Bolo Grubb

Just thought I would share a successful project will you guys.

I have been using an old set of Jandd economy panniers (thanks Redsfan) to commute with. They worked pretty good for my purposes, but barely held my school books and supplies.

Well the zipper broke on one of them (I probably had it over loaded) so I decided to use some of the hardware to custom make a new pannier.

In the end I bought a hook kit from Arkel and used just the hard backing from the busted Jandd pannier.

Here is the finished product.


and several more pics at Pannier pics

This turned out better then expected. It is rock solid on the bike and carrys pretty good off the bike with the shoulder strap. I still use the remaining Jandd pannier for carrying my clothes and some food.

I will take another picture tonight as I leave work with both panniers on the bike. So far I am very happy with this set-up.

MikeR

Nice panniers they look very professional.

Is that a Trek 720?

Bolo Grubb

Yes it is a trek 720, check the link in my sig for more info on it

knatchwa

nicely done, you say homemade did you follow some of the suggestions of Ken Kifer?
How was the process of sewing?

Bolo Grubb

homemade only in the sense that the bag was not meant to be a pannier.

I bought a hook system from Arkel and attached that to an Eddie Bauer bag. No sewing involved. I simply had to make 2 small holes in the bag and the hard backing to match the bolts for the Arkel hook system.

It all went together very easy and only took 20 minutes or so.

fordfasterr

Great pannier job !

No fenders? Are you afraid of the bag getting covered in road gunk ?

MikeR

Yes I did after my post.
Nice.
The reason I asked is that I own a 1984 Trek 720 too.
I love it. I bought it from the original owner. It had less than 200 miles on it.
They are great riding.

Bolo Grubb

I do intend to get get fenders soon, but living in Tucson Arizona, rain and road gunk are not a big concern.

devianb

Thats pretty cool.

Jessica

Gee, my homemade pannier is a kitty litter bucket some hardware and a standard rear rack.
waterproof, cheap, big enough, and high uglification factor!!

Bolo Grubb

I am planning on making one of those this weekend. Should be good for picking up trash on the bike trail, getting some groceries, etc..

But for commuting to school and work, I am loving this bag I made

Bolo Grubb

Just an updated photo with both the panniers that I use on the bike for the ride home last night