Friday 29 April 2011

On how I shall upgrade my pannier bags

The MEC has come out with a new version of the Cordura bike panniers I and many others have been using for years. I am not wild about the new colour schemes they offer: they are rather bland in my opinion. (Unfortuantely, this is my opinion about many MEC products of late: the colour palate is much too subdued for my taste.) The new features that did intrigue me were that they now come with a better handle (for hauling the bags into your room) and, best of all, plastic attachment points for attaching a shoulder strap.

I have been using my panniers in a similar fashion, only using some of the webbing loops to attach a shoulder strap I took from another MEC product. This wasn't an optimal arrangement, but it did the trick. Now that I have seen the new panniers, I think I will get some suitable bits of hardware and sew them onto one of my rear panniers. Come to think of it, I have some old bag bits that could be adapted to give the bags a better carrying handle.

Of course, now I have to decide which pannier bag gets the upgrade: left one with a Canadian flag or the right one which is the more accessible as I usually leave the right (chain) side exposed!

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