What to do with panniers while touring??

[Sheffield_Tiger]

I use something called a "Pacsafe"

If you get the 140 Litre one you can put the rear of the bike with panniers inside it in a few seconds

The whole thing then "cinches" tight to the rear stays and carrier.

Prevents opportunistic theft.

That's useful!

Last time I cycled out into the peak district, then changed into walking attire and went for a day long hike I always had the niggling worry of having to cycle home in walking boots on SPDs if someone nicked my cycling shoes in the panniers

 

[vorsprung]

I had Ortlieb Backroller panniers when I was touring in the Netherlands. Mrs V had some much cheaper ones from Lidl. V jnr had some very small panniers but they just had a bag of sweets and some water in them The Ortlieb ones had a anti theft wire loop fitted but we never used it. The bags were either on the bikes, in our hands, in a secure "cloakroom" in a museum or in a hostel room we were staying in.

The panniers clip on and off in seconds and it didn't take much planning to arrange things so we wouldn't be lugging them around much

It was a good tour, I fancy the Canal Du Midi next time.

 

[andym]

That's useful!


Last time I cycled out into the peak district, then changed into walking attire and went for a day long hike I always had the niggling worry of having to cycle home in walking boots on SPDs if someone nicked my cycling shoes in the panniers

Well maybe. The pacsafe is a pretty good product, but as with every security product, security comes at a price - they weigh 500g a each. and they're not going to stop a thief with a pair of decent wirecutters. Also there's no point protecting your panniers if you don't have a decent lock on your bike. §i'm pretty paranoid about security and my bike for riding around London is protected with security skeweres and and expensive lock, but even I would rule out pacsafes as a practical option for a touring cyclist.

If you are going hiking then you might be better off finding a place to leave your bike and stuff - or failing that hide your panniers behind a hedge. Or carry your cycle shoes in a backpack.

 

[Bigsharn]

I'm tempted to get a crap Poundland cable lock, just for when I leave the bike for longer periods of time. The panniers only carry stuff that costs less than they did, so it's not worth securing the contents

 

[Ticktockmy]

I only bother to thread a cable lock through the carrying loops as i secure the Bike to something, as in my mind it just as easy for someone to slash the pannier open with a knife.

 

[mike1026]

In 2009 I was passing through central London in the early hours of the morning but there were still hundreds of people about. In Trafalgar Square I needed to use the toilets, oddly enough there was a uniformed security guard outside the loos. I asked him if he would look after my fully loaded tourer while I went into the loo, he said "Yeah no problem". Even so I still took my handle bar bag with me. When I came out of the loo a few minutes later he was gone! There stood my tourer with all my worldly possessions for anyone to just wheel away. Lesson 1 'Don't trust anyone' Lesson 2 'Become proficient at P*****g in the street' .

 

[rich p]

I've done most of my touring on the continent and I rarely give it a second thought. Having said that, I don't spend much time in cities unless I'm staying for a day to have a look round and would be pannier free.

In a city the bike is the obvious thief attraction but you learn to relax or take care. Lock it up near a busy street cafe. The thief has no way of knowing that you're not sitting at one of the nearby tables and it takes some front to cut through a lock with an audience of people.

 

[Danny]

I have never had anyone touch my panniers even when I leave them in the centre of York full of shopping, so if you're touring in a rural location I really wouldn't worry, particularly if you take obvious precautions like parking your bike in reasonably open location rather than down a dark alley.

As others have said if want a bit more security you can pass a simple cable lock through the handles on the panniers and that should be a sufficient deterrent in most cases.

 

[aberal]

Think about it logically. Leave your bike unattended for short periods only and then somewhere public and visible. Carry your valuables in a bar bag and detach that when you go into the cafe/pub/whatever. Thread a cheapo cable as others have said to fend off the opportunist and if your panniers do get nicked, so be it. They can have your smelly socks and undies. There is only so much you can do....

 

[Ste T.]

+1 Bar bag

Bar bag is your friend.

 

[Amanda P]

What can be more of a problem is buying a train ticket if you have a loaded touring bike with you.

If you have a companion, no problem: one minds the bikes while the other buys the tickets.

If you're on your own, you have a problem.

At many stations, you'll be hustled out of the ticket office if you take your bike in with you, as it's "a hazard". Why it's a hazard in a spacious, well-lit ticket office but becomes miraculously harmless on a crowded, swaying, ill-lit train with people climbing over it every five minutes is a mystery. Also, why is a bike so dangerous in a ticket office when wheelchairs and armchair-sized wheely suitcases (usually operated by careless drivers) apparently aren't?

But if you leave it anywhere outside, it becomes "unaccompanied baggage" and you're likely to find the Transport Police have taken it away.

The only solution appears to be to remove all the bags, lock up the naked bike and carry all the bags into the ticket office. Of course, by the time you've done this, you'll have missed the train.

Like Mike1026, I once found a railway employee who promised faithfully to keep an eye on my bike while I bought a ticket. When I emerged, he was nowhere to be seen. Thanks, mate.

 

[andym]

Most train stations have ticket machines. so buying a ticket is relatively easy in my experience (relative compared to say a station where you have to cross a bridge to get to the other platform).

If I need to queue I do leave my bike at the back of the ticket hall and I've not had any problems.

If I have to leave my bike in a station and I'm not close enough to keep an eye on it I lock it and leave it - on the basis that I'll be able to get my ticket/coffee or whatever before the transport police can move it/blow it up.

 

[frank9755]

Never had a problem either wheeling my bike up to the ticket machine with me, or leaving it nearby while waiting in the queue for a window

 

[frank9755]

Well maybe. The pacsafe is a pretty good product, but as with every security product, security comes at a price - they weigh 500g a each. and they're not going to stop a thief with a pair of decent wirecutters. Also there's no point protecting your panniers if you don't have a decent lock on your bike. §i'm pretty paranoid about security and my bike for riding around London is protected with security skeweres and and expensive lock, but even I would rule out pacsafes as a practical option for a touring cyclist.

If you are going hiking then you might be better off finding a place to leave your bike and stuff - or failing that hide your panniers behind a hedge. Or carry your cycle shoes in a backpack.

Agree with this.

Where do you stop? What about a thief with an allen key, a chain tool and a pedal spanner taking bits off your bike?

 

[Arch]

Most train stations have ticket machines.

Oh yes, very helpful. Like in York, where they are inside the same ticket office you may not take your bike into...

They have at least now installed a set of racks just outside the office - I took a bike in and was told off and pointed out that there was nowhere to lock bikes except about half a mile away down platform 1. Presumably enough people said the same, so they bunged a rack in.