I need some advice on panniers. I'm a college student and frequently find myself carrying 25 lbs+ of books around in my backpack. Can anyone point me in the direction of some manufacturers that produce panniers that could hold large and heavy textbooks? Ideally I would love to find some that lock so that I could leave the books I don't need for a particular class during the day on my bike.

The Performance Transit Pro panniers are nice for typical-sized textbooks. I can easily fit 6 large, hardbound books in a pair of them, with room to spare for clothes, lunch, raincoat.

They don't lock though... I'm not sure if I'd trust any panniers to keep my books dry and safe for a day, though.

Hi moxfyre!

Thanks for your advice. I just checked out the site, and these are definitely better suited for me than the ones I found at a local bike shop!

I use -- and like -- the Nashbar Euro Panniers for carrying textbooks and work stuff. They hold quite a bit and have built-in rain covers, which is definiely a plus. Plus, they look cool.

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...%3A%20Panniers

I commute to work and back, and depending on what is going on, I often am carrying a heavy load including books and laptop computer in addition to my clothes and lunch. I have a variety of Arkel Panniers, which I use depending on what I am carrying. Most frequently I use the T-42s and/or the briefcase.

Very good quality products, good warranty, great people to deal with.

www.arkel-od.com

The arkel bug is great. It is a bit on the smaller side so I can fit a laptop and a Couple biology textbooks in it with all my other crap. I've had it for 4 years now and it's still going strong. Word.

Another one for the Arkel Bug. It's a great pannier which turns into a backpack. I love mine.