Hi!

I am converting my road bike into a commuter bike and I am looking for panniers.
I know the very famous waterproof Ortblieb ones but I am looking for somehting a bit cheaper and not necessarily waterproof.
Any recommendations ?

Thanks

I'm looking at the same things ... from Ortlieb on down.

Ones that might suit you:

• Fast Pack pannier -- Seattle Sports Co.
• Wet Rabbit waterproof pannier -- Jandd
• Dry Lites panniers -- Arkel
• Local Saddle Bags -- Blackburn
• Front Roller, High-Visibility panniers -- Ortlieb <-- what I'm comparing all of them to.

Have not yet decided, myself.

The Nashbar MTB (or was it ATB) panniers used to be a great way to try panniers at a low cost to see if you liked them, but they aren't in their catalog anymore. Nashbar Rear Touring Panniers seem to be the replacement, and you can make any pannier waterproof by using a dry bag inside it. Or a garbage bag if you just need to keep the rain out.

Here's a set of Thule Commuter Panniers at a $90 discount price, @ The Bike Bag Shop.

If you go without waterproof panniers for the cost savings, you may still need to keep your stuff dry. This is my situation too. I bought some 10L dry bags from eBay for about $6ea and they are perfectly fine and keep my stuff inside dry, even though the inside of my pannier is wet.

i use this: Amazon.com : Seattle Sports Rain Rider Pannier, Green : Bike Panniers And Rack Trunks : Sports & Outdoors
been great so far.cheaper, waterproof, good sized. i bring a pair of shoes, and work clothes daily.

How much stuff do you need to haul? A trunk bag might to the trick and would greatly reduce the chance of heel strike.

I spent years cheaping out and buying alternatives to Ortliebs. I finally laid out the money for them - I'd have spent far less not cheaping out.

My advice - save money, time and aggravation - buy the Ortliebs.

Yeah.

Also, if you have space at work where you can leave stuff (I work in a cube) you can dramatically cut down on the need to carry stuff. Shoes are easy to leave at work if you're riding clipless. Jeans aren't bad to. I leave a shirt because I work all day in a cube - it just doesn't need to be washed that often. Can be different for other people, but it's a lot less to carry just a shirt than it is to carry pants, shoes, and a shirt.

A pannier adds some drag to the ride. Not a ton, enough that I find it noticeable. I prefer a trunk bag which doesn't.

I haven't used one much, besides playing around at work. But the Jannd Wet Rabbit comes at the right price and is pretty cool, if a bit simple compared to the much more expensive ortlieb. But nice and waterproof.

Thanks for all your answers, it's definitely helping!
I guess I should have been a bit more specific.
I don't ride when it rains (Yes I live in Portland, OR so these days I dont ride that much ;-)
and thats why I though about saving money by not buying waterproof panniers.
I am very new to all the commuting gear but I have heard about heelstriking with the panniers. Is that common ??
I am looking at a Topeak Explorer rack but havent made a move yet.
What I need to carry is a change of clothes (jeans, shirt, underwear, shoes), my lunch (usually 2-3 tupperwares), wallet & notepad, some misc small items, possibly my laptop and another change of clothes if I go run on my lunchbreak

Oh yes, it's worth mentioning that, thanks.
So far, I commute with my backpack but the route I take has some roads near 11% slope and I find it painful on my back on the long run
Hence I thought about the panier so that it would relieve my back.
I also thought that it might make me more visible as far as traffic goes ?
But any advice is gladly accepted as I am fairly new to commuting gear.

Plastic bags will make any bag waterproof and help organize your stuff. I'm partial to Jandd bags. They're tough, well-designed, and reasonably priced.

SunLite has welded seam bags , from China of course..

Why not go for cheap AND waterproof? Make yourself a kittier.

+1 on the Jandd Wet Rabbit. Priced right and very waterproof. Rode for 19 hours in the pouring rain during a brevet in April, not a drop made it inside the bags.

Whatever you buy, I suggest getting something better than a bungee suspension. Hooks that are adjustable fore and aft are also priceless.

I've had these for about 8 years and they've been absolutely bombproof. Not waterproof, but it's only been a problem in pouring rain.

Amazon.com : Inertia Designs Cam Excursion Panniers-Black : Bike Panniers And Rack Trunks : Sports & Outdoors

On good weather I take a racing CF road bike to work and the clearance on the rear panniers is super tight. I use a front smaller pannier and there is no heel strikes at all, and I could carry just what you discribe, plus a wind breaker on both panniers.

Over 35 years of touring and commuting, I had Cannondale bags (top of the line back in the 80'. Some Nashbar bags and another that don't remember the name now, last I bought Ortlieb's trunk and panniers, best riding bags with the best quality built. If you have the money, I recommend them, however, I know it can be done with other bags as well!

Ortlieb products are cheaper in Canada than in the US. Add to that the weakened Canadian dollar and you're looking at a pretty good discount. Back Roller City's are $130 CDN, converted to USD that's around $115.

Touring & Commuting : DUNBAR CYCLES ONLINE

I spent the summer in Kyrgyzstan; a former Soviet-bloc country. They're overall quite a poor country; average income is about $80/month across the country. $200/month in the capital. They have an old Russian saying there though (that I'm sure exists in many other places in one form or another)... roughly translates as: "I am not such a rich man as to be able to afford to buy cheap things."

Same applies here. Buy the Ortliebs.

I have the precursor to the current Nashbar Daytrekker Panniers and I love them for commuting. A little more room than a trunk bag, and loops on top of the rack to cinch down an extra sack if I need them. But they're much smaller than regular panniers and minimize weight, wind resistance, and heel strike.

Nashbar Daytrekker Panniers

The Jannd Commute pannier is a very nice bag and the mounting isn't as quick as Ortlieb, but it's stable and perfectly serviceable. The material is similar to that of fabric used for backpacks so it's fairly durable. Three zippered compartments so it's a great way to separate stuff in your bag. I've never tested the water resistance since we are having a drought in California, however, you can always line the inside with a garbage bag to waterproof the contents it; it worked for my ruck in the military...What I don't like is that there are a few inches that stick above the rack when mounted and that portion is rigid. It makes it awkward to carry large objects that need to sit flat on the rack like a pizza.

I also have the Ortlieb Back Roller set and I like the quick on and off mounting system. I like that you can over stuff them by not rolling up the top, but gotta be careful that it doesn't flop over and spill the contents. I don't like that it's one large cavernous pit with only a small pocket that will hold a few papers inside. Opening and closing the bag is a little bit less convenient than than just sliding a zipper. These are waterproof both ways, don't spill anything inside!

I had no idea what a "pannier" was until I opened this thread. So a dry bag for kayaks is a pannier for bikes. I didn't even know I had a few panniers.

... until you poke the holes in it for hardware to attach it to the side of the bike's racks, sure. But then, it leaks.

Which brings us back to panniers.

If you're in a rainy zone, I'd strongly suggest a rain-proof (not merely rain-resistant) pannier will serve you better. Either that, or be certain to get (and use) a quality rain cover for the pannier.

Heel strike shouldn't be an issue on a bike that's long enough for basic stability, one with long enough chain stays, a rack that's not tucked closely to the seat tube. Get the fattest, largest panniers that exist, and you'll likely be hitting your feet against them, sure. But if just commuting, you can generally get by with panniers smaller than the larger, typically rear-oriented bags. Such as, going down from the Ortlieb Back Roller bag to the Front Roller bag. It'll take up less space, be less likely to strike.