Hi all,
When I spec'd the accessories for Silver Wing I included a pair of panniers. They arrived a month or so after I began commuting. This actually turned out be a experience as I am now able to compare commuting with daysack versus commuting with panniers. Similarly, commuting flag arrived a couple of weeks after I began and I am able to compare my experience with and without as well.
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| No checked bags; carry-on only |
Before the Bontrager Interchange Waterproof Panniers arrived was forced to haul the requisite accoutrements in a daysack. For this I used the wife's Timberland pack. It has easily performed a decade or more of service. In fact, I believe she first purchased it for casual cycling. Since then it has severed us well employed as vacation pack to diaper-bag and everything in between. The shoulder straps and back are wide and cushioned and it has a waist belt as well. I fashioned my reflective vest about it so I could be visible from the rear and fit it securely. I guesstimate that the contents where about 8 to 10 pounds, consisting of shoes, clothing, tier repair, and wet weather gear. It was reasonably comfortable with a noticeable lingering presence along the clavicle. Later, after I switched to the panniers, I noticed that additional pressure was put on the buttocks and legs from carrying the weight on the shoulders.
Enter the Bontrager Interchange Waterproof Panniers. These little beauties were selected due to their high visibility, built in waterproofing, ease of access, carrying capacity, and simplicity of installation and removal.
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| Bontrager Interchange Waterproof Panniers with 1.5L bottle |
On the yellow front of the bags there are two vertical reflective white stripes that run the height. Both sides of the bags also sport a reflective square pattern of 16 white dots; well, 15 and a Bontrager logo. The yellow front with stripes provides good notice of your road presence along a wide arc on both sides. Rear angles are given to the reflective dot pattern. They have the added bonus of widening the bike which will encourage motorists to provide you an additional inch or four when overtaking.
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| Standing on its side with 1.5L water bottle |
The material is nylon coated with TPU for waterproofing. The opening is rolled down about an attached ridged plastic guide. A female clip ends are sewn onto the top ends of both sides and they remain available throughout the roll. These join with their male counterparts attached just above the dot pattern. The rolling method provides superior protection against water ingress through the opening. It also affords the benefit of having no zipper to fail. Also, the male clip strap's length is adjustable
<giggles> so there is little need for much pressure to be exerted on the clips.
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| Plastic folding guide with 1.5L water bottle inside |
The bags provide 39,329 cubic centimetres (24,000 cubic inches) of cargo space. This includes a grey internal horizontally zippered flat pouch and an external vertically zippered flat pouch for smaller items. They are very spacious, leaving good room to search within without removing items. This is key when performing tasks on the side of the road.
Attaching and removing is a cinch. There is a hook located centre on the back of each bag that is horizontally adjustable. You'll notice from the photos above that a double clasp runs along the top of the bag. This is actuated buy the bag's rubberised handle. Up releasing the clasp and down engages them. The hook fits about the rack's centre pole and the clasp captures the top bar of the rack. Easy on and easy off.
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| Pannier clips to rack |
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| Pannier view to other traffic |
I've been using these for about a year with three to four round trips of three days per week on average. Overall I am very happy with my choice. I would like a shallow bowl footprint insert for each one, though. As it currently ships the bottom of the pannier is of the same material and strength as the remainder of it. However, this portion will be stressed more then any other. Something to resist punctures and evenly spread the load over the bottom surface would have been much appreciated. Also, there is some wear along the folding crease where you open and close them but this appears to be cosmetic.
That being said, I've not had any issues with the panniers structural integrity. They both are functioning well after considerable use over a year. Unfortunately, they don't appear to be on offer any longer on
Bontrager's site.
Thanks for reading,
Edmund
