Leave Your Baggage Behind
“Everyone comes with a baggage. Find someone who loves you enough to help you unpack.” Unknown
I had a tough time biking to office, carrying my laptop and its accessories, iPad, notes etc on my back. My back used to hurt a lot, the day I biked. Adding to it, I used to face shortness of breath while biking, due to added weights on my back!
My fellow rider persuaded me to buy this thing called “Panniers”. I took his advice and finally bought it on clearance! Thanks to my other friend, who bought this for me! This is how fancy it appears to be!
Panniers - Source : Decathlon
After using it for about a week, I planned on writing a quick review about this.
###Pros :
- You can fit in a laptop on one side. iPad, charger and other accessories on the other side. My laptop is Dell New Inspiron 15R of around 2.5 kg and 15.6 inches screen, just to give you an idea! It fits in - just OK. My laptop seems to be more curious, peeps outside - with continual glances of how crazy the drivers are on the road!
- Good reflective material on it.
- Locking mechanism ie. buckles is pretty neat.
- Perfect for day to day work and quick trips to grocery stores.
- Fits well with most of the carriers. I have a PB Classic Carrier
- The luggage straps are sturdy!
- Feels light while biking and a good balance because of a small weight behind.
###Cons :
- Packing your pannier, on your carrier, is like preparing for a horse ride! It takes a minimum of 3 - 5 minutes to buckle and strap everything onto your carrier!
- Beware of the oil / grease that may stick to your hands while strapping.
- You may not be able to have panniers on ( with the luggage ) and park your bike on a kickstand, at-least not happening with mine! It just rolls away and falls, with the weights!
- If you have to carry your pannier to distant place after parking your bike, it might be a tough task.
- For a friend of mine, the panniers are causing an interruption while pedaling, even after placing it a lot behind. However, that model is different.
- Not rain proof. Water can easily enter the sides. Beware of that.
I took it off. I did not want to carry it with me anymore!
Happy Offloading! :)