Commuting - Pannier on which side ?

Most of regular commuters seem to carry a single pannier most of the time, I have noticed here in the UK (where we drive on the correct side of the road, Left) ithat most people seem to have the pannier on the left side of the rack.

Is there as reason why one side is better than the other ?

Discuss.

when i only have 1 pannier which is about 90% of the time, i carry mine on the Right (on non-traffic) side.

maybe the poll whould have been better as traffic side (left in US, right in UK) or non-traffic-side (right in US, left in UK) b/c the left-right UK/Aussia/India/HongKong thing might skew the results a little.

why? uh... i never thought about it. i think b/c i get on/off the bike from the non-drive side (left) so it's better if the weight is on the other and the space on the side i get off - also it makes it easier to "park" by leaning againt something as i push the bike from the left side.

i think i have heard of others who put it on the traffic side (left) so that it's more visible to cars...

I carry both. With one, I feel, umm, unusual, unbalanced and the such.

I always have panniers on both sides. I carry enough stuff to work, it seems necessary, and I can balance weight that way.
Since I have gone on unsupported tours, I can even use four panniers, if needed. Since I have two panniers on for my work commute, I have the smaller panniers that are mean't to be on the front on the back.. that offers enough space...

Both. Need two to carry all my stuff.

I carry mine on the left (traffic) side.
I figure it helps with visibility (since it has a reflective strip on it).

I always use leftside pannier as a single pannier because the reflective area. We have right side traffic here in Sweden so leftside pannier is best choice for me. By the way, we have the correct side traffic here:D

Anders K

cool question. right side if only using one, as the stand is on the left side, so the bike is less likely to fall over.

One thought that occured to me in regards to my panniers.. I suspect they block the reflection of the reflective ankle straps, I use. Since I choose to no take off my panniers on my tour bike, I normally ride at night with my oldest road bike, so the ankle straps are totally visible.. Those reflective ankle straps are a total give away that a bike is up ahead..

I've always had two panniers while commuting. I have just enough stuff to balance both bags. If I try to get all my stuff into one bag, it's totally packed full and very heavy. So that wouldn't leave room for those unexpected items you always seem to need to take home, plus I'd be very unbalanced. I have a few monster hills during my commute that almost require me to stand. When I'm standing and pounding up a hill, I really notice if the bike is unbalanced.

There was one time I went with just one pannier. I was going to a bike shop to pick up my rider packet information for the MS 150 Bike Tour. Was a good 40 mile ride the weekend before the ride. I thought that would be a good little training ride before hand. But I needed room to bring home all the stuff, packet, tshirt, etc. I put it on the traffic side (left side). Just seemed natural since that is the side I load my panniers from. Plus the side I stand on and push the bike on.

PBW

Arkel (http://www.panniers.com) makes a strong argument for always installing a single pannier on the left (traffic) side.

However, I alternate. For the last 12 months, my basic pannier is the right one (and we drive on the right side of the road). It contains the pump, flat repair kit, rear light, lunch and whatever extras I need. Its weight is somewhat counterbalanced by the U-lock which sits on the left side.

Regards,

Originally posted by Brains
Most of regular commuters seem to carry a single pannier most of the time, I have noticed here in the UK (where we drive on the correct side of the road, Left) ithat most people seem to have the pannier on the left side of the rack.

Is there as reason why one side is better than the other ?

Discuss.

We drive on the correct side of the road here too!:D My pannier (when I use one, which is rare) is on the right. No particular reason, just because.

When I need two panniers I ride my touring bike which has low-rider hangers on the front. The panniers go on the front, the rack trunk on the back.

When I ride my lighter bike with no front racks, I carry one pannier on the back, and it always goes on the left (road) side.

My "official" reason is that it helps visibility because it puts the reflective tape on the traffic side.

My irrational reason is that it seems like the pannier should go on the side opposite the drivetrain. The bike seems like it should be more balanced that way, not there's anything really noticeable.

RichC

When I use one pannier I put it on the non-traffic side (right in our case). The reason is that I have a blinkie on each chain stay, so if one is blocked I'd rather it is on the side away from traffic, likewise reflective tape on the chainstays.

I try to even out the wear on my panniers, but generally I prefer one on the traffic side. It gives me an extra width so traffic has to pass wider, and the large reflective patch is more effective when it's on the traffic side.
I can carry quite heavy shopping loads in a single pannier, climbing steep hills, and have no problem with balance. My usual carry load is a few pounds of tools and clothing, so that makes no difference. The U-lock sits on top of the rack under an elastic chord.

I have them on both the right and left sides. I'm able to balance my loads better. Plus, I usually run my errands on the way home from work so they come in handy.

I've also got them zip-tied to the rack to deter easy theft. They are a pain to get off now.

I use mine on the right (traffic side) because of the reflective strip and a feeling that it would cushion the blow if I got hit from behind.

I make sure I dress to the left to counterbalance any weight imbalance :D

I generally use two panniers at any given time. In the rare circumstances when I only use one, I normally have it on the left. However this only happens when I have bugger all to carry anyway (or not very far to go).

Originally posted by chewa
I use mine on the right (traffic side) because of the reflective strip and a feeling that it would cushion the blow if I got hit from behind.

I make sure I dress to the left to counterbalance any weight imbalance :D

Me too, but I find I'm less balanced on very cold mornings ;)

Richard

Originally posted by Anders K
I always use leftside pannier as a single pannier because the reflective area. We have right side traffic here in Sweden so leftside pannier is best choice for me. By the way, we have the correct side traffic here:D

Anders K

I think this debate points out that the bicycle is the PERFECT vehicle. It would seem that the correct side to drive on for a car depends on which side the steering wheel is on... Since a bicycle has the steering in the center, they can go both ways!

If I have a single pannier I put it on the left (traffic side). Don't ask me why...