I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good set of panniers to me. I don't usually need to carry very much stuff (just a few bags of shopping or so) so they needn't have an enormous week's camping sort of capacity.
Are there panniers that can be effectively secured to my bike so I won't have to take them off every time I leave it locked up for fear of someone nicking them? Or do thieves not actually like to steal panniers?
Budget about £50. Their being absolutely watertight is not top-of-my-list essential.
Altura are good budget panniers, but check out Karrimor too, they have a great reputation. Avoid any pannier that uses elastic bungees to secure to the rack, they have a nasty habit of getting tangled up in your rear wheel (speaking from painful experience here).
Ortlieb are by far the best, but they are outside your budget. imo they are worth it as they last so long and are so tough (and light).
There is no simple way of attaching panniers securely, although some people use those very lightweight cable locks you can get in camping shops. Most thieves are too thick to know how to operate the release clips, so they just try to steal whats inside.
