Commuting - good, cheap pannier

Hi there. I'm a college-bound north dakota kid looking for a cheap, durable, and practical pannier to attach to my gary fisher hybrid (I love this bike). Is it better to have it rear-mounted or front? Obviously I'd prefer something I could quickly take off the bike and bring into my classes and such. Also, is it pronounced "pan-ee-ay" or "pan-eer?" I figure it's the former, probably some french word, non?

I use Nashbar panniers.

http://www.nashbar.com

Nashbar stuff is reasonably priced and reasonably durable. It took me 5-6 years of year-round commuting to destroy a set.

I use one of two pairs of panniers from Arkel now; they're bombproof but by no means inexpensive.

And, it's "pann-eer".

nashbar here too. i added my own shoulder strap so I can grab one and just sling it over my shoulder and go.

I do have a messenger bag which i like also if I am running errands. I use it for the kinds of trips where I have 2 or 3 or more stops and am only spending about 10 mins on the bike for each ride. Otherwise I prefer the comfort of having the stuff on the bike, not on me.

Prefer rear panniers as they do not affect steering.
The word 'pannier' is French for basket and pronounced pan-ee-ay; however as with many French words they get Anglicized.
Mais 'pannier' est vraiment un nom francaise!

I just picked up a set of panniers made by Deuter http://www.deuter.com , the Rack Pack I. Kind of wanted the Rack Pack II, as it comes with a wrap that you put around it for rain, but it was just a bit too much bag for me, and I figure I can work something up if necessary. The Rack Pack I cost $99 clams...so far, I like them a lot. Roomy, lots of pockets for smaller stuff (cell phone, wallet, etc).

Hi there. I'm a college-bound north dakota kid looking for a cheap, durable, and practical pannier to attach to my gary fisher hybrid (I love this bike). ?

There is no better place to get "cheap" panniers than on
E-bay. I just picked up a little used set complete with
racks for $50+ $10 shipping. We're talking 6 bags and 2
racks for $60 bucks total!! I've seen other sets go for
under $20!! Check e-bay before you invest school money in
bags, mate,

For those using Nashbar panniers - does the lower attachment hook have a bungee / elastic / similar setup, or are they a "pull strap to tighten" design?

Thanks!

-chris

Someone on this forum recently recommended the Arkel Utility Basket.
http://www.panniers.com/text_index.html
Capacious single pannier for about $65. They don't make a rain cover for it yet, for some reason. It seems well-designed, although when I checked one out in a store I couldn't figure out how the folding flat bottom is secured when you want it out of the way; maybe it's done by tightening all the compression lacing on the sides. Haven't bought one yet but I'm thinking about it.

I agree w/Tightwad-check e-bay!

For example, I lucked out & picked up a pair of Jandd waterproof bags (this model: http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FFHP) for about 50$! Commuting, I only use one mounted rear left. The pair worked out excellent, along with my Jandd mini mtns up front, for riding Budapest to Istanbul on tour.

Folks will probably be listing more now towards the end of summer, into fall-as most folks end summer tours.

If your buying new, & on a budget, Nashbar would be the way to go. After a few years of use I had to jury rig a bottom bunji attachment to keep them from flapping all about-but they are still waterproof(and I bought them well used).

In any event, for commuting I would lean towards a waterproof model over water resistant.

--Oh, and steering is much better for me if I have weight evenly distributed between two bags on the front.

Since most times all my "stuff" fits into one bag for commuting I mount it left rear. I could ride hands free all day (if I wanted to), not so if I had the same bag mounted to one side up front.

One of my commute legs is at night, so I have a reflective triangle, and tailite attached to my bag. Drivers "seem" to pass further out compared to when I ride my road bike without bags during the day (I consider myself an effective, predictable rider all the time-I don't hug the curb or door zones).

My nashbars have the "Pull stap to tighten" design.

Oh, and one more vote for Nashbar. I got a set of rears w/rack for $30 on sale a few months ago.

I believe its pronoused pani-yai- in french it means basket- kind of the smae idea

I'm currently building a set of panniers. I bought Arkel's hook system for 20 bucks and couple of square water proof 5 gallon pails from usplastics.com for $7.23 each. They also seel them in four gallon pails. $34.46 total less shipping. They will have 2688 cubic inch of storage space. Arkel's T-42 set only have 2550 cubic inches of space and they sell for $149!!!

I believe its pronoused pani-yai- in french it means basket- kind of the smae idea It's pronounced as one would expect in English (pan-yer). It's from Middle English, then from Latin, for "bread-basket" (makes sense). It also applies to paired baskets/bags carried over a person's shoulders or on the back of a pack animal.

For those using Nashbar panniers - does the lower attachment hook have a bungee / elastic / similar setup, or are they a "pull strap to tighten" design?

The Nashbar panniers use a bungee type cord with a hook on each side. You hang the hook around the bottom of your rack, then pull up on the pannier to hook it over the top bar of your rack.

Billy

I'm currently building a set of panniers. I bought Arkel's hook system for 20 bucks and couple of square water proof 5 gallon pails from usplastics.com for $7.23 each. They also seel them in four gallon pails. $34.46 total less shipping. They will have 2688 cubic inch of storage space. Arkel's T-42 set only have 2550 cubic inches of space and they sell for $149!!!

A fancier version of the plastic pail pannier is available from Cobbworks (http://www.cobbworks.com/index.html) out in Washington state. Their version costs a little more than the homemade system described by funbun, but it looks like they've put a lot of thought into their design.

I do not have any personal experience with Cobbsworks panniers, but they seem pretty nice. Anyone here try them before?

Yuo can also use an old bookbag. Just get a peice of scrap plywood from Lowes or somewhere. Screw S hooks and bungie to that and there you go.

I just ordered the Arkel Utility Basket i will let you know how i like it.

I think you will like the Utility basket. I used it for about 4 months until someone stole it. I had the original. They've got a newer version now with the fully adjustable hook system. It looks like a good pannier.

Warning: When I first got my Arkel it made me sneeze a lot. Maybe the materials were too new. After about a week I didn't have any allergic reaction whatsoever. Anybody else have tis problem?