donnamb 

Well, I have been using my Carradice Bike Bureau for 3 months now. I ride to work every weekday, and I use my pannier whenever I go to work. I've also been using it for carrying just about anything that fits in it that I don't want to get wet. Such items include my iPod, laptop, library books, papers, etc. I've even carried a houseplant in it. It is made from cotton duck canvas that is waxed for waterproofing, and can be re-proofed easily at home with no chemicals. It keeps everything totally dry, but the cotton allows breathing, so no musty smell on the work clothes. There is this nifty double flap arrangement keeps the top of the briefcase clean and dry when it's on the bike. Fold the flap back and the dirt and the hooks are covered. You can go into a meeting with it, it really doesn't look all that pannier-ish, and you're not going to catch anything on the hooks. There is a shoulder strap, a briefcase handle, and a nylon handle to pull it off the bike rack before you flip the flap over. It's black in color, but there is reflective material on it. I have vague plans to add more in the future. There's a drawtop that ensures everything stays nice and dry. For a bike pannier, there are lots of pockets and pouches inside. (I cannot function without pockets and pouches in bags.) There's a divider inside for a laptop, but one would definitely want an additional padded case of some sort. There's a zipped pocket in the foldback lid so you could keep wet clothes separate from everything else in your pannier. That's where I keep my bungee cord collection.

From my perspective, the absolute best thing about this pannier is the way it attaches to the rack. I have very strong hands, but my arms aren't so strong. I can't even get an Ortleib pannier off my rack, because I'm not strong enough to make that pull. I can get the Carradice off with ease because you unclick each hook individually using hand strength.


You can see from the first photo how it is possible to adjust the hooks to your rack. What you can't see is how the rail is angled to avoid heel strike. Since the Bike Bureau is kind of wide, I really like that.

I'm very fortunate in that I had the opportunity to go and look at these panniers, open them, mess around with them, etc., before I bought it. Our local bike co-op is the only physical business location that sells Carradice west of the Rockies. I also got a really good price for it. ($95 after a discount I get for belonging to a local food co-op) I've been so pleased with mine, I decided to pick up the Shopper pannier. I'm glad I went when I did, as they only had one left, and the price will go up with the next shipment from the U.K. It's made out of the same waxed cotton duck. There's this roll top that allows you to increase/decrease the volume of the pannier somewhat. There are wooden dowl-like handles plus a sturdy shoulder strap . There's an outer mesh pocket that is coated in something waterproof so it doesn't get soggy. It's got a 32 liter capacity, which was fantastic on last night's grocery shopping trip. Best of all, it's the same hook system as the Bike Bureau, so I can actually get the thing off myself. There's no angle on the hook rail for heel strikeback, but that's ok, since it's not as wide as the Bike Bureau.

I was chatting with one of the female owner-workers at the bike co-op and she noted they were popular with women whose arm strength isn't the same as a typical guy's. Her partner - who adores hers - is a pianist, so like me, there is that strong hand/weaker arms combination going on. I wish there were more places we could go in North America to check them out in person, so I offer my observations and opinions in case anyone has been thinking about one. I do not own a camera, but I promise to take some pictures and post them when my mother comes to visit in a couple of weeks with hers.

wahoonc

donnamb,
Thanks for the review. I have two Carradice bags at the moment and I am sure I will be buying more. I bought the first one because it was the "right" bag for my Raleigh Supreme. I bought the second bag because I like A) the quality of the first bag and B) it is made by real people getting paid a living wage in a first world country. There maybe US manufacturers of bike bags but I am not familiar with them. I have seen 25 and 30 year old Carradice bags that are still going strong.

Aaron

Edit:Correct grammar and speeling

donnamb 

Aaron, I didn't mention my personal economic moral values in my review, but I like the Carradice bags for this reason, also.

wahoonc

I also forgot to point out that my bags are cotton canvas which is a renewable resource and can be repaired, and re-proofed using fairly non noxious coatings. Once nylon tears out at a seam you are pretty much out of luck. I have no problem with something like an Arkel bag for heavy tour use. But wish I had found Carradice 25 years ago Live and Learn

Aaron

eibeinaka

The picture donnamb posted off the hooks makes them look more obtrusive than they actually are. I usually put wet weather gear in the flap plus extra layering in winter plus my gloves when off the bike. The flap is kept in place over the hooks by velcro strips on the flap and the back of the bag. It's really comfortable.

About the only upgrade possible is a better strap. I bought this diving bag strap and it is significantly more comfortable, especially when the bag is heavily loaded.


https://tinyurl.com/2p3xse

eibeinaka

Here's a photo that illustrates how the bag is set at an angle to prevent heel strike. The top rail with the hooks is at angle, as is the rail on which the bottom catch is secured. All three are fully adjustable, so the top hooks can be placed either side of horizontal rack struts and the bottom catch can be adjusted to fit snuggly against a down strut to minimise movement. Properly fitted, it doesn't move at all.

If you look at the largest size, you can just make out the bottom catch if you follow the line of the tubus rack.

https://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=252416656&size=o

martianone

i've had a carradice seat bag attached to my b-17 for a couple years,
it is great. keep tools, tube, phone, rash kit, etc in it. pretty much
rain proof, though i do spray it about 3 times a year with some silicone
tent spray.

donnamb 

Is it the cotton duck kind or the cordura?

MichaelW

The hooks are by Rixen and Kaul and are used by other brands as well. The rivet-on railing is a good method for home-builders as well. The stiffening material on most Carradice bags is correx, corrugated plastic (like for-sale signs). You just rivet therough the canvas and correx and it holds for years.

My Carradice panniers are 10 years old and have survived a couple of scapes which would have melted nylon.

martianone

donnamb-
the seat bag is cotton.

Pobble.808

I've been happy with mine for most of the reasons mentioned by various folks above. Not so thrilled about those hooks, though. Even though my fingers are pretty small, I find it hard to get at the bottom of the front hook so I can push it in to detach the bag from the rack. I wonder how people with big hands/fingers manage to get it done at all.

People should also be aware that because of the slanted mounting system you can only use the bag on one side of the bike and you have to specify left or right when you buy or order. Perhaps this is a small price to pay if it means that you won't have to worry about heel strike.

Odyssey

I also have a Carradice Bike Bureau - I tend to destroy bags fairly quickly in daily use, but it took a friend of mine crashing my bike at reasonable speed to put a small hole (that hasn't spread) in the cotton duck of this bag. Scraping it along things like roads and walls does nothing other than make the material slightly softer to the touch.

However, the weak point of the bags is the shoulder strap - for one, as eibeinaka mentioned, it isn't that comfortable. Also the attachment points aren't great if you're using the strap for the majority of most days - mine started to come off a few months back, and now the bag is at Carradice for repairs. Luckily they have a lifetime warranty on defects in workmanship, as I don't have an industrial sewing machine!

Overall, very happy with the bag, well worth the £50-ish I spent for it.

eibeinaka

I've used mine virtually every day for almost 2 years and I haven't had any issues with the attachments points. Maybe you were just unlucky.

Odyssey

Perhaps - although I do tend to have a habit of carrying excessive weight and throwing it over my head onto my shoulder, which means it drops onto me and the attachments take a fair bit of force. When it gets back from repairs (which, incidentally, means it gets knocked into a queue waiting for a 'slot' to be repaired - busy company!) I probably won't give it such a hard time

gascostalot

I have to commit necromancy, but how is the pannier holding up?

This is the very same bag I'm looking to purchase.

Schwinnrider

I have a pair of Carradice Kendal panniers. Same material, same mounting system. Great bags. The mounting system is especially nice. The combination of traditional materials and the modern mounting gives Carradice an advantage over other canvas bags. Easy on, easy off.

I also got mine from Citybikes. Had to have them shipped 3000 miles, but Citybikes had the only pair in the freaking world at the time. Seriously. I called every Carradice dealer in the US and a whole bunch in Europe, and nobody had them. Beth at CityBikes saved me on that one.

MichaelW

This reawakened thread seems the right place to relate my latest Carradice repair. After a 15 years of everyday commuting and annual tour my Super-Cs were in dire need of some patching. I bought 2 patch kits from carradice which include several swatches of cotton duck canvas material, a tube of copydex rubber cement/glue and advice on shaping patches for corners..
Tips: gluing on extra layers can create a stress raiser along the edge of the patch. Avoid straight lines in your patch by cutting a zigzag pattern (like pinking shears but larger), rounded corners and wibbly-wobbly patch shapes.
I reinforced the worn top edge of the pocket with a wrap-over patch but created the foldover halway along the patch. I now have a stress raiser going from 1 layer to 3 layers. Ill have to rip it off and reshape so the inside and outside parts of the patch dont match up.

In normal use you can find wear lines, eg on flap-tops from buckle to edge. Gluing a patch across part of this line may help reduce the stress line and eliminate or shift wear.

akahn

would these be decent panniers for light touring (one or two night camping tours)? or are people just using them for commuting type riding?

wahoonc

Yes...if something will stand up to the day to rigors of commuting I will more than handle light touring.

Aaron

akahn

Thanks for the feedback. I got the pair (good condition except one hole that had been repaired) on eBay for $81 + shipping.

macteacher

Does anyone know if

1. A 17" MBP laptop can fit with ease

and

2. The latching system would work with oversized tubing? 16mm (for a Pashley bike?)

CliftonGK1

1) They're 17.3" wide, 14" tall and 6" deep. A 17" laptop will fit, but maybe not much else along with it.

2) Direct from the Carradice site: New Rixen & Kaul Modul attachment system fits racks 10mm - 16mm in diameter . 10kg max. load so it will fit your Pashley.

thorsteno

Thanks for the comments. I plan to replace my cheap Avenir panniers this year with Carradice. Pobble.808, would you be willing to post pics of your attachment issues?

Timber_8

I just ordered this from Carradice & to my surprise I got a $10 dollar refund as well. I also have a 17 inch Laptop & I find that there is little to choose from for Bicycle transport. This is about the best thing I have found. This bag is plenty big enough for a 17 inch lap top but the sleeve insert might be a different story. The bag is 17.3 inches wide & my 17" laptop is 15.5 inches wide. I'll let you know how it works out when it arrives.

https://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php...&product_id=64

macteacher

Good stuff. Please do keep us updated. It is so unfortunate that bag manufacturers do not make products for the 17" laptops. The selection is very limited.

I await your review

Cheers