let's chat panniers

When I visited my friend in California, he told me about the magic of panniers. He bikes 10 miles each way to his work, so could we commiserate about our epic commutes. He said panniers had saved him a sweaty and sore back, and he could put SO MUCH in them... I started thinking, and researching, and now almost a month later I know I want a pannier. So, I found this lovely Dutch pannier which came yesterday.

Here's a picture of it. It's so cute! I love it. All my bike/workout clothes are black and grey, so I can try to match, and this goes perfectly. Except, it is rather hard to carry over my shoulder. And since I have to haul my bike up and down train stairs and finagle around other passengers, and be fast about securing it on the train, I just don't think it will work for what I need. Plus, it's not completely waterproof, and for those 2 or 3 days that I get completely drenched, I will want that.

So, I am going back to the drawing board and getting a messenger-style pannier. I think I'm going to purchase a nice Ortlieb. It's more sporty, but I think it will do the job.

If anyone happens to read this and have a good recommendation on panniers, it would be so useful! Lots of bike stores only carry the Timbuk2 kind, and they don't seem very great for commuting. So, I have to order online, and guess at the comfort and size. I need to be able to carry a change of clothes, so size is pretty important.

I'm also hopeful that once I get a pannier I'll be able to bike further and catch the train later, and get more of a bike workout in to continue training for more tri's. Big dreams. We'll see.