Ivy McKee

Hi! So I just got some panniers for my bike. I bike most places and I want to use the panniers to hold my books and computer when I bike to school, my groceries, etc. I was wondering what is the best way to make sure nobody steals my panniers? I dont want to have to carry them with me whenever I get off my bike.

Thanks!

Northwestrider

A box cutter would IMO render any precaution mute . A beat up looking pannier may make stealing it a little less attractive .

bikemig 

Take them off the bike when you lock them up.

SkunkWerX

Trap a wolverine and a badger. Place one, each, in each pannier. Left and Right doesn't matter.

But seriously, this is the same dilemma we have with even a small day pack on the rear rack. If we stop somewhere, and will be out of sight of our bikes, we have to take off the pack, and schlep it into wherever we will be, and our helmets, and lock the bike, etc. etc. It can be a pain, but it is what it is.

I am afraid that removing them is the only real way to ensure they stay safe from theft.

jefnvk

I took one of those cable lock meant for pistols, ran it through both handles, and through the rack. Lightweight and just long enough for the task. If you have a cable lock that you use, you can run that through the handles as well.

Stops the opportunistic thieves, but as everyone else mentioned there isn't much you can do to keep someone that wants them or your stuff. Should work well enough if you are just worried about people stealing your bags themselves when you are in class or at the store, but I wouldn't leave anything of value in there unsupervised.

CliffordK

It all depends.

Never leave anything you can't afford to lose on your bike.

So... if you leave panniers, then remove anything of significant value (laptop, cell phone, wallet, etc).

Around here, if you're out shopping, it is usually ok to leave a trailer, panniers, etc outside (without valuables). I'm not sure I'd park a bike on campus all day with them.

Maybe a steel basket, if that fits your bike and personality?

Northwestrider

It wasn't a pannier , but my bike that was almost stolen, I watched . It takes them seconds . Fortunately I retained my bike, but the experience has made me a bit nervous when leaving my bike or anything on it un attended .

RandomTroll

I've never left my panniers on my bicycle - it never crossed my mind.

canklecat

1. Get the cheapest panniers you can find that will do that job and don't worry about 'em.

2. Get really good panniers that are well designed for quick attachment/detachment and easy carrying as shoulder bags and take 'em with you.

3. Bolt on metal baskets (fixed or folding) or a porteur front rack to hold your preferred shoulder bag and just take the bag with you and leave the baskets/racks on the bike.

I use Nashbar Townie open top grocery panniers for errands. They attach/detach quickly and easily, but they're not really suitable for carrying as makeshift tote bags. The handles are attached to the rear panel and a loaded bag would be badly off balance. And they tend to get dusty and occasionally a bit grungy from mud splashes, so I don't carry them into the store. On the plus side they fold flat and don't add much wind resistance, so some days I'll take long rides first and do my shopping afterward on the way home.

But if I had a dedicated errand/city bike, I'd use bolt-on Wald folding baskets on the rear and either a metal basket or porteur rack on the front. Much quicker and easier than messing with panniers.

rydabent

Wouldnt it be great to leave a bike out with some really cheap panniers full of really well used cat litter. I would love to see the look on the thugs face when he opened them up.

jefnvk

Maybe America is different, but I was uber-cautious about always sitting at a cafe in Europe that I could see my bike and the panniers full of somewhat important to me but relatively worthless crap to anyone else. In an entire week, not a single person ever took interest, looked at them, got near them, cared about them.

Of course there are thieves everywhere, and opportunists abound, but it really shocked me how in the homelands of bike theft, where I was warned time and again about theft, not a single person paid what I considered my valuables any attention. Sometimes I think we overvalue our own possessions, to most others they are nothing but an empty bag

CliffordK

Not that one over-values one's valuables, but it is a big pain to walk outside only to find that one's light that one was planning to get home safely that night, and in the future is suddenly missing.

Likewise, I'd hate to have a cart full of groceries with nowhere to put it.

And the dinner you just purchased is worth... well, whatever you just paid for it. If it goes missing, then one has to head back to the store and replace it.

Fortunately, so far, the only thing that has turned up missing was my headlights... the expensive ones. The cheapos are ignored.

tclune

I have Wald folding baskets installed on my rear rack for exactly this reason. While it would be possible for a thief to unscrew them and run off with them, I have had no problem of that sort. The Walds are convenient for carrying most anything and always available. The one thing that I find less than ideal about them is how the baskets latch when folded up. So I don't use their very poorly-designed metal latch. Instead, I secure them in the folded position using bungee cords that are helpful for securing loads when the Walds are in use. In all the time I have had Walds on my bikes, no-one has stolen the bungees, either. So maybe I just live in a better class of town than some folks on these threads.

indyfabz

I recently got back from an 11 day tour in Montana. I left my panniers on my bike on numerous occasions while I did things like shop for groceries and, you know, slept at night. And it wasn't the first time. Think I used my bike lock maybe 3 times. A few years ago I toured across PA without a lock.

Maelochs

I envy your success .... Roll them dice! I have had three bikes stolen (one recovered I have never left my panniers on the bike while away from the bike.

Particularly while touring. It is risk/reward: I might go for years, or forever, without a loss ... but if I am halfway through a multi-day tour and lose all my gear, or my bike And all my gear .....

Nachoman

I've used a mini suitcase, luggage lock and locked one of the eyelets of the pannier around one of the bars of the bicycle rack.
But an allen wrench, box cutters, or even a pair of scissors, could be used to steal the pannier.
The mini lock just keeps honest people . . . honest.

fietsbob

if you had gotten wire Baskets, Wald .. etc.
582 Rear Folding Basket - Waldsports

those can stay on the rear rack & no body will unbolt them.

your stuff would go in bags you take with you..

panniers that are easy to remove can be taken off by you or any one else,

as recommended , best to take them with you, if you want to keep them
and where you lock up the bike is not secure.

BobbyG

+1 (well, +2 actually) Wald Folding Baskets. Not as stylish or trendy, but secure and versitile.

berner

Some sort of cable to lock the panniers to t he bike should not be difficult to do. The panniers themselves can be cut open by a thief to get access to the contents. I don't remember now who made it but there is or was a ss cable netting made to enclose backpacks when traveling by air. It such an arrangement is needed I'd check classifed ads in backpacker magazine.

BobbyG

I meant to attach photos of my Wald folding baskets.

RichSPK

I don't leave any accessories on my bike. My lights and bike computer go in my panniers and the panniers come with me. Carrying your panniers builds upper body strength. :-)

Seriously. I always ride with panniers (or a rack-top bag) and I haven't run into trouble bringing them inside with me. When I had a desk job, I kept them in my cubicle. At my current job, I drape my panniers over a drain pipe in the basement. At the supermarket, I just throw them in my cart. If a store objected (hasn't happened yet), I'd offer to let them hold my panniers behind the counter for me.

indyfabz

It's called realistic risk assessment using situational awareness. I don't even leave my seat bag on my bike when I lock it up outside my office tower in the 5th largest city in America. If I am in a near-empty U.S.F.S. campground that is not visible from the lightly used dirt rode that runs by it, I am not going to worry about bike and gear. Somewhere in between is the situation where a town looks somewhat sketchy so I ask the grocery store manager if I can bring my bike inside the store mostly full of retirees and leave it somewhere out of the way while I shop.


None of the seven people (including myself) who shared the Twin Bridges Bike Camp over two days I was there took any precautions to secure their bike and belongings other than put them inside the small, unlocked shelter of the camp.


Ironically, I suppose, the only place I have had a bike stolen is from inside my house while I was home awake.

corrado33

Drill 2 holes in them around one of your rack's supports. Buy a U bolt/muffler bolt. Attach. They won't be removable anymore, hence un-steal-able.

VegasTriker

Don't leave your bike in theft prone areas. I had a pair of Carridice panniers mounted on my Greenspeed GTO trike and used them for a decade to carry groceries from the store. They are $$$ bags but nobody ever bothered with them. I don't ride in high crime areas so I really didn't worry.

RichSPK

You guys are funny with your talk about 'theft prone areas'. The fact that you haven't seen theft in certain areas is sheer luck. My car was broken into when I lived on M30 in Sanford, Michigan. Sure, it's not Antarctica, but it's fairly remote.

Keep on keeping on. Maybe your stuff will not get stolen for the rest of your life, but I'll keep locking up what I can and taking the rest with me.