A reader writes:
I am going to order in September a new Oxford Bikes Expedition — what panniers would you suggest? I really only need to carry clothes, a very small tool kit and a lap top.
Basically, I want to ride to my office down various gravel tracks and roads — my office is 550 miles from home!
Thanks for the question! And congratulations on your excellent choice of bike – not that I’m biased or anything…
Anyhow. Along with a few other factors such as budget, pannier choice has a lot to do with what the contents will be.
And the fact that you want to carry a laptop on a kind of extended tour-commute brings some special considerations.
Many panniers are tapered towards the bottom for heel clearance, and/or have protruding rivets or fixtures on the rear inner surface, which depending on the size and shape of your laptop might damage the laptop’s shell or make the corners or edges vulnerable.
You’ll also want to make sure the pannier is waterproof and can be properly sealed when the laptop is inside, especially if it’s a roll-top pannier, so the size of the laptop matters here too.
A final consideration is overall capacity. From the sound of it, a single large rear pannier might be sufficient for your needs, although you might buy a pair for future flexibility. Some people worry about balancing the load equally left and right, but this is more important for fully-loaded touring when the total amount of luggage is perhaps four or five times greater. Commuters ride with single rear panniers all the time.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, some pannier manufacturers have already thought about all of this!
Ortlieb offer an easily removable commuter insert, featuring a padded laptop sleeve and other organising compartments, for their rear pannier ranges. It’s compatible with the popular Back-Roller Classic and Plus touring panniers (and more).
Vaude have taken a different approach, designing a business-oriented messenger bag with a shoulder strap that fits perfectly inside an Aqua Back waterproof touring pannier.
And if your preferred pannier manufacturer doesn’t sell such an accessory, I doubt it’d take much to make something suitable yourself, perhaps starting with a standard protective laptop sleeve.
You mentioned gravel roads, so as well as reiterating the need for good laptop protection, it’ll also be wise to go for racks and panniers that are proven durable enough to take a lot of bumps and vibrations.
Tubus is the default rack choice here, but whatever you decide to go for, I believe Richard at Oxford Bike Works usually uses a thread-locking solution when mounting them, which will prevent the bolts working loose over time.
And while both of the pannier brands mentioned above are tried and tested on demanding tours, you’ll find more suggestions in my big round-up of touring panniers.
Hope this helps!
This is part of my “No Stupid Questions” series, in which readers write in with questions about cycle touring or bikepacking and I attempt to answer them. Check out more recent posts in the series or ask one of your own.
Something to add?