Cycling UK Forum

At work I'm forever ineffectually rummaging through all the stuff in my pannier looking for whatever while the people I work with look on in a bemused sort of way. This is only stuff for my commute, not a major expedition.

I've tried:
1. Putting related stuff into food bags e.g. tools in one, clothes in another, lunch in another. That sort of works, but bags aren't the right size for the pannier or the stuff in the bag. Also, colleagues roll eyes when I pull out the one with grundies in when looking for lunch.

2. Telling colleagues to do one

Now wondering whether to try and track down some small stuff sacs or whatever they're called.
I need a neat solution to restore my image of a well-organised demi-god, but am struggling. Any tips please?

Think outside the box and get a Carradice Camper Longflap saddlebag, or similar. Sidepockets swallow up smaller items, while main compartment is horizontal rather than vertical storage so stuff is less likely to be completely buried. The bag is also at a much more convenient height so stuff can be removed without bending over.

You will need a either a saddle with bagloops or some Heath Robinson ironworks to fit the bag but it will all be worth while in the end. A proper saddlebag is infinitely superior to panniers, single, double or any other format.

Arkel Panniers open have a zip all round the front so, when horizontal. you can see everything in the pannier. They are brill but pricey although as they'll last a lifetime, it may work out cheaper to make the initial investment.
Ortlieb are good panniers but have plastic bits guaranteed to perish after a decade and most are top opening only.

Ortlieb are good panniers but have plastic bits guaranteed to perish after a decade and most are top opening only

Yep - should have said that I've got Ortlieb top-loading panniers! Bought 6 months ago so would be a bit t o dump them.

When cycling to work, I pack trousers, shirt and undies in the bottom of pannier and my lunch on top in a plastic carrier bag. Wallet, phone and keys go in the zipped pocket on the top flap. I carry my tools and spares in a seat pack and my waterproof is strapped to the carrier.

I'm lucky enough to have a locker at work, so all my sweaty cycling gear goes in there, after I've showered and changed. I keep a coat and shoes at work.

Try using different coloured bags to put the things in inside the panier. If you can use a sewing machine you could make some thing similar to a camping wash kit roll but bigger. Made to fill the panier with different sized compartments.

My wife and I are soon off to France for the umpteenth time with our panniers.
We tried the coloured bags inside panniers that was OK,but we found using clear or translucent bags better.
Keep the heavy things as low as possible.Have a spare inner tube and tyre levers easily accessible.
On returning from a tour we each wrote a list of what was really needed.

We use "Compression bags" as these allow more to be put in!

Also means that all the "nasty" stuff is hidden away.

Apart from that the advice about heavy stuff at the bottom is good, but also give a thought to usage. All the unused / evening only towards the bottom, useful stuff like lunches and waterproofs etc at the top. All the really useful and commonly used stuff (cameras lunch etc) is then in a bar bag.

It is possible to fit an outside pocket to an Ortleib pannier. A real faff to do but when fitted the pocket is excellent and can be removed and used separately. There is a discussion and an illustration from Paul Smith here

I use the pile it in method for work, great fun then rummaging around, you never know what you might find
I'm usually a bit more organised for touring but still find stuff getting mixed up or not quite where it would be really convenient to grab.

minkie wrote:I need a neat solution to restore my image of a well-organised demi-god, but am struggling. Any tips please?

I'm using just one of my 2 panniers at the moment, tools,pump,tube at the bottom, then rainwear gear ( should have that on the top really , the c*** summer we're having ) then I have a very small rucksack on top of that with keys, phone, wallett , camera , cuddly toy , conveyor belt.... in it, so i can grab that and leave the rest in.

Ever thought of a bar bag

Since starting to commute into work in January 2007, I have really got myself organised. In one pannier I neatly fold a shirt and pair of trousers etc. spare batteries for Lights and MP3 player and toiletries in a side zipped pocket (I keep a towel in my locker at work).
In the other pannier I carry waterproof trousers, jacket, overshoes, lightweight HiViz jacket and sandwiches, cycle lock etc.
I wear a 'Bum Bag' which has two large zipped compartments. In this goes Wallet, keys, PDA pens, personal ID etc.
May seem a bit cumbersome but having everything arranged like this makes me more unlikely to forget anything and makes my commute into work a less stressful one.

Always put the stuff you'll need in an emergency, p*nct*re, heavy rain, invasion by little green men, snapped chain, etc.... at the very bottom of the bag, that way you have to unpack everything and then repack nearly everything forgetting a small but important part of your load which you will only discover to be missing when you get to your destination.

No, wait a minute that's what I always do!

Peer pressure to be civilised has always been an issue. I used to commute to a job in London in the early eighties when cycling was seen as genuinely freakish and probably communistic. The topic of conversation was which car had the best 0-60 speed and how soon the aspirant might have one. Needless to say advertising was not a long term career.

In the time I worked there I developed two tricks. One was to get there early enough to take a moment from battling it out with vans and taxis. Predatory offices can sense fluster and cyclists need a few moments to undo one head and adopt the next.

The other was to slot a professional looking case in a pannier so I wasn't rummaging through damp waxed cotton in the studio. Absurdly, a flick of designer nonsense and swishy zips shut people up even 25 years ago. Needless to say there were no showers so I resorted to a store cupboard and plenty of fragrant wet wipes after an hour's cycling.

eileithyia wrote:I use the pile it in method for work, great fun then rummaging around, you never know what you might find

wot like chocolate, or money?

that reminds me (and going off thread) a work colleague just told me about when they moved into their house about 10 years ago. It was bought from the estate of an old dear with no relatives and they found £5k in a box in the loft. Jammy gits ..