Pannier Buying Guide

Panniers are one of the most important and effective ways to travel on your bike - being able to carry everything from your laptop and work files, right across to your camping equipment. Panniers are the best way to transfer the weight of equipment from your back in a rucksack, to on your bike - making for a better balance, and more comfortable journey. As well as being used for commuting and touring, Panniers are also a great way to transport everyday goods - such as a food shop.

The first thing to know about Panniers, is that they have to sit on Pannier racks. Note that not all bikes are designed to carry Pannier racks, so it’s important to find out whether or not your bike is suitable before you purchase a rack. Bikes which are compatible, will have eyelets at the top of the seatstays, and sometimes mounting eyes above rear dropouts. Bikes which are compatible include most hybrid/urban bikes as well as endurance focussed road bikes, such as gravel bikes. Many mountain bikes also have space for panniers.

If your bike does not have such eyelets, then it’s possible to buy mounting systems which fix directly to the rear axle of the bike and the frame. If this is not the option you want to go down, there are also frame and saddle bags which can fit directly onto your bike.

The most popular way of fitting a pannier rack is over the back wheel - however those carrying a lot of equipment will need to distribute the panniers across the bike. Different materials are available for Panniers, with steel, aluminium and titanium all offering various benefits.

You can view the full range of Panniers here, and if you have any questions about the right Panniers for your bike - please do get in touch and we will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.