The Nasbar ATB panner is $36 for a pair with the 10% discount, plus shipping ofcourse. so, for the $40 odd dollars for the two panniers, is this a good enough deal for these panniers that some feel arent that good? or should I suck it up and spend more on something else?

I'm thrifty and I was just thinking about those... Unfortunately I just got an el cheapo folding wire basket set for my back rack like four hours ago. Ugly and loud, but cheap ^.^

Go for it! When they rip you can fix them!

If I get a year out of them, guess thats not bad. doubt there is anything that is really good for under $50 with shipping.

I've been watching Performance's Epic panniers go on and off sale for $55 (50 with coupon). They're bigger, have more reflective surfaces, have a thick cordura top, and come with rain covers. In fact, I bought both the nashbar and epic and am now returning the nashbar. Are you happy with the size?

I only have a rear trunk bag and really only need some more room. If I had the equivalent of two trunk bags, I would probably be fine. I can drop all my supplies at work when not commuting, as I have to drive in twice a week because I have to drive to clients on those days. we have a refrigerator, a shower, I even have a small dresser and book shelf in my office to store my cloths and supplies. We have a kitchen sink so I can wash dishes as well. I just need room to cary extra layers of clothing for the ride, and a few other things.

I have a pair for these bags and they are serviceable. I picked them up last year when they were on sale. They are narrower then most "rear" bags which is good for me with size 11.5/47 shoes. I have heel wacking problem with other bags. I only use one to carry my change of cloths and it has lasted a season.

It is just large enough to carry shoes and clothes in the main compartment. The top carries keys and a firstaid kit. The end compartment I carry an extra tube and small whatevers. If you need more space then you will need both bags or a larger model.

I've got a pair, I've had them for over 2 years. I'm only using the left one now, the right one has only been on the bike about 5 times and looks new. The other one has been mud covered and washed many times, has had an 8-pack of 16-oz soda bottles in it once a week or so, but generally just has my lunch, phone and camera in it. It's got a hole in the bottom of the main compartment but nothing that keeps it from being usable.

It's fallen off and gone skidding down the road 2 or 3 times, but that didn't really bother it much. I think the hole came from the time that I didn't secure it properly and it swung into the rear spokes (ouch).

I think I paid < $30 for my pair, but that's been a while. Not sure if they go that low now. I think they're very good utility bags. no nonsense. The only thing I'd wish for would be waterproof, but I just put stuff in a plastic bag if that's going to be a problem.

They don't come off now because I'm using the velcro safety strap, which I was too lazy to use before. Even without it though they only came off when I hit a very large hole, or washboarding at just the right frequency to beat the hell out of the bike.

cool, they should be enough for me. I noticed a lot of people only use one though, doesn't that cause balance issues?

I just bought novara transit panniers (REI $75 pair) and I like their construction and size. I put all my stuff (20lbs) into one last night and put it on the bike, and then tried riding around on it... maybe I'm just not used to it, but it felt very wierd. I put the computer into its seperate pannier with some extra clothes and it was at least ballanced.

I just switched from backpack, and it just feels very weird having all that weight over the rear wheels. I ride fixed and I now can't skid my rear wheel, but resisting slows me down faster. Also having the weight so much lower seems to want to push the bike straight ahead and keep it upright, which is a really weird feeling going into turns.

Anyone else have similar experiences swithcing to panniers? Do you get used to it pretty quickly?

The single bag looks funny but you don't notice it when ridding. I also only use the left bag and it does not impact my riding in or out of the saddle. Give it a try.

I've loaded up about ~15 pounds in just a single left-sided pannier without any balance problems. The only balance problem was getting the pannier on the bike (Arkel's hooks are not user friendlY) but actually riding it wasn't an issue.

No balance problem. You just automatically lean an extra inch to the other side. You can't even notice it.

That is, unless your bag is on the left, as mine is, and you have an 8 pack of soda in it, and it overbalances the kickstand and crashes. You can avoid that if you think to allow for it and turn the wheel away from the weight.

i have a pair of these and they work great for my commutes (briefcase, change of cloths, work and riding rain-gear, safty-vest, etc). there is space enough for grocery shopping after dropping off work items.
i toured with these as my front panniers (a little too large, but do-able) in 2004.
i use a nashbar rack-pack as well (lunch, night lighting, tools, mini-pump, lock. etc).
i have used nashbar bags etc since 1980 and think (if we are talking about the same bags) that you could be well pleased with this set!
ride safe!

thanks, they will arrive on thursday. I think it has to be better than looking at my rack and wishing I had something other than my trunk bag to put stuff in. I end up packing my trunk bag so full, I can barely get it closed and still feel like I have to leave items behind. Im considering getting a front rack just to mount lights on. Probably just a waste of weight though. thanks for all the input people.

I'm actually really pissed off with my latest purchase. I've been wanting to switch from backpack to pannier/wirebaskets/whateveronmybackrack for a long time now. Seeing some black wire baskets in a local store I purchased one and attached it to the left side of my bike (cost 15 dollars). I was really dissappointed to find out that these are absolute crap. It is clinging for dear life to my rear rack and when I hit the smallest of bumps with my 700x25 roads it threatens to fall apart. This is when I have my 20-25 pound bag in them.

I really want to stop being so cheap with my accessories, but I really just don't know what I should look into. Panniers are always nice but because I'm in school I want to have the whole backpack set up able to be transferred from the rack to my body quickly (thus I was looking at the wire baskets instead of the cloth panniers). Are there any sub 50 dollar panniers that are sturdy and can hold a full backpack easily?

KC

Kill cactus -- I don't know if anything is already made that would fit your budget, but you could put something together that would hold your backpack. There are always the homemade bucket panniers that might work. But what about fastening a small piece of light plywood or stiff plastic to the side of you rack. If you left a couple of tabs sticking up on top of the board you could hang your backpack over them to hold it in place. I would bet you could do something for cheap and it would not draw potential thieves like something hi-tech.

they also make panniers that convert to backpacks, but I'm not sure they're under $50 and I'm not sure they'd be very comfortable as a backpack. Just an option thats out there.

couldnt you just wrap it up and then bungie it down on your rack? If you used a few cords and did it tight, it should stay in place I would thinkl.

I definitely was much happier when I switched from a trunk pack to a pannier. The trunk pack I had was from Nashbar and velcroed on. It didn't leave room for the reflectors and stuff I wanted to put on there, plus it was such a pain that I never took it off, so I had to pack/unpack/repack every time.
The panniers I just lift off in 3 seconds and walk inside. I pack up the next day's stuff the night before, and in the morning it's just clip/hook/secure velcro and go.
I haven't mounted my trunk pack once since getting the panniers.

Actually, I am allowed to park my bike in the kitchen, so it wont be a problem, and if we move our offices upstairs, I can just park my bike in my office. I wont have to take off the panniers to go inside, just when I want to take them upstairs to pack at night. But im starting to think the panniers will end up taking the place of my trunk rack completely, or I will use the trunk to carry a light battery/charger.

I think those wire baskets should be OK, if you attach them to your rack in several places with hose clamps.

Adiankur - I think those bags are too big for commuting. The daypack ones are $10 cheaper and come in high viz yellow