So I've been saying for AGES that we needed to find a way to turn our collection of reusable shopping bags into panniers - and now someone's done it. In particular, what I wanted was a pannier that could go inside another pannier without taking up all the space - like I carry a small shopping bag with my wallet, keys etc.
So, when someone on Ravelry pointed out the 'Bikezac' at the copenhagen bike show, I was keen to try one. It arrived speedily!
Here's a picture of what the empty bag looked like on my bike when it arrived:
But really the idea is to carry the bag _inside my main pannier_, so that when I want to stop in at the shops after work, I actually have room to carry my groceries homes. So, here's the bikezac folded up in my 'work' pannier':
I had a dentist appointment over in Bellevue, and wasn't planning on shopping, but on the way home I thought 'I could stop at Craigleith'! So I stopped and bought all sorts of random stuff.
Here's the bike at Craigleith sainsbury's with full pannier:
Here you can see what I fit in it: bagels, cereal, two lots of pierogis, buttermilk, and lots of crap
The ride home went well. No heel strike, which I was really worried about. Nice and easy to lift off the bike and carry around, unlike most panniers. I really like the simple hooks - they may not be to everyone's taste. They did feel very secure though.
Perhaps a bigger question is how durable it will prove. But wouldn't it be cool to be able to just buy a pannier with your shopping in M&S or Waitrose?
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