Panniers, Rack bag, Baskets, or Other?
 

Hello All,

I've got myself a Trek interchange rack and it's time to throw on a bag of some sort. I'm leaning very heavily towards the Nashbar Waterproof Panniers.

However, the Nashbar Special Waterproof Action-Pack 'n Pannier is looking awfully attractive as well - if I purchased this I would complement it with the Nashbar Townie Basket on the other side.

Looking through the Commuter Pics thread I noticed a lot of rack bags.

What are your experiences with Rack bags vs. Panniers vs. Backpack/hybrid vs. Baskets.

When I was in China I had a wire basket securly hooked to my rear rack, however, I fear inclement weather would make that impractical.

I'm a student and also teach some classes at my university as a grad assistant, and generally plan on carrying a full change of clothes every day (including shoes) as well as a laptop and probably several folders, papers, and books.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and reccomendations on bags and panniers, as I'm planning on making a purchase in the next week or two.

Thanks!!!

Rack bags are usually light and create less drag than a pannier but are limited in size. I don't usually carry much to work but my rack bag was often overstuffed. If you are carrying heavier items it will be more stable to carry them lower in a pannier than high up in a rack bag.
Craig

I would say panniers but keep your laptop in a backpack or messenger bag, even if that is all you keep in there plus thsi means your back pack can be small. Panniers have to put up with more vibration than stuff in a backpack not good for laptops, also I would knock my pannier lightly some times when weaving through traffic. I started with a backpack then panniers and backpack but now I can leave most stuff at work and get away with a messenger bag, try leaving your shoes at least at work or in a locker as they are so bulky. I would only have my laptop on my person and every thing else including shoes and lunch I could fit in one pannier, unless I had loads of papers in which case they joined the laptop.

Edit: Baskets attract little in the UK, the US may be better but I dout it.
Edit 2: I sowed a strap to my panniers so I could carry is around college easily on my shoulder.

I've got both a trunk bag, like the Nashbar Deluxe Trunk bag, http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...20Trunk%20Bags, and a grocery pannier.

I love them both but use the trunk bag more often, as it's perfect to take to work. I put my clothes, lunch, and pocket stuff in there. When I bring my laptop, I either put it in the pannier or bungie it to the side of the rack.

I hate to say it, but it sounds to me like you need both as well. I'd put your clothes, lunch, if you pack it, and shoes in the trunk bag and your laptop and folders in the pannier.

This trunk bag is of higher quality and I wish I had it instead of the one I got. I doesn't use velcro.
http://www.lickbike.com/productpage.aspx?PART_NUM_SUB='3648-01'

This website recommends commuter bags:
http://nordicgroup.us/commutebike/

I too had a Trek Interchange rack on my bike and was given the Nashbar Waterproof Panniers as a present. I sent them back and got Trek Interchange Panniers. It may seem like a minor thing, but I like having the multiple pockets of the Trek Panniers. Just having the small top pockets for passcard and keys was nearly life-changing for me (no more fumbling in a big bag to get into my building or find my keys!!). Having had more traditional hook-and-tether panniers before, I really like the quick release of the Interchange system. I'm probably going to get the Interchange trunk as well. [Ad for Trek off]

Downsides?
1. More expensive. I think you'll find the Trek Panniers for close to $100 and the Nashbar is $60.
2. Not as big as some other panniers, but the size is perfect for me. I leave shoes and belt at work.
3. Much less off-bike mobility. I go from home to my office and back again. If you are a student and teaching and need to be mobile the pannier-backpack looks like a cool option. Hopefully others can tell of their experience with it.

+1 on the Interchange panniers -- I recently purchased them, and love them. They're big enough, but not too bulky. Especially since you have the Interchange rack, it goes perfectly, you might take a look.

I usually stick to a trunk bag. Carrying panniers just encourages you to carry more stuff you probably don't need...just like in touring;) I don't -and won't - carry a computer. I leave all of my shower stuff at work. I have spare shoes at work. I dont' have to wear a suit at work. And the only time a trunk bag has problems carrying my stuff is when it starts cold and get too warm by the time I go home.

UVA? wahoo

I like my panniers. They're so easy to get on and off, they hold quite a bit, yet add very little to the overall weight, they're easy to carry around, and they're not too expensive. I have Inertia Designs panniers that came as a pair and are great for my books.

I used to use a trunk bag, and liked it quite a bit.
But I found that I kept hauling around a bag full of useless stuff just because I could.
Now I use a cargo net with those rollup waterproof bags you get from hiking/camping stores.
These work great! And the less you have in them the smaller they are, unlike other bags.
this seems to work for me just fine.
All of my emergency stuff (flat kit, tools, spare tube, id, etc) go in a wedge. This leaves the rack mostly open to strap large items on even in conjunction with the roll up bag.

+1

I've read this so many times about panniers -- but the simple truth is if you have a job where you have to have a change of clothes (dress pants, dress shirt, T-shirt, dress socks, wallet, keys, cell phone, lunch, underwear, glasses, gloves, etc.) a trunk bag isn't nearly big enough. Having panniers doesn't force me into carrying anything I don't need.

Sure a trunk bag is big enough. I do it all the time. Lunch (in a plastic box) goes in the inside on the bottom. Socks and underwear stuffed in next to it. Pants are rolled up and placed on top of the lunch along with a shirt (rolled up). Fruit for lunch goes on top. Wallet, keys, knife go in one of the outside pockets, tool kit goes in the other, gloves (cool weather ones, I start with the cold weather ones;) ) go in the rear pocket. The top pocket holds my glasses case and has room for any excess if I have to remove clothing.

I will admit that I carry a Camelbak about half the time and it carries my tool kit and personal items when I use it along with a battery pack for my helmet light. That really frees up space in the rack trunk.

I didn't say that panniers force anyone to carry anything but the tendency - whether commuting or touring - is to fill the space because you have it. Not everyone does but....

[QUOTE=CrosseyedCrickt]...And the less you have in them the smaller they are, unlike other bags.
[\QUOTE]

Another ad for the Trek Panniers: They each have 4 straps so you can cinch the pannier smaller if you're not carrying more stuff. Being a little more aero is incentive to carry less.

Sounds like you're very efficient with your space -- the trunk bags I looked at didn't have the space for all my work clothes. I think it's just a matter of will power and organization to keep the clutter to a bare minimum -- and +1 on the straps that cinch the Trek panniers tight when not completely full -- nice feature.

I have a couple that I like. One is a Performance Transit Epic that I use alot. It has lots of extra space - at least for me;) Another one I use if I'm feeling 'panniery' is a Cannondale Commuter bag. It has side pockets that unfold to make a minipannier which is very slick for those times when I just don't have quite enough room.

I use the Jandd Mini Mountain Panniers. They are just the right size for me. These a great for smaller frames to avoid heel strike.

http://www.touringonbikes.us/images/jean2.jpg

I use the Nashbar Waterproof Panniers myself, got them half price through Nashbar's Returned Goods sale. Nice panniers, extremely roomy but you will need to make a simple mod or they are worthless. They come with some real & I mean REAL chintzy pop-rivets that hold the plastic backing & the mounting hooks to the panniers. Thanks to an online review I read prior to purchasing I was well aware of this & planned ahead.

The first thing I did was rip off the old pop-rivets holding the hooks. Believe me it doesn't take much force & you will see how easliy your panniers could fall right off your bike. Now get a bag of small bolts, washers with lock-nuts, you'll need 4 for each pannier & screw from the outside. My panniers are now much more durable than they were new & I've used them almost daily for 8 months now.

As for the waterproofness of the bags themselves. Yeah, these boys can withstand some serious torrential downpours & remain dry inside. Great bags for the price it's just too bad they skimped on the mounting hardware.

the only thing that kept me away from the Jandds was the price :eek:

I prefer panniers myself. I usually carry a change of clothes, and maybe a pair of shoes and a lunch into work. It's easy enough to yank the panniers off the rack and take them into the building. I just use one if I can get away with it. I manage to adjust to the uneven weight on the back.

I have carried a laptop in my panniers, and I have dropped the bike on said laptop:eek: . It survived, but I wouldn't want to do that again.

The other advantage to the panniers is that I can stop by Target on the way home and haul everything back with me. It's amazing how much I can stuff into those things. My husbands eyes were enormous the night I came home with a small container of laundry detergent, a pint of milk, a 13 lb. bag of cat food, a CD folder, and a doormat. "There must be 40 lbs of stuff in there!" - he was impressed.

My panniers are a used set of old REI front "touring" bags. I found them on Craigslist. I really don't think they ever could have been used for serious touring (no suspension on them, for one thing) but they work fine for my relatively short commute. Plus they have reflective stripes.

Thank you all very much for your replies! This has been helpful. Due to DavidLee's input on the waterproof panniers I chose not to get the Nashbar Waterproofs...I'm not the do-it-yourself type.
Due to other reviews of the backpack/pannier thing I decided not to get that either.
Due to the high price of high-quality panniers, which would be great, I decided not to get those either.
Since I have 2 waterproof backpacks already I decided to get a basket...I got a nice one from Kettler. With a bungee net.
Now I just throw my stuff in my bag, throw it in my basket, strap it down, bike, unstrap it, carry it inside.

Looks like that basket will work out quite nice, I may have to purchase 1 myself.

Yeah, I thought the price was a little high and I really battled with idea of buying them before I gave in. However, the price disparity is not that wide.

Let's see my panniers cost me $90.00

The OP is buying the Kettler Basket for $23.00 + the bungee net for $7.00 that = $30.

If his backpack cost $40 then that makes it $70.00. So I paid $20 more, in that instance.

They're smaller than you probably think, unfortunately. My girlfriend has the Performance TransIt Pro panniers, which are often on sale as low as $50: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...er&btnG=Search. They come with waterproof rain covers and they're very sturdy and easy to attach, with lots of small handy pockets. Each is just about big enough to fit a laptop, a couple textbooks, lunch, and wallet keys phone. I usually use one and my GF takes the other :)

It does look really cool but I've heard that it is not sewn very well and the attachment mechanism is prone to coming apart :( Another convertible backpack/pannier is the Arkel Bug, which is really really nice but costs about $150.

I started with backpack, then went to rack bag, then to panniers. A backpack is okay with a mountain bike and in cool weather. But when it gets too hot, the backpack makes my back sweat. And with a road bike, the backpack hurts my back since I'm leaning forward a lot. Rack bags are a nice idea but don't hold very much... in particular they're not large enough to fit a textbook or a laptop computer.

Definitely go with panniers. I think your requirements are quite similar to mine, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend those Performance TransIt panniers. These Nashbar ATB panniers are very similar in capacity and quality: http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...%3A%20Panniers I'll probably make these my next panniers!

+1 I too have an Interchange rack, but took it off because I couldn't effectively bungee my duffel bag to it. The following purchases finally got the load off my back:

1) the large Interchange rack trunk, the model with the panniers that fold down from the side. I take a change of clothes to work every day, and it works great- but I can't get a pair of shoes into it.
2) Trek basic panniers to use when the loads get too large. I use them when I have shoes, carrying extra clothes from a cold ride in, etc. In the summer I expect to use the trunk only.

Cool basket, and extra cheap compared to other options.

Questions: Do you carry your keys & ID in the backpack? Is there some way you can secure that stuff in the basket, and thus not have to wear the backpack?