Got some £10 panniers off the classifiedes to see if they were any better than a backpack on the commute. Answer; a resounding yes! Appart from the bizzarely light feeling steering, and having to change my timing for pumping/rolling over bridges etc as the bikes COG is now over the back wheel, but I can live with that in return for a dry, sweat free, back (previous rucksack was a berghaus one so as dry as they come)!
So looking at more expensive panniers as these will be lucky to last the week without falling apart. Judeging by the last 24 hours I need at least 35-40 litres of stowage space, office clothes in one 20 litre pocket, lock, gym kit and casual clothes in the other.
Things I need;
Removable and caryable, preferably as 2 seperate briefcase sized bags.
Waterproof
30+ litres of storage (some stuff like locks, puncture kit, could be bungied on top or in a seperate saddle bag)
Flat(ish) tops so that a tent, aric, sleeping bag etc could be bungied over the top.
Could probably budget £60-£100, is it possible to get soemthing for that? Some seem to be a fortune, £100+ for each side!
