aminoboy

I read somewhere that you could secure panniers against the chance thief with cable ties. Has anyone else done this? Seems like a reasonable approach, no? They're lightweight and you can just snip them when you need to take a pannier off and put another one on.

aadhils

And you think a thief can't just snip them too?

Cyclist0383

I use a small padlock to lock my Arkel pannier to my rack. I put the lock through the pivioting tab on the hook and fasten it to the inside of the rack. Being on the inside of the rack there is no room for bolt cutters. This has worked well for me.

womble

Isn't securing a pannier kind of pointless? Unless the point is to stop the panniers, rather than the contents, from being stolen.

I mean, they're generally made of nylon or cordura and can just be slit open with a sharp knife. Or just opened up and rifled through like a normal backpack.

For the truely paranoid, perhaps something like this could be adapted:

https://www.pac-safe.com/product.aspx?pId=641

stokell

I agree. I stow anything worth keeping (camera, passports, cards, money) in my handlebar bag. I put a neck strap on it and take it with me. My panniers have a little turn lock on the inside put that would only stop the most casual of attempts. Anyone who wants my dirty laundry and half eaten food and water is welcome to it. There is not reason to lock it up, it just makes it look like it is worth stealing.

I tested this theory last year by locking up and leaving bike and panniers in downtown Reading, England. I think the real secret there is leaving it in a busy place. The thief doesn't know who owns it. It could be one of a hundred people in his field of view.

I have a friend with a Miata convertible. He doesn't lock it. If he did thieves would cut the top.

Cyclist0383

I carry my lock in a pannier for my daily commute. Rather than carry an empty pannier all over the place I just lock it to my bike.

mkrabach

Yes I have done this at times, ie going to Walmart or somewhere kids hang around. Some of the larger tie wraps are hard to cut quickly and black is not going to be noticed quickly. The thief will try to just grab and run with the panniers, especially if the bike is in a busy place. If they dont come off quickly, he probably wont hang around fussing trying to figure why. I always lock my bike in a public place where everyone can see it.

sunninho

I just googled this remote bicycle alarm. Don't know anyone who's used one, but it has motion sensors and a loud alarm:

https://www.cy-curity.com/

This one has "smart" alarm functionality:

https://www.ducharmealarmsystems.com/products.asp

IronMac

I would think that getting the pannier includes getting all of the contents at ONE go!

Doug Campbell

I agree with Stokell. High quality panniers are worth much more than the contents. In searching for panniers, my first priority is to secure the panniers. Based on the research that I have done, the Arkels seem to have the most secure attachment. Also, I would rather leave the panniers unlocked and let someone steal my clothes than have them cut my panniers to steal my clothes. By the way, Cycle therapy, a Canadian company, sells just the Arkel attachment harware for $32. (go to E-Bay and search on Arkel, they always have Arkel stuff for sale. From one of their listings you can click an icon to go to their store). You can then mount your existing panniers with the new Arkel hardware.

Cyclist0383

Arkel sells the attachment system as well. They are USD 22. https://www.arkel-od.com/panniers/acc...asp?fl=1&site=