You know that rear cargo rack that, if you bought a bike in the past few years, probably came with your bike? It’s not for putting cargo or bags on top. You’re looking at a pannier rack, designed for pannier bags.
Hardcore cyclists and long-distance tourers love ’em, but from Seattle to New York City, I see so many people zip by on bikes with bare pannier racks, backpacks fused to their backs.
Such a shame, I always think. They’d be so much more comfortable if they left the backpacks at home and used pannier bags.
Why they’re better
Every so often, I have to test an ebike without a rear cargo rack. It’s becoming somewhat rare, as ebikes these days tend to come equipped with fenders, headlights, taillights, and cargo racks more often than analog (non-electric) bikes ever have.
But when I do, I’m forced into using a backpack. I’m not going to buy a cargo rack for a bike I don’t own and will have to return to the brand in a week or two. That means the backpack goes on, and I groan.
In the summer, the pack chafes against my back, making me sweat like crazy, and in the winter, it struggles to fit over the thick layers of clothing I wear to stay warm. Long rides with heavy loads can make my back hurt, too.
Pannier bags hang off the side rails of a pannier rack, the proper name for what’s generally known just as a rear cargo rack. The bags hang low, next to the rear wheel. That keeps the bike’s center of gravity low, making it more stable than if that weight is up on your back, in a handlebar basket, or strapped to the top of a cargo rack. The bike handles better, too.
Two brands of pannier bags stand out from all others I’ve tested: the German company Ortlieb and the Canadian company Arkel. Both are well made, with thick, durable, water-resistant (and sometimes waterproof) materials and burly stitching.
I’ve tended to prefer Arkel over the Ortlieb pannier bags I’ve used. While I’ve read others praise the Ortlieb’s attachment system as superior, I think the opposite. The Arkel doesn’t require swapping out pieces to account for pannier rack tubing of various diameters, and it’s quick and easy to attach and detach.
I’ve used Arkel pannier bags on more bikes than I can count, some with thick tubing and others with thin, and on both factory-stock and aftermarket racks. Like most makers of pannier bags, there are different kinds for different purposes.
There are slim models, such as the Arkel Commuter, that have padded laptop compartments and are meant to shuttle your work materials to the office or café. Then there are rectangular models, such as the Arkel Shopper, that expand to hold loads of groceries or boxes of beer.
There are even hybrid models, such as the Arkel Haul-It, designed for carrying irregularly shaped objects, like guitar cases. I’ve used a Haul-It to move packages between my home and the UPS Store, including some large ones that would never fit into even the Arkel Shopper.
And yes, there are even pannier bags that transform into backpacks so that you can carry them around hands-free. Just wait to throw the straps over your shoulders once you’re off the bike.
