First Week of Commuting/Pannier Questions
 

I have commuted to school (WSUV) every other day this week. I am currently using an backpack and a drawstring bag to carry my school stuff and extra clothes. Currently I just bungie them onto my bike rack. I think that I would be able to ride every day if I had a little extra carrying capacity which I why I am going to get a pair of panniers. I have come up with two options:

First Option:
Timbuk2 Bullitt - for school stuff
Cheap detour pannier - for clothes and shoes.
Total: ~$145

Second Option:
A pair of Ortlieb classic panniers
Total: ~$165

Does anyone have any experience with these bags?

Ortliebs are the Cadillacs of panniers. You can install and remove them pretty much with one hand, and they are waterproof.

Thanks for the quick reply.

That is what I was expecting and probably what I will go with.

Is there any way to attach a shoulder strap to the ortliebs?

I'm not a big fan of panniers myself, but if you're going to go with them, I'd say go with them & skip the messenger bag/pannier combo, as you're kind of getting the worst of both worlds that way.

I went with the Ortlieb Back Roller Classics and am loving them.

The red is highly visible and the attachment system is strong but easy to remove.

Ortlieb Back-Roller Classic panniers comes with integrated shoulderstrap. You carry them like a messenger bag on your back.


--
Regards

I discovered that when I picked them up today. I am going to look like a dork carrying them around campus but whatever.

You might also look at an Arkel Bug. It's a pannier that converts into a backpack. They have another model called the Commuter (I think) that does the same thing.

I looked into the Timbuk2 Bullitt for the same reason but the Ortliebs seemed more practical because I plan on doing more touring.

The Ortliebs are a great choice. I originally went with another pannier (Arkel Sakaroo) which I really liked, but the second time I got caught in a big rain and my clothes were wet I went out and bought some Ortliebs. Haven't found a rainstorm yet that can get my clothes wet.

Has anyone ever had any issues with using the shoulder strap with heavy loads. I am using one of the panniers as a book bag which means it carries between 15-20 lbs. at a time and I am worried that the part of the strap that is attached to the bag might rip or one of the bucks might break.

I've never used them, but if you're worried about the weight you could try these...
http://www.ortliebusa.com/CartGenie/prod-205.htm