A coworker told me my panniers look like a laundry basket and I finally get why

I used to just throw everything loose into my big Ortlieb panniers. Clothes, lunch, laptop, all sliding around. Then a guy at the shop said 'you know you're just making your bike handle worse with all that shifting weight, right?' And he was totally right. I switched to packing cubes (cheap ones off Amazon, like $12 for a set) and now my ride feels way more stable and I don't have to dig for my keys at every stoplight. Anyone else get called out by a random stranger and actually learn something?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowan26211d agoTop Commenter

Oof, yeah, I was the guy with a whole junk drawer rattling around in my bag until someone gave me a sideways look about it... felt like getting roasted by my own bike.

west.claire11d ago

Oh man, getting called out like that stings at first but it's so good when it actually helps! I had almost the same thing happen with my grocery panniers. I used to just toss everything in and they'd swing all over the place on turns. A random dude at a coffee shop told me to try using a couple of those mesh laundry bags inside to keep things from shifting. Seriously changed my whole commute. Now I pack groceries in one bag and my work stuff in another and the bike handles way better.