Originally Posted by
CycleRyder
I know this is an old thread now but I was toying with the idea of a locking mecanism that locks the clips of a clip on panner in place so some passer by won't be able to lift them off the bike without the key.
These clip on panners are WAY too much money for what they are. Sure they are innovative & handy but way too much for something thats easy to steal. You'd think at the prices of the Lbera or Axiom bags they would at least have a locking mechanism that would secure it to a bike. Right now I got two $20 Everest backpacks hooked up to both sides of my front rack & they can hold a decent amount of stuff.
Since they are zip tied on there pretty good using thick strong zip ties as well as a few hose clamps nobody has bothered to steal them off my bike when I lock up somewhere so far. I would like clip on panners someday but at those prices they seem more like a gimmic to me.
It would be nice if clip on panniers had straps that allowed them to be carried easily like a backpack or shoulder bag when removed from the bike at least. But for now I like my setup. I got two backpacks on both sides of my rack as well as my backpack I wear which when combined can carry a fair amount of cargo like groceries & stuff.
There are many versions of the "backpack" pannier. This arkel is one of them.
Arkel Switchback 2.0 Pannier - Black/Lime - Modern Bike
Clip on attachment mechanisms are complicated, they have to be. Losing a pannier due to the bike bouncing is unacceptable, yet the bag has to be able to be removed quickly. I've used both ortlieb's mechanism and thule's commuter panniers mechanism. The Thule mechanism is more secure (up top), but is more finicky. The ortlieb mechanism feels flimsier.. (thin plastics) but it works EXTREMELY easily. I'd have confidence that either would be fine on a tour. The magnet used for the lower attachment for the thule bags is... slightly annoying if you lay your bike over while loaded. The pannier will swing out because the magnet isn't strong enough to resist the force of gravity in a perpendicular direction. In all honesty I never lay my bike down, so that's not an issue. The thule panniers are also meant for commuting, not touring. The ortlieb has a simple plastic hook that catches one of the downtubes of the rack. Simple yet effective, but slightly more difficult to get on than the magnet.
Again, both are great and work perfectly well, I'm just noting differences. The thule ones come with replacement "hooks" for the attachment mechanism, but I've never needed to replace them, despite dropping the loaded bag on the hooks quite often (accidently.) I expected them to break a long time ago and cringe every time I drop it, but they seem to be holding strong. The mechanism on the thule bag also folds away to carry the pannier with the included strap over your shoulder and not worry about the hooks catching your pants.