Commuting Panniers

[colorisnt]

Okay, so I am about to move house to a place that backs up to the Katy Trail in MO. It's going to be great for commuting. I used to commute to and from work occassionally. I started off as a big commuter, but I gave up on it after I had to do hill climbing on a road with no shoulder and was almost hit. This time, I'm able to get to/from work really easily on FLAT land.

I need some panniers, though, so you are going to have to help me shop! I figured you ladies would have a good idea what would work for me because I am clueless.

I need something that works as a briefcase or could carry my workbag with a laptop in it. It's be great if it was waterproof so I could do some rain commuting. Even a rain cover would be fine. I have a homemade pannier for the other side of my bike and a nice trunk bag already.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[WindingRoad]

Hey Color I just thought I'd let you know that since I bought my Burley I was thinking about selling my Arkel panniers. I have a green grocery Arkel and the 'Metro' bag they sell. Check out their website and see if it's anything you might be interested in.

[colorisnt]

Winding,

Thanks. Those are nice panniers :) Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to fit my laptop in the Metro. That's kinda what I'm after, but I need to be able to fit my 15'' PC in it.

[Melalvai]

Haven't heard from you lately, glad to hear you'll be commuting. I still miss the Katy Trail. Do you know about the Sept 8 ride with the vets? It's the Long Road Home Project (http://longroadhomeproject.com/) to raise awareness about the difficulties vets have returning home after being deployed, especially mental issues like PTSD and such. I'm planning on driving up to Columbia, bike out to Rocheport and meet up with them at noon, bike back to Columbia with them.

Hope you find some good panniers that work for your laptop. I don't have experience with that but I know that a lot of people do commute with laptops. Ask at Walt's?

[colorisnt]

Yeah, when I get back to CoMo, I'll ask at Walt's for sure. I am still in Chicagoland, though. I don't move house until the start of the month. I was in Rwanda and the UK this summer, so I've been all over. Haven't been on the bike in ages and just got back to the US. Been dealing with a nut allergy attack and am just about to get back on, I guess!

I looked last time I was there for maintenance, but I didn't see anything waterproof that would do the job. I bet they could recommend/order something.

I hadn't heard about the ride with the vets, but I would be interested. I am hoping to train my butt off when I get back, but since I am not used to the heat of summer, it's going to be interesting. Is there any info? Feel free to PM me!

[WindingRoad]

My MacBook fits in it? What are the dimensions on your laptop?

[WindingRoad]

Here's a pic of the grocery pannier ;)

[colorisnt]

Winding,

The dimensions say it only goes 14'' by 14''. My computer is 14.5'' wide, so it wouldn't fit. The grocery pannier looks really nice. I might look to upgrade to something like that in the future for the other side of my bike, but I am a grad student with limited funds, so I am concentrating on the computer-friendly bag first.

Thanks, though!

[DebW]

If you can afford it, look at the Ortlieb front roller panniers. My 15" laptop fits perfectly in one, and it's waterproof. You can find them on sale pretty often at REI.

[colorisnt]

Thanks for the rec, Deb! Will look into those!

[roguedog]

i actually have two bags i use. both use the rixen & kaul klick fix attachments which i love. so easy to use and adjust.

waterproof, winter commute, i use my knog dog dry dog bag. i've got the 17in and it's HUGE. i like it cuz it's waterproof and it has a dedicated laptop padded compartment. uh.. i can say i can fit 2-3 6 packs in the main compartment. had to go pick up some for dept celebration.. :rolleyes:. it's also avail in 15 and 13 i think. since knog dog is from oz though not sure how easily attainable it is.

for nice weather commuting i use the rixen & kaul cargo grocery pannier. i like it cuz it's just a rectangle that i can easily see what's in there and i can just throw whatever in it. i don't have be to be quite as organized as with the dry dog. it doesn't have a laptop compartment but i jsut put my 15" laptop in "naked." however, my commute was along a paved trail and was only 2 miles or 6 miles each way before the office moved closer. i did have a laptop sleeve if i wanted to use it but i never did. found it here: http://www.velofred.com/product_info.php?products_id=284 yes, it's pricey but i scored mine off the bay.. of course.

i got larger sized commuting panniers because i wasn't sure if i'd actually need a lunch, change of clothes, laptop, the occasional files or whatnot so i opted on the larger size. since you've commuted before you prob have a better idea of what your daily cargo will be like.

[colorisnt]

Rogue,

I like those bags a lot and they ship to the U.S. The only problem is they only seem to be messenger bags? I'm still not sure how I feel about commuting with messengers. I like panniers because they aren't on my person. I commute by road bike and messengers/backpacks have never really worked for me. I don't like things on my back. Is there a way they convert to a pannier?

[Sylvia]

There's a person on ebay who makes panniers out of Swiss Army Ammo bags. And from the pictures they are beautiful and seem reasonably priced for panniers

He sells them as singles and doubles. You can see them here.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/shmattson/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

That said, you could also just search for "swiss ammo bag" on ebay and do the conversion yourself for cheaper. Although I'm not sure how difficult it would be to get a "matched" set if you purchase them and do it yourself.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l2736&_nkw=Swiss+ammo+bag

Oops, I just read about the 14.5" laptop. This might not work.

[shootingstar]

Ortilieb and Arkel are really your high end, nice commuter bike bags.

Just make sure you buy a pannier set that offers either an inner or outer small zipper pocket to put in your wallet, cellphone, etc. so that things don't get lost in the depths of your pannier bag.

I have only 1 set of rear pannier bags which I use for every purpose --commuting, touring, etc. It's a mid sized.I use plastic bags to protect my gear...it has some water repellancy without those plastic bags. I use Axiom bags.

For computer you will want to protect it with at least another thin padded sleeve/bag.

[malkin]

+1 for little pockets.

My panniers don't have them, but I use a trunk bag too so all the little stuff goes in there.

[indysteel]

+1 for little pockets.

My panniers don't have them, but I use a trunk bag too so all the little stuff goes in there.

+1. I'm having flashbacks ot our Katy Tour last fall. We had Nashbar waterproof panniers, which for $50, isn't a bad way to go. But everything small gets lost at the bottom of them. I can't tell you how many times we had to remove nearly everything to find the one thing we were looking for.

[Becky]

I bought a thin flat purse with a top zipper that fits well in my panniers. It solves the issue of losing small stuff to the depths and I don't have to collect all that stuff when I'm away from my bike.

I nabbed a set of Racktime TravelIt panniers on Ebay for ~$50 last year, and they've been fantastic. Good size, plenty of pockets, integrated rain cover, and the Ortlieb rack attachment system.

[roguedog]

looks like the 17" is a pannier and the smaller one, 13", is just a bag.

btw, the inside of bag has an image that some folks found offensive. i think it added whimsy to an otherwise black bag. i liked the bag since it also had an easy off the bike carry option - a wide, comfortable strap that makes the bag look messenger bag-like.

that said, as folks have said, people love their arkel bugs. i too considered this but since i wasn't sure of what i might actually carry i was afraid it might be too small.

oh.. another thing, i do notice, even on my short ride, the difference between a grocery pannier and the knog. when i have my laptop and gear in the knog, the bike feels more balanced than it does with the grocery pannier. it's likely two things.. 1. the grocery pannier isn't really aero. it is just a square box 2. the knog has the laptop compartment close to the rack and the way the bag is shaped it sorted forces the cargo to be as close and tightly secured to the rack as you pack it.

pros n cons as always.

[roguedog]

here's some pix for you so you get a sense of what i'm talking about and maybe to help you decide between grocery vs something more pannier-like.

for size reference that's a 47 atlantis w/ 26" wheels.

though since you seem to be in college/university the arkel bug might work out better for you since it becomes a backpack. i can say that while it's nice to have the ability to carry the knog around, it's so big it's not really something i'd do for long distances.

i think.. from the back, i sorta look like a giant messenger bag with a head and stubby legs... :o

[colorisnt]

Thanks for all the suggestions/pictures :) Lots to think about.

I'm a PhD student, so I need to have the ability to carry a bag with me off the bike. Even if I could just toss my normal bag in one of the panniers and make sure it was waterproof, that would be fine. I just have to be able to take my work bag with me.

ETA: Thanks for putting the CM's on that bike. It looked small. I've had a 48, a 50, and a 47 (current bike), so my bikes will never be much bigger than that. Good to know what it looks like!

[colorisnt]

For anyone interested: I got a great deal on an Axiom Town and Country Pannier for the other side of my bike or for grocery runs (the grocery store is like right next to my new place. I doubt I will use the car for this). I am still looking for commuter bags, but now I have some great ideas thanks to you guys. This will hold my stuff that doesn't need to be waterproofed or could be put in a plastic bag. Still looking for a laptop friendly bag, but it will come in time. Until then, I will just use my old messenger bag.

I also tricked out my rack with turquoise sparkles to match my bike. It needed some Rustoleum sparkles, you know?

[ak2outside]

I love my Orteil back panniers.
I picked them up used on eBay for $135 for the pair.

[colorisnt]

I am keeping out a look for something waterproof for the other side of my bike currently, but all looks to be well for now with the Axiom. I got it today and it looks fine. I just moved into my new place and haven't tried it out but I plan to tomorrow. I need to go into town for internet because I am having to use my phone to tether. We don't get internet until Monday really. My computer actually fits in it fine and it seems big enough for work commutes for now. It will get me through. I went to the bike shop, but nothing really has tickled my fancy. I'm going to keep looking for sales, I guess. Everything there was not right and it's too much to spend on something that just isn't perfect.