Posted by: Anonymous
Re: making rear panniers - suggestions please! - 03/31/04 01:23 AM
I have made wonderful panniers from bookbags or the soft backpacks.
It is needed to put some rigid material into the back of the bookbag, the side facing the wheel, to keep the bag from getting into the spokes. Materials which have worked include thin plywood, thin pressed wood and the lightest is a thin sheet of polycarbonate which won't turn brittle in cold weather like cheap polystyrene.
The sholder straps are best removed by cutting off neatly as short as possible.
I use hooks from the hardware store to clip to the rear rack. These are simple half circle hooks. You could find other things or have someone custom bend the hooks to mimic the commercial hooks on panniers.
If you can find a top loading backpack or bookbag, then you don't have to worry about the bag zippers getting damaged or ripped open by a heavy load. Watch the zippering design and the size of the zipper for strength and druability. Some thin zippers that go all around the bag back may not hold up too long.
It works out best if the bookbag or backpack is designed as mostly one large compartment without divisions. The extra little compartments on the back or side of the bag are great for getting small things organized.
My bag failures have all been zippers being forced open, or just not lasting and opening up from the stress of the bouncing loads of the road.
Jim
It is needed to put some rigid material into the back of the bookbag, the side facing the wheel, to keep the bag from getting into the spokes. Materials which have worked include thin plywood, thin pressed wood and the lightest is a thin sheet of polycarbonate which won't turn brittle in cold weather like cheap polystyrene.
The sholder straps are best removed by cutting off neatly as short as possible.
I use hooks from the hardware store to clip to the rear rack. These are simple half circle hooks. You could find other things or have someone custom bend the hooks to mimic the commercial hooks on panniers.
If you can find a top loading backpack or bookbag, then you don't have to worry about the bag zippers getting damaged or ripped open by a heavy load. Watch the zippering design and the size of the zipper for strength and druability. Some thin zippers that go all around the bag back may not hold up too long.
It works out best if the bookbag or backpack is designed as mostly one large compartment without divisions. The extra little compartments on the back or side of the bag are great for getting small things organized.
My bag failures have all been zippers being forced open, or just not lasting and opening up from the stress of the bouncing loads of the road.
Jim