first ride with pannier

After my chilly ride today, I ran into my house and got my new pannier (Detours Toocan Juicy) clipped it on, and rode to the store. I've never ridden with one before, but that didn't stop me from buying a 14 lb box of cat litter and enough other stuff that the bag was excitingly heavy. I managed to get it all in nicely, attached the bag to my rack, unlocked my bike, and it almost fell over from all the weight on one side. I should have known that would happen, but I was too rambunctious with my new toy, and didn't think it through. :o After that, I briefly turned into a big chicken, and hovered over the bike afraid to step on the pedal for a few seconds too long.

Once I did, it was totally fun, and the weight wasn't even noticeable. Much better than carrying all that stuff walking, that's for sure! It's funny, I felt kind of odd wearing my cycling clothes (which I just happened to already be wearing). Maybe there's a dress code for errand riding? I noticed a guy at the bike rack who wore regular pants that were strapped to his legs with lots of string. He looked appropriate. I must have looked like a freak to him. :rolleyes: ;)

I used to ride with some of those folding metal baskets--usually to pick up the mail and get beer. The beer made it tippy and awkward to try to prop my bike up at the post office, but it was always fine when I was moving.

I quit wearing bike kit for errand rides, because I was so clumsy, I thought I looked extra-stupid kitted out while unable to balance my case of beer.

do you only have one pannier? you need two for balance!

I take up to 30 lbs on one side only all the time with no balance problems. A heavy, unbalanced load is noticeable, but as long as you're not exceeding the load limit on the rack it's not a hazard.

redrhodie, don't worry about what you're wearing. When I see people at the grocery store in athletic clothes, I assume that they've been out for a long ride or somesuch. If you want to wear street clothes, you can get a strap with velcro for your pants leg, to keep it out of your chainring. I also find a sports bra to be indispensable.

If you think you'll occasionally be picking up things like kitty litter that might not fit in your pannier, pick up a bungee cord or two at the hardware store for strapping stuff crosswise across the rack. I love hauling home weird stuff like garden hoses, just for the double-takes from motorists ;) Welcome to the world of transportation cycling!

a cyclist I know broke his hip because his load was so unbalanced. Of course you can ride just fine with an unbalanced load but you are better off with balance in case something goes wrong.
A friend of mine had trouble clicking into her pedal with an unbalanced load. Her bike went down TOWARDS the load (and the cars) which scared her half to death.

I only have one pannier on my hybrid; I don't think I've had 30 lbs. in it, though, but I just am careful and so far, have never felt unbalanced. I bought a bunch of presents for the holidays, some ceramic stuff and rode home very gingerly last year.
If I am just doing errands, or meeting someone for lunch, I do dress differently. Not regular clothes (well sometimes on the top they look like regular clothes, but are shirts with some lycra or a hoodie or Shak), but more casual, commuter cycling clothes. I wear my Jonesware wool hiking pants and the shorts underneath, with my right leg in a band for colder rides and look very chic :). In the summer, I tend to wear skorts for errand rides.

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

do you only have one pannier? you need two for balance!

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On Detours' website, they show them being used singly:

http://www.detours.us/product_info.p...roducts_id=266

It felt fine once I got going. I don't think it will be an issue having just one since the store is really close and it's a flat trip.

ETA, I wrote this as you wrote your reply. I'll be careful!

One is fine if it isn't too heavy. I'm sure too heavy depends on the bike geometry and the rider and the terrain and all that stuff.

Being a natural klutz, I prefer two panniers, even if they're pratically empty individually as I distribute the weight between the two. I rode with one initially, with a basket on my rack, but I kept the weight down until I got two.

While I have campus pedals on my commuter (flat on one side, SPD on the other), when I'm actually carrying a load I or commuting to work, I don't wear cycling shoes - I wear regular flat shoes. Again, I'm a klutz and with a load I don't want to have to worry about clipping in and out and being unbalanced.

When it comes to what I wear, I usually wear "normal" clothes when running errands - usually it's light weight hiking type pants (more breathable and quick drying) and I can zip off the leg. I do wear more cycling type clothes when commuting to work because I often combine commuting with my workout and take a longer route home and/or ride harder. Often I'm just running out the door to quickly go get something from the market, though, so I take off in whatever I happen to be wearing :)

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Originally Posted by malkin

One is fine if it isn't too heavy. I'm sure too heavy depends on the bike geometry and the rider and the terrain and all that stuff.

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Just don't try that on your front rack. :eek:

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Originally Posted by DebW

Just don't try that on your front rack. :eek:

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So a front rack always needs to be balanced? I don't have a front rack, but that's really good to know. Also, it seems I was already above the recommended maximum load for that pannier, so I need to remember that for future. I was thinking it could take up to 25 lbs, but it's only 15. Maybe I will get a second, but I need to check that the rack can handle 30 lbs.

I was mostly joking about what I was wearing in my original post, especially since the guy I was referring to had his pant legs tied with string, which to anyone who doesn't ride would probably look peculiar. Besides, my cycling clothes are already so mismatched with regular sweaters and anything else that keeps me warm, I don't exactly look like a pro. As I was leaving work the other day, my boss said I looked a little bit homeless. That pretty much sums up my cycling style. ;)