Originally Posted by Hairgirl
I appreciate the info. Makes sense about the front needing to balance out the back.
Is it okay to do two different sizes on either side that hold the same amount of volume?
Or is that not advisable?
You certainly can do that if you want. However it might not look stylish to have mismatched panniers, so think about that.
Be sure to try them out on the bike before you buy, to be sure you have heel clearance. Poor heel clearance is one of the commonest complaints about panniers. Also, on some the bottom rear corner sometimes curls in and starts clicking on the spokes. I had to put a plastic coat hanger inside the lining on the inner side of the cavity in one of mine to prevent that. I also had to raise the rack up...some racks have adjustable length in the struts. I've also had panniers that jumped off the rack when I went over a bump, so they need to have really tight elastic cord on the hook that holds them down, or some kind of locking clips up top.