Originally Posted by
lil brown bat
You misunderstand the meaning of "less secure". I've yet to have a backpack or a messenger bag fall off a bike, or off my body. I can't say the same of panniers. And a backpack or messenger bag isn't going to "make you top heavy" unless you're trying to carry a baby grand piano. Admittedly it does seem like pannier fans like to carry a lot of stuff, but that's a preference for most commuters, not a necessity.
Only the crappy ones fall off. In years of cycling, it has never happened to me once, and I've ridden almost each day in the last three years. I do much more with my bike than going to work. I do shopping and groceries with it too, so top-heaviness is a concern. Carrying notes, books and a laptop, my u-lock, lunch and sometimes other stuff is certainly much more of a hassle.
I've used a backpack for years and made the switch for good. I know perfectly well how each system works. I'm not saying backpacks and messenger bags can't work, heck, I use both too, but panniers are the best solution to me.
Oh, I see, so that's a given. Hmm. What percentage of panniers are "those convertible panniers"? Ok, so we're moving the goalposts...
Absolutely not. You're putting all the panniers in the same description. You need to acknowledge not all panniers are the same. If you're using touring panniers in the city, I can only say WTF. Different panniers for different uses make sense. Most panniers companies have these panniers that convert to backpacks or messenger-like bags.
...and we're moving the goalposts some more. You said that you couldn't think of a disadvantage for panniers. I gave you three. You want to pish and tosh them away? Fine, but admit while you're doing so that those disadvantages aren't issues for you -- and that your stated disadvantages of a backpack or messenger bag aren't issues for others. You can't have it both ways.
The panniers I am describing for city use are different than touring panniers. To me these have all the advantages of both systems.
Have you ever actually done this? With loaded panniers? And they just kind of placidly stayed in place when you took the bike vertical?
First of all, I don't see why I'd take my bike vertical in the escalator when I take it in the subway. Secondly, I can't do that because I have fenders and they would hit the floor. Third, if I had to take my bike vertical, I'd get the panniers off the bike and onto my back.