Pannier question

[tordis]

Do you ever leave panniers attached to your bike when leaving it parked somewhere? I'm asking because my panniers are a pain to detach/attach - they have those funny little hooks on pieces of elastic which are, quite honestly, terrible. Would it be silly of me to assume no-one will be interested in stealing a cheap set of (empty) panniers?

 

[summerdays]

I don't leave mine but then mine are easy to remove - however I often see others leaving theirs on the bike. I guess it depends on what sort of area it is, and how much it would cost to replace them etc. Perhaps I ought to try with my old panniers which I wouldn't mind if they went walkies.

 

[annedonnelly]

Mine are easy to remove - but a pain to carry around for any distance.

I have a long cable lock which I thread through the pannier handles, through the bike and then round whatever I've fastened the bike to.

Never leave them for long, though.

 

[Arch]

If I leave on on the bike, it's generally only in semi secure areas, and I use a releasable zip tie to fasten it to the rack (it's an easy lift off type pannier). My reasoning, such as it is, is that the zip tie stops it being just lifted off and is too much faff for the average tealeaf to undo. I do have a long cabel lock thing, but if anyone really wanted the pannier, they could cut the handle.

Mine do have removable shoulder straps for carrying although I don't always have them on, and I've found that if I don't do the roll top up rolled, but clip the two sides together at the top, it makes for easier carrying...

 

[smeg]

I thought about this too and decided to put a wire basket on the rear rack instead of pannier bags, I put my rucksack in it and secure it with a bungee cord. If I buy some shopping after work that goes in the basket and the rucksack goes on my back. I can only see having pannier bags being a lot of faff, I'd either have to take the whole thing off and take it into work with me, or leave it on the bike and take everything out that's in it, work gear, bike tools etc. No way would I leave anything in pannier bags on my bike unattended!

 

[HLaB]

I don't leave my pannier on the bike; I usually only have one, its fairly easy to remove and its an Ortleib but even if it wasn't a dear one I don't think I'd leave it, I don't think I'd be worried about theft but I wouldn't want to give temptation to that one idiot who would rummage/vandalise/ or leave something unwanted.

 

[Browser]

I always take mine off. They're a pain to carry, but it's more of a pain having to buy new ones 'cos some scrote has helped themselves to yours.