dewi1 wrote:One pannier, always left as it doesn't get mixed up in the chain and gears. Even when heavily loaded with shopping, balance is fine.
My pannier has a reflective section, so I stick it on the right - hopefully to make the bike look wider and more importantly further out into the road to traffic coming up from behind.
Also being on the right it helps capture some of the crap off the chain - just remember not to put it down on the carpet when you get in...
I may though at some point swap it to the left for a bit, can't help but notice the right hand side of the rack is looking a bit 'worn' where the pannier attaches.
(I have also considered whether having a pannier on one side only would eventually weaken the rack but so far I've seen no sign of that).