I'm looking for some panniers as a birthday present. Not planning on breaking the bank but after something that'll survive a 30min commute 3 times a week through most weathers (probably not torrential downpours though).

It seems to me that fully waterproof ones (like the Altura Dryline ones) cost a lot more than some of the others. Does anyone have experience/recommendations that'd help?

Cheers,

Mintman

I've no experience yet (I'm getting some for some touring) but I've already discounted the ones that are very waterproof due to cost and will just fit a bin bag liner to some cheaper and less waterproof ones.

I take the samuri approach

Plastic bags inside the panniers are very cheap and very waterproof.

No

on-topic mild hijack – can anyone reccommend a maker of very light panniers, frame bags etc? sailcloth type material rather than the usual materials, that kind of thing?

I'd rather think that sail cloth panniers would be one shot use. I'd just get some relatively cheap ones you like the look of (and that have proper fixings) and get some plastic bags to put stuff in.

Use a stout plastic bag from a fancy shop.

i use rucksacs made of sailcloth type material and they're tough – for example a Vaude rucksack that weighs 400gms and carries 20l, done a few trips with it and it's showing no signs of giving up yet ) whereas other cordura rucksacks i've had haven't lasted so well. so i think durability is down to design and construction not material – if you can make a light rucksack why not a lighter pannier or frame bag?

just wondering since http://type2fun.wordpress.com this guy made some really nice ones but i wouldn't trust my sewing and i hate needles! )

But when you put a rucsac on you don't normally fasten it to an aluminium tube and allow it to rub up and down against it do you?
You'd need to reinforce the contact points and also to have stiffeners and some pretty solid fixings to stop the pannier from diving into your rear wheel constantly.

no, i just scrape it on pointy rough rocks or tarmac instead 😉 i meant trips as in scrambling, climbing as well as cycling where i've slid down a road at a fair speed and the light bag got well scuffed but not ripped. trust me, it's tough enough. whether sailcloth or cordura, a bag/pannier design would need to acccount for fixing points in the same way.]

I'm just looking for someone who makes them apart from carousel and epic designs, the usual custom options. was just wondering if anyone had made an adaptable off the peg version.

i got a pair pf creek2peak ones from jejames here
http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/creek-2-peak-bike-bags.html

they're reaosnably waterproof as they are, but have a waterproof cover in the lid also. I think i've only needed it a handful of times in the last 6 months.

I wouldn't go really cheap as it'll have cr@p fixings and probably be quite flexy so runs the risk of hitting the tyre/wheel. i made this mistake!

Thesehave done me well for over four years, apart from a broken plastic ring for the bungees to hook onto, which I replced with a metal ring from a keyring. fundamentaly any broken bits can be replced for pennies by a trip to a camping shop.
Likewise you can buy multipacks of tough waterproof compresion bags or rucksack liners for less than a fiver from an outdoor shop if you're too proud to use a bag for life or an old compost bag to go inside. However I've never bothered and have ridden in some atrocious weather with dry kit.
Liddle did some nice panniers not so long ago too.

From nearly 20 years of cycling with (and without) panniers I find the easiest, simplest least annoying method is to buy a good quality rack and good quality panniers. I'm using a pair of 10 year old Ortlieb roll top panniers – they fix securely onto my rack, they don't bend into the spokes, they don't fall off, or let water in or have bits fall off. All I want with them is to work without me having to think about them unlike the cheap panniers I've used in the past where the elastic strap would break or stretch, the clips would let go and the piece of cardboard in the back would get wet and allow everything to fold into the back wheel.
Good luck with the sewing!

hehe i'd need it, i'm hopeless with needles, hate the things! simple ortlieb roll-tops may be the best option if i didn't go for a frame bag, i expect you're right there. i like the idea of frame bags though as it's to go on a light expedition style tourer, ie a jones 29er if i could afford one.

Got 4 ortlieb panniers off here for £120, they'r fantastic.

Despite being the same advertised size as the pair they replaced theyre cavernouce by comparison. And rather than having to empty them out in the car park, just lift off my the handle and cary indoors!

Best biking purchase in quite a while.

Well I just ordered a pair of these and thought they were a bargain!
Not arrived yet though so can't say what they're actually like.

Ortlieb Back Roller City – £55 delivered for the pair 😀

My DHB (wiggle own brand stuff) didn't cost much, about £40 IIRC, they're pretty water proof, TBH I just put my uniform in a plastic bag. They keep all but the worst out anyway

Yes, seriously, Lidl ones 9.99. I commute to school 12 miles each way 3 or 4 days a week in Cornwall. They have NEVER let in water. Carried class sets of books and my teaching outfit.
I know someone will knock what I wrote but 4 years on I cannot complain!!

as cheap as it gets by Rutland Cycling
same as the crc ones.

If your going on a long tour, you can't beat plastic bags inside panniers

Field and Trek do proper waterproof bags (rucksack liners) with roll tops in a variety of sizes for less than a tenner each. I´ve combined these with my cheapo £17 panniers plenty times and kept stuff nicely dry. Granted theyre not as cheap as a Tesco carrier bag but they last forever and áre handy if you do any backpacking/camping etc

Thanks for all the advice, begining to think that good quality bags with a bin liner is the answer.

Ta muchly,

Mintman

These from the Edinburgh Bike Co-op are pretty good.