Budget pannier help
 

I usually wear a backpack, sling bag, or a mess bag. Recently traded a pack for a trunk bag. My back is a lot happier in these warmer temps. The main drawbacks to the trunk is that it partially obscures my seat post mounted light in standard form and completely blocks it if I expand the bag upwards. Also since it is not a QR type, mounting/removing the trunk can become tiresome.

I'd like to give panniers a try again, but heel strike is a major concern. My bike has a CS of 16.3" and the rack has a deck length of only 12". I'd rather not have to invest in another rack if at all possible. I just need something basic (no Ortlieb or Arkel due to budget constraints) that I can rotate the mounting hardware just enough to angle the bag to avoid heel strike.

What really helps in this situation is to be able to shift the mounting hooks fore and aft. This is what I have: http://www.amazon.com/Inertia-Design...360106&sr=1-35

On this bag, as well as some of the higher-end ones, you have a lot of freedom to move the hooks around. That means they will work with any rack and you can shift the bag back to avoid heel strike, even with a short rack. That's what I did to make a short rack work on one of my bikes.

By the way, I have well over 5,000 commuting miles on these panniers and they're as good as new (or at least they were until a little crash a couple months back that left them with a few battle scars). The mounting system works well. They're very secure, but maybe not quite as effortless as Orlieb or Arkel (I haven't used those brands, but their mounting systems look well thought-out).

IIRC, some of the Axiom bags may have adjustable hooks, and they're pretty affordable.

By adjustable hooks, I take it you mean a pair of hooks that are mounted to a metal rail? Like the mounting system of the Lezyne Rack Caddy?http://lezyne.com/organizers#panel-13

Yes. It looks like the Lezyne pannier has a similar concept in being able to move the hooks fore and aft. I'm not sure exactly how the strap with the lower hook works. Is the strap partly stretchy like a bungee? The Inertia Designs panniers have a non-stretchy webbing strap that you pull tight, and then a metal buckle locks it tight.

Dunno. I just remember seeing this in the LBS a few months back and liking that hook/rail combo.

I know that you don't want to hear this, but I spent years buying cheaper bags and replacing them when something went wrong. I finally sucked it up with the ortliebs and they're worth every penny. My advice - save the pennies and save money long term, go ortliebs.

Love my Axiom Cartiers DLX, Topeak Super Tourist rack, Trek 7.5 disc, size 13 shoe and no heel strike.

Not the cheap option, but I just splurged on an Arkel commuter pannier, which has everything I could possibly want from a commuter bag.

Best bike gear decision of the year.

No truer words have ever been typed...

I think I'll just go back to the beverage crate for now. I'll probably invest in a cargo net though, as the one bungee cord I've been using the last couple of years is starting to get a little ratty.

I bent the lower attachment point on my rack forward to do two things (lower and move rack back). I bent it to match the hooks of the other rods. That moved the rack back a couple inches and gave me the heal room I needed.

http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/51...500x500Q85.jpg

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The best mounting system is the Ortleib/Rixen and Kaul style with QR locking hooks and a sliding rail and a lower solid hook on a rail.
Hook and elastic are 1970s technology and can bounce off.
The QR hooks with a lower strap require some manual fiddling when you attach the bags. It may only take a couple of seconds but there is no fiddling with solid anti-sway hooks. If you remove your bags several times a day, messing around with dirty bags becomes very old.
Beware of cheap QR hooks where the hook is not one piece but has a pivot at the topmost part. If/when the hinge fails, the hook no longer grabs. The bag will pivot down into your wheel.

Shorter chainstays require a bag with a heel cutout profile.

I would suggest looking at the other end of the bike.
A Porteur rack is big surface, you can tie your back pack down,
and bring home pizzas.

Or get a front pannier rack, typically, for 2 smaller front panniers..

I have 2 Ortlieb Sport packers, on the front, of my BikeFriday Pocket Llama.

Another bike, with 700c wheels, I have one of Paul's, rather adaptable
Aluminum Flat bed Porteur racks.. room for a .4M pizza pan ..

I have a pair of Wald folding baskets on my rear rack that I just open on of them, throw my backpack in and then cover it with some bungee netting. Then when I get to work, I pull out the bag, fold the basket and I'm good to go. I keep wanting to get some Ortliebs, but the wald baskets just won't die (they do creak occasionally), so I have a hard time justifying the expense. The waterproofing of the Ortliebs would be nice, and sometimes I wish I didn't always have the racks always on there, but I rarely ride in the rain (especially not when commuting except on the way home when a storm comes up unexpectedly), and having baskets there and ready to go is nice when I decide to make an unplanned last minute run to the store for dinner supplies on the way home.

Baskets can slide way back on my rack to get out of my heel zone and are nice because you can just throw whatever bag you have in them and go.

attach a milk crate to your rack. I used one for a couple of years before my wife couldn't stand how it looked and bought me panniers. It was like having a pickup truck, you just toss thinks in the back. I put my backpack in it, and sometimes layers I'd peal off while riding, or some groceries. I hate wearing a backpack when I ride, feels restricting..also too hot in the summer.

Lone peak panniers are very inexpensive and decent quality. Only negative is the lack of being waterproof at all. Otherwise, I would recommend Seattle sports panniers. Also check Nashbar.com they frequently have very reasonably priced panniers.

The milk crate is the first thing I tried after getting my bike back in '08. Plenty of room to add lights/reflective material, but my main backpack at the time was just too big to fit. Then I tried some saddlebag type panniers, but had heel strike.

Then started using my beverage crate. It was perhaps the best solution going for me, but I stopped using it. I put it back on last night, strapped my backpack down, and realized one of the reasons why I stopped using it- the performance/handling characteristics of the bike suck. More than using the Townies or rack trunk. I think that may be due to the fact that crate extends the platform out to (if not just a little past) the back edge of the wheel.

Still an option that I am considering. Primary reason for not experimenting with just one is that not all backpacks fit easily when full.

Update for anyone who is even remotely interested. I had remounted my beverage crate last night for today's commute. Then while in the process of relocating a tail light to the rack leg (covered in another thread), I noticed that the crate obstructed my view of the power/battery indicator light on my 4D rack mounted light. So I took the crate off.

I've decided for the time being that I will run with both my sling bag on me and the rack trunk on the bike. Valuables will be on me and the trunk will get lunch and layers. They both have reflective bits (even more so on the Knog sling bag), which will come in handy when my shift gets moved back to a 0600 start time.

Seems like a reasonable choice since you already have these bags. You should be able to solve your heel strike problem, but good panniers are a little pricey. They're definitely worth saving for.