I have been considering some kind of suspension mount for my Laptop pannier & I notice there is almost no interest or concerns regarding Laptop pannier transport. I am thinking it is a non issue & that todays laptops are simply very robust. That said I have a large 17" HP that I have decided to transport daily 15 miles each way an I am considering a gas filled suspension system that can be mounted to rear pannier rack. My thought is to make a simple sub frame an use two 7.5" gas cabinet struts with 10 lbs of pressure each. Suspending the pannier from springs would create uncontrolled movement with no dampening ability. I think the only way to achieve this is to make a unit self contained and mount it to the rack rather than to modify the rack itself. I guess I am looking for thoughts on this idea or do you think it is not an issue to be concerned about.

https://www.amazon.com/Built-NY-17-La.../dp/B000I4QGJC

you're way overthinking this.

I drag my laptop around in a simple sleeve inside the pannier. If you are more worried about it than that, there are laptop-specific panniers that hold the laptop suspended, away from the bottom of the pannier. They usually use an elastic band.

Arkel makes one: https://www.arkel-od.com/us/all-categ...briefcase.html but your (monster) laptop may not fit.

I guess I wasn't very clear about my thought, This is an idea I have had for some time and has less to do with damage to my laptop but it was my 1st application that sparked the idea. It 1st crossed my mind when I saw a post that someone had there laptop suspended from springs. The concept is a universal suspension pannier mount that could mount any frame mount rack front or rear. Most commuter bikes & touring bikes have no suspension. The pannier load energy is directed at the wheels & leads to premature failure of the rims. The idea of a suspension pannier bracket would dampen the energy away from the wheels. It would have the same advantage for the load in the pannier IE Laptop. I came to realize some time ago that a laptop probably doesn't need this added protection but I am sure it would benefit from it. It is simply a concept that I thought I would throw out and see what people thought. I think I will make a working prototype & see if it is practical.

If you have a good bike, rim failure due to the extra weight is quite unlikely.
If the rim does die, just replace it with a good one. Velocity Dyad rims
can be used on tandems; I am using them and they are very good.

Unless your laptop weighs 50 pounds, you are good to go.

The same amount of weight would be on the rims at any given time, the only thing affected by this suspension would be the crap in the pannier. The rim would fatigue at the same rate.

If I need to carry my ultra-sensitive scientific equipment that'll get messed up by a bump in the road, I wouldn't ride a bike.

You just mentioned touring bikes, yet people regularly carry a lot of weight for thousands of miles, without breaking wheels. How? Using good wheels. Suspension (of any kind) is not needed nor desirable for road riding.

If you're worried about your laptop getting banged around just get a pelican case and stow it in a pannier or front rack.

When I carry my laptop, my biggest concern in a pannier is not vertical bouncing, those impacts are absorbed sufficiently by the slack in the straps and the bag itself. I find myself much more concerned with the bag bouncing off the rack itself in a lateral motion. This is not a common impact, but the frame of a thin computer is much less robust across the flat surface of the bottom and top. I have seen my fair share of laptops with destroyed monitors due to impacts to the back of the monitor while closed and in transport.

Tires with adequate volume to support the load, at a reasonable pressure are all the suspension that is needed. Tires both soften the ride and protect the rim.

A padded hard case should do the trick.

I use a compression spring system which I posted about 6 months ago. Basically, a second rail is mounted by hanging from the rack rail. The second rail rests on springs that compress. If you want to learn more, go to bikelanecoalition.org and email me. Been using the system for two years. No problems.

I actually found a pannier from Caradise that has fit the bill & suspends the Laptop in the bag. It has made things much simpler

Several inches of foam at the bottom of the pannier would provide suspension with damping. Quarter inch of doam in a laptop case will only give the appearance of protection.