'Smart' commuting panniers

[bohrsatom]

When commuting to work I keep the stuff I need for the day (locks, keys, work pass, lunch, gloves, waterproofs etc) in an Ortlieb back roller classic pannier. It works, it's waterproof in even the worst weather and means I don't get a sweaty back like those who choose to use a backpack (why??). The downside is that a back roller doesn't look that... professional... in an office environment, and doesn't offer many pockets so quite often my sandwich or fruit gets squashed by the two hefty D-locks I use to secure my bike.

So I'm on the lookout for something smarter with a few more pockets but tbh have not had a successful search. All I can find are a couple of options from Ortlieb and one from Carradice.

Ortlieb Office Bag (Around £100)



Ortlieb Commuter Bag (Around £105)



Carradice BIke Bureau (Around £95)



Does anybody have any experience with these bags, or are there suggestions for others that I may have missed?

[Cunobelin]

There is a "third way"

You can buy the carrier fittings from St John Street or others

These can then be fitted to an ordinary briefcase and a rucksack cover will provide proofing

[mjr]

I've no experience but there's a laptop-bag-style Union34 Stripe shoulder pannier. I think its RRP is about £60 but it sometimes turns up remaindered or offered for £20 or very occasionally less. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNION-34-SHOU ... 1101191343

[iandriver]

I've been using the office bag for about 6000 miles now. It's essentially done a very good job but a few points:

It's very long. To get the heel clearance I needed (62cm Surly Disc Trucker), it needs to be far enough back to completely obscure the rack mounted rear light from one side (Tubus Logo where the light mount is somewhat inboard). This was mounting it on the lower rails of the rack. I always use it on the kerb side and felt the need to get a second battery light on the seat post.

It was very prone to road gunk sticking to it in the winter with its slightly textured material. I use full SKS mudguards, but some is always flung sideways and with it's length, this got plastered. Suddenly it didn't look so smart.

Good, but not perfect if you're an all weathers, all year rider.

[bohrsatom]

Thanks for the review.

It was very prone to road gunk sticking to it in the winter with its slightly textured material. I use full SKS mudguards, but some is always flung sideways and with it's length, this got plastered. Suddenly it didn't look so smart.

Does the road gunk clean off easily?

[Manalishi]

I like to use a large saddlebag. For example - Carradice Nelson Longflap. It has numerous benefits:

You don't need a rack.
It has a quick release option.
Plenty of room with side pockets.
Looks quite smart.

In your case it would complement your existing panniers giving you options.

As far as the locks go, leave them at work or at least one of them. That's what I do.
One of my locks is a gold standard Abus Bordo that folds very compactly and fits in side pocket of the saddlebag.

[iandriver]

It brushes off reasonable easily. If you think of their panniers, the front and back with the shiny plasticky material wipes easily, the black material in the side panels takes a little more effort. The material this is made of seems to fit somewhere between the two, it's not perfectly smooth but isn't as coarse as the side panel material they use on the panniers.

[captain offensive]

I did have the caradice "caradry" rucksack/panier. Was very good in being waterproof, easy to convert to a rucksack for when your were off the bike, and comes with an insert for storing paper/laptops/phone etc.

Unfortunately the quality was pretty poor and after about nine months started to develop holes where it was folded over.

So in a nutshell, this post is to say beware if you look at that was an option!

[bohrsatom]

I've still not decided what to do, but for anybody looking this thread in the future there is one more to add to the mix: The YNOT Portage which I saw yesterday at Brick Lane Bikes (it's about £95)



The rack attachments fold away (big advantage over the Ortliebs), however inside is just one large pocket so there's nowhere to organise your stuff.

I also saw the Ortlieb Office Bag in the flesh at Condor cycles.. it's massive! You could easily fit a 15" laptop in there

[SpannerGeek]

The office bag is excellent. Highly recommends it.

[mjr]

If things like the YNOT are smart enough, the Basil Go Single (from £30):


and even the Sports Single (often on offer just over £20 - it does come in an all-black version without the grey details) might also be worth considering:


The hooks are definitely under a flap on both. Disadvantage of the Go is that I think it doesn't have a shoulder strap.

Edit: I guess lots of people were taking the Sports to the office, as there's also a slightly smarter Sports Commuter now, but I know less about it:

[drossall]

I was happy with my Carradice Bike Bureau - in fact I bought another when the first wore out. It's just a soft briefcase, so you'd need something in it to protect vulnerable items, though it comes with a laptop insert.

In my current job, I don't carry a laptop and I use a folder, so the Bike Bureau is in temporary retirement, but it was good for me.

It comes in left and right fittings. May not matter to you, but did to me because I also have an Altura clothing carrier that goes on the right. They aren't made any more.