for my computer stuff (including a heavy laptop like you), and another pannier for clothing and lunch. What is really nice, though, is that I have enough room to bring several layers of cycling clothing. Here in Idaho, the fall mornings can start off cool in the 30's, but be up into the 60's / 70's by the time I'm heading home. No problem, just stash my cool-weather gear into the pannier for the ride home and pull out my short-sleeve jersey and finger-less gloves and I'm good to go. I also don't need to worry about how large my lunch is or bringing in a fresh towel for showering. It works for me!

Also, another motivator to switching to panniers was giving me more flexibility in being able to add some distance to my commutes. I can turn my 5 mile commute into a 15-20 mile training ride without worrying about the extra weight on my back. If anything, I'll pack a Camelback with me in the morning and use it in the afternoon for a longer ride home. Again, I didn't have that flexibility when I was trying to carry everything in a backpack.

niuoka

those look like they would be worthless in the rain