Originally Posted by
notfred
My pannier choices seem to be "none" or "pannier big enough to fit a cow inside".
I can currently carry everything I need in a messenger bag, but I'm going to be doing a 23-mile-each-way commute, and I want to move that stuff off of my back.
I want to carry:
Macbook Air
Few computer accessories ( power cord, digital camera )
U-lock
T-shirt
Pair of jeans
And really that's about it. I want little tiny streamlined panniers, not one gigantic one the size of a mountaineering pack.
I'd just get something like the Arkel Tail Rider, but it (along with all the other similar bags) seems to only be about 6" wide, which isn't as wide as my laptop.
Anyone know any minimalist panniers? Or know anyone who can custom make panniers to my specs? That would be cool.
You may want to take a look at some Jandd Saddlebags. They WERE around 75.00 when I got them. They're NOT waterproof and they dont hold very much, but may be perfect for your seemingly minimal needs. They ride pretty high so the 'heel strike' issue isn't a factor and they've got solid plastic inserts in the 'spoke side'. Want to state again that they ARE NOT waterproof. Some sort of waterproofing spray and a couple of tightly wound plastic grocery bags does the trick for me. I bunched the stock attatchment system w/cable ties and use a couple of 8" to pull the bags in tight to the vertical rack post. Works very well. My panniers don't 'flop' at all. Good luck!
BTW, my commute is 40 mi rt. I've had these bags about 4 years. They've, also got some straps on the top part, but one is better off using bungee cords. The rack I use is the Delta Universal Mega Rack. It's fits these bags perfectly.