Which Pannier Briefcase?

[Lozatron]

Whilst cycling down Holland Park Avenue in today's driving rain, my venerable Altura Sky pannier briefcase gave up the ghost...one of the screws which holds on the clips popped out, so the clip popped out...so it was only held on by one clip...fortunately I follow some very sage advice from this very forum and carry zip ties with me and so was able to make it home but now I need a new bag...

My requirements are:

- Must be waterproof (obviously...)
- Must be able to hold laptop plus some papers plus folded trousers & shirt

I probably also need some sort of rainproof cover (which my Altura Sky has) as this stops the bag getting all mucky in the rain - I often walk to meetings from my office and need to have a briefcase I can carry.

There seem to be lots of Briefcase panniers on the market but I've only seen two which come with rain covers - this one and this one - does anyone have any experience of these, or other ones, or want to tell me why I don't need a pannier briefcase with a cover...

Thanks!

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Have a look at he Ortlieb Office Bag (and Office bag plus)

They're excellent, completely waterproof, would fit what you've mentioned and you can get away with a quick wipe down to keep it looking spick and span if you don't get a cover for it. TBH you don't need a cover for weatherproofing, mine's been out is snow, sleet, torrential rain & howling wind and has never let a drop in.

they cost a bit but are well worth the investment.

 

[wafflycat]

If money is no object go Ortlieb

http://www.ortlieb.co.uk/product_info.php?pName=office-bag-2&cName=bike-hard-shells

 

[Lozatron]

Thanks - now Mr Paul - the Ortlieb Office Bag plus - is it possible to hide / cover the rack fixings on the back? I can end up walking a few miles around the city if I have a few meetings and I could imagine that starting to annoy - or doesn't it, in practice?

 

[Lozatron]

...and question no2 - the hard shell ones look as though they require some extra fixings on the rack - I have a Hamax rack which is designed to fit my daughter's child seat - would this interfere with that?

 

[JtB]

I use this Laptop Pannier Bag which is cheap and has a rainproof cover tucked away in the lower compartment. It just about carries a laptop, papers and a change of clothes but its a tight fit.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Thanks - now Mr Paul - the Ortlieb Office Bag plus - is it possible to hide / cover the rack fixings on the back? I can end up walking a few miles around the city if I have a few meetings and I could imagine that starting to annoy - or doesn't it, in practice?

Ahem.

No you can't really cover the fixings up. You can remove the top clips easily enough and the bottom one is a nut bolt that is easy enough to remove but a tad faffy to put back on. You're left with the rails but they're unobtrusive, smooth and rounded so don't catch or annoy at all.

If I'm carrying mine much distance it's on the shoulder strap. The handle for me is the weak bit, its uncomfortable for long term carrying even with the padded flap in use - the flap is only just long enough to go round both handles and presstud shut. The shoulder strap is padded and very comfy and I don't notice the clips

 

[Kaid]

Hi Lozatrun

I use the Altura Arran bag which I find great the plus points for me are as follows:

There are lots of compartments:

A front flap zip (normally put my lights & gloves in there post ride)
2 (small) front pocket zips I put things like my usb sticks, ipod earphones and small items in those
In addition there are compartments to hold business cards, pens, mobile phone

The remainder of the bag has 3 further main compartments:

First is an "open" compartment, I keep low value bulky items like my laptop and phone power adapters in this compartment.

Second is a "thin" zipped compartment which you could hold papers in securely (I for example put my passport and id documentation in that compartment as its not near the front and therefore should get better protection from water damage.

Third is the thickest compartment and this holds my laptop 13" screen and it can hold another 3 inches of papers or you could put clothes in there should you wish. There is also a pull out padded section to store your laptop in within this third compartment.

This bag is great for me as I like to put everything in its compartment and therefore keeps me organised.

Another advantage is that there is a shoulder strap which again I use when walking or not biking to work.

Finally I am happy to report that there is also a flap which rolls up and is velcroed that you can unroll and zip round the back of the bag to cover the bike clips and fastenings for the pannier which I sometimes use when attending formal or important meetings.

The only disadvantage of the bag from my perspective are that the clip system is not the quick release system that is available on other Altura bags and that the shoulder strap is not particularly sturdy. Sometimes I do carry a lot of papers in addition to my laptop and the bag feels pretty heavy and I worry about the plastic shoulder strap fasteners holding out.

I have been using this bag for 2 months now every day with no problems.

I thoroughly recommend it.

Hope that helps and if you have any specific questions feel free to ask.

Kaid

 

[jsabine]

Do you actually need a new bag, or is it more that need and want are both four-letter words?

I've bought new clips for Altura bags (admittedly, Orkney panniers which use the Rixen & Kaul clips) from Bikefix on Lambs Conduit St, and they're readily available online ...

 

[DeeP]

+1 jsabine.

Can get repacement clips from St John street cycles about £10.

Dp

 

[Lozatron]

hmmm good call on the clips...although a bittersweet saving of money whilst not getting more stuff...

Interestingly a flyer fell out of the LCC magazine which arrived yesterday - there was a flyer from a reassuringly expensive (even more reassuring than the already very reassuring ortlieb) supplier of executive pannier bags called Michaud. I have to admit this seemed totally up my street but a complete absence of reviews coupled with a lack of pictures of the fittings on their website stopped me from just placing an order on spec...anyone got any experience of these?

In the mean time DeeP and jsabine - i've just ordered some replacement clips online - so thanks!

 

[richardmatthews]

(title removed)

(Spam removed)

Happy pannier hunting! Let me know if you find anything else that sounds interesting, although i think i've exhausted my pannier budget for this year!

Rich

 

[richardmatthews]

Sorry, only picked this up now!!! I have seen the Ortlieb office bag and it did catch my eye initially. How much do they cost? i remember them being pretty pricey too but no doubt cheaper than the ones i got. But i think they're quite different panniers aren't they? I guess i just wasn't too keen on the plastic shell for the office. But coming from Ortlieb i have no doubt that they're built to last! I guess i just liked the flexibility with the ******* ones, having one bag for the office and the other for going to the gym or throwing in a spare pair of clothes, or clipping them together when i have the odd short trip. but horses for courses i suppose... :-)

 

[richardmatthews]

User

I can assure you that i have absolutely nothing to sell, and am a 'genuine' punter. I happened to buy a pair of panniers that one of the forum's members posed a question about. Ultimately, people buy whichever product suits them best. I merely offered my opinion which is what i thought these forums were all about. I'm still at a loss as to why my first post was 'spammed'.

 

[BentMikey]

Speaking generally, wouldn't it be nicer if moderators did the moderating in a way that's less likely to cause loss of face? Maybe do the edit, and then mention why in a pm rather than posting it on here?