[Closed] Single pannier - Left or right?

I have one on the right side. My thinking is that it will likely protect the derailleur in a fall or if I need to lean my bike against something whilst on the commute.
At home my bike always leans non drive side in the shed, so having the pannier on the right allows me to load it up easier.

I have one on the right side. My thinking is that it will likely protect the derailleur in a fall or if I need to lean my bike against something whilst on the commute.

Also, any reflective material will be on the outside, making you look wider. A good thing.

When I ran one pannier I had it on the right in the (vain) hope that drivers would give me a smidgen more room when passing. I attached a rear light to the side of it too.

right, with a reflective sign on it, saying 'car drivers are ****s'.

Along similar lines to the way men used to be asked on which side they dress by their tailors, I've found that I 'ride' to the left - meaning that I have the saddle slightly to the left side when I sit, and I think that this means the bike is ever so slightly leaning over to the left as I ride. Not so you'd notice, but I think it's there. So I put my pannier on the right.

Left. Never thought that much about it though

If you are right handed put it on the right, because you will invariably pull that side when you start off.

Discuss...

Would sir say he hangs left or right?

I use a rack top bag now so weight is distributed centrally. Plus it is aero!

Mine's on the left, because that's the side I can get to when the bike's racked up in the garage.

I should probably move it to the right, cos of above.

You know what, i'm going to spice it up. Tomorrow, left.

Living the dream!

I use a rack pack and can extend either the right or the left pocket to be a 'pannier'

being the edgy, dangerous sort I mix it up. But prefer the right as there is more for car drivers to see

sometimes I put a left pannier on the right side because I'm all about diversity.

my panniers came as a pair.

to keep wear even i mix it up.

ive found it makes precisely no difference which side its on.

how ever the cargo bike gets a very wide berth.

to summise - buy a cargo bike!

Used to, molgrips?

😎

I use mine on the right purely because it has a Scotch Lite reflective tab on it.

Left, gets less splashes from traffic.

Traffic side. Gives you more width, and extra visibility.

Left- dismount to the left so easier to get at tools/stuff, and I could 'park' and take the pannier off without having to walk round/lean over.

On the opposite side you get off, make it easier to open and close when still attached to bike and you can lean bike against you while doing it.
Works for me

Just remember how unbalanced it can be when you try and get on a train.

😳

Left as above.

Hopefully reflective ankle band on the right gets more notice than the reflective on the pannier, and I don't need one on the left.

Molgrips you think too much.

Left, it won't get sprayed by all the black filth that comes off your drivetrain when it rains

Used to, molgrips?

Not sure men's trousers are quite so tight these days!

Left

Count the number of left and right turns on your commute. Put it on the winning side as it'll help you go round them better innit. 👍

My take is that typical drivers leave “an amount of space” to the side of what they see as the centre of a bike. Pannier on the car side in the hope the pannier is seen as the centre.
I’m not dead yet so it must be the correct

If its heavy...

Split the load.

Otherwise I'd go with the eaiser to access when parked option.

Here's a pannier tip I learned while I was in Finland.

Pronounce it "paneer", like the cheese. It's just a tiny little bit more fun, and you might enjoy the odd looks you get from people.

don't think I really thought about it in terms of traffic when I used one, but it was more that I got off on LHS, and so was easier to load/unload pannier while fixed when it was RHS. Though as above gives maybe a bigger bugger - even if mine wasn't reflective rear facing.

I've used mine on the left for years. I think I first put it there to help me squeeze past stopped traffic on the kerb side at lights so I wouldn't bash them with the pannier.

Reading above made me think that maybe on the right would be safer in terms of drivers giving you more room. On the other hand, I don't think it would make a difference. They would still squeeze past me to save themselves 3 seconds.

It depends whether you are cycling in the Northern or Southern hemisphere. Whatever you do, never ride with a single pannier on the wrong side.

Here’s a pannier tip I learned while I was in Finland.

Pronounce it “paneer”, like the cheese

Weird, I have a conflicting tip from my days in south central LA - I always pronounce as in "Kanye"

So much for diversity, kept it on the right. Am i a racist?

Should have bought a Carradice saddkebag....

Don't the side panniers add an extra ~40W of drag? Rack top if possible for the Wattage win! \o/

Always on the right in UK. Look wider and get more passing space

Left - prefer the weight of the bag to be pulling me to the kerb and not into the road.

"Always on the right in UK. Look wider and get more passing space"

While that sounds logical in practice I find its a misconception as the driver's don't give a shit what side it is on .....so neither do I.

Ultimately my shoulders /elbows are still wider than the pannier....

Mine's on the right as I dress to the left. Better balance.

I use a single pannier everyday and have done for years. Only double up to visit the supermarket/bottle bank etc. On the right for me to make me a bit wider looking i guess. Also the opposite side to which i get on, but i had'nt considered that.

Its frequently quite heavily loaded and you just adjust to the imbalance imo. Infact on the odd occasion i mount it on the other side it feels very odd indeed. Atleast i'm not dragging large weights around in my messenger bag these days.