Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Velouria's Panniers

Sorry for the radio silence, have been super busy on an advocacy project for the Longfellow bridge construction that I'm trying to condense into a manageable post.  In the meantime....

She's gonna hate being the namesake of such a homely thing, but Velouria, of Lovely Bicycle had a great suggestion a couple of weeks ago for using pairs of plastic bags in tandem as panniers.
The CSA season started for me last week, and I completely forgot about it until I got to work, which meant I only had my normal small-ish leather daily bag .   In the past I've resorted to making temporary panniers out of boxes or baskets, secured by rack straps,  but this time I decided to use "V-Panniers"

These were a bit hampered by the fact that I had my normal bag on the left side, and the bag just sitting on top of it.   I put the heavier bag on that side so that it would be partially supported.

I put the knotted portion under the "rat trap"  and then latched it down with a lock and rack straps.

Bottom line,  it was fine for a couple of Kolrhabi and a bunch of bulky but light greens,  but I'm not sure I'd trust it with heavy stuff like cans of tomatoes or peanut butter.   Not a bad solution though for an emergency!  Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.
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6 comments:

  1. VelouriaJune 14, 2011 at 11:18 PM

    Oh noooo : )) Wouldn't it be ironic if this is what "Lovely Bicycle" is known for!

    Yours look so much better than mine though with all those vegetables sticking out.

    I've also discovered that as long as a rack has a "rat trap," I can wedge the handles of a reusable bag into the trap and make a pannier out of virtually anything. You live, you learn. Though I still prefer real panniers.

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  2. Steve AJune 15, 2011 at 6:42 AM

    I'd also be nervous trying to carry a 12 pack of bottled beer. Still- excellent!

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  3. Erin BJune 15, 2011 at 9:39 AM

    There is a really good trick where you slide two cloth bags together to make this work too.

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  4. MelissatheRagamuffinJune 15, 2011 at 11:34 AM

    I hate to tell you but I've used that trick several times since reading it on Lovely Bike. Including this morning. As for the twelve pack - secure it to the top of your bike wrack using bungee cords. I've done it with bottles of soda.

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  5. MelissatheRagamuffinJune 15, 2011 at 11:35 AM

    I should also note that I am simply too cheap to buy real panniers.

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  6. SarahJune 15, 2011 at 3:38 PM

    Steve--you clearly need one of these.
    http://www.etsy.com/listing/69286355/6-pack-frame-cinch-polo-mallet-holder?ref=pr_shop

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