Upcycled Bicycle Panniers DIY

There have been versions of reusing plastic tubs for bike panniers for years. Here is another example -<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.adventurecycling.org&#x2F;blog&#x2F;hauling-it-all-make-your-own-panniers&#x2F;" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.adventurecycling.org&#x2F;blog&#x2F;hauling-it-all-make-yo...</a>

I love the design considerations they described here: &lt;<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;rackhackers.com&#x2F;diy-pannier-parts-kit&#x2F;" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;rackhackers.com&#x2F;diy-pannier-parts-kit&#x2F;</a>&gt;. In some ways it even sounds superior to my Ortlieb Back-Roller Classic panniers. [1] In particular: the Ortlieb Quick-Lock2.1 might not be quite as snug at the bottom (it&#x27;s just a plastic hook), and the roller bags&#x27; straps can have a loose section depending on how full it is and how much care you&#x27;ve taken to get it right.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.ortlieb.com&#x2F;en_us&#x2F;back-roller-classic+F5301" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.ortlieb.com&#x2F;en_us&#x2F;back-roller-classic+F5301</a>

How does this plastic do with UV exposure over time? How does it fail?<p>E.g. I made the mistake of using some plastic bins to store plant-related stuff on a mostly-shaded corner of my balcony. One day, when I tried to pick one up, the portion of the lip I grabbed just broke off under pretty light pressure; the whole thing had become weak and brittle. I would hate for a pannier to fall apart and dump whatever I&#x27;m carrying at some point in the future when I hit a bump or something.

Okay, what am I missing? I don&#x27;t know that I&#x27;ve ever seen these containers. I&#x27;m in the U. S., are these common containers in other countries? Or do I trip over a half dozen of them on the way to work and just never noticed? The web page implies that the containers are common, so what is their native environment?

Reminds of me of strapping a milk crate to the back of your motorbike or scooter. In Australia at least, it seems stranger to me to see a Honda CT110 without a milk crate bungee strapped to the back than with.

Feels like a copy of the original: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;thebikebucket.com&#x2F;index.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;thebikebucket.com&#x2F;index.html</a>

This is reminiscent of the coroplast fenders and bike bags that Kent Peterson has been making for years:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;kentpeterson.substack.com&#x2F;p&#x2F;coroplast-handlebar-bag" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;kentpeterson.substack.com&#x2F;p&#x2F;coroplast-handlebar-bag</a><p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.carsstink.org&#x2F;peterson&#x2F;FendForYourself.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.carsstink.org&#x2F;peterson&#x2F;FendForYourself.html</a>

When I went to school in the late 70&#x27;s in the Netherlands I had a Curver &#x27;Unibox&#x27; [1] strapped to the back of my bike, in the beginning using bungee cords but later in more refined way using eyelets screwed into the holes where wheels are meant to be mounted on those boxes. Some of the more insecure kids tried to make fun of me with my &#x27;bakfiets&#x27; but that never came to anything. Instead of having to strap m bag to the back of the bike for the daily 34 km migration (17km there, 17km back) I could just drop it in the back.<p>I still have a crate of some sorts on most of my bikes, ranging from a large wooden vegetable crate on one to something like that &#x27;Unibox&#x27; on my daily ride. A bike is just so much more handy with one of those.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.gamma.nl&#x2F;assortiment&#x2F;curver-unibox-30l-classic-zilver&#x2F;p&#x2F;B236693" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.gamma.nl&#x2F;assortiment&#x2F;curver-unibox-30l-classic-z...</a>

It&#x27;s probably possible to use replacement ortlieb latches for a more secure rack connection (fully closed latch instead of hang-on) with quick release.<p>For example: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.ortlieb.com&#x2F;usa_en&#x2F;ql1-hooks-16-mm-with-adjustable-handle" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.ortlieb.com&#x2F;usa_en&#x2F;ql1-hooks-16-mm-with-adjustab...</a>

I have some Watershed drybags that I really love that I want to figure out the best way to use as bicycle panniers, does anyone have suggestions?<p>This is the model: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.drybags.com&#x2F;product&#x2F;assault-pack&#x2F;" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.drybags.com&#x2F;product&#x2F;assault-pack&#x2F;</a><p>The backpack straps are removable and the bag rolls down quite a bit like most rolltops do. I think the loops where the waist strap is fed through may be a good attachment point but part of me thinks I&#x27;d need almost need side baskets or netting or a harness on either side of the rear rack that could just accept a a large bag without the bag itself having any great attachment points.

I simply don&#x27;t get it - is this just to show off, to be ostensibly and pretentiously &#x27;green&#x27;? Why should I strap big, ugly, bulky, noisy, inconvenient garbage to my bicycle instead of buying and using something actually practical and convenient? I mean isn&#x27;t bicycling to grocery store and back with regular panners already &quot;enough&quot; and even much more compared to let&#x27;s say Ursula von den Leyen taking private jet to fly 30 miles?

I must have like 20+ of these containers on my allotment. These canniers could help transport my garden equipment, tools, and plants nicely on my daily ride to the garden plot.

They look interesting but are they durable? I can see the bolts ripping through the plastic if riding in rough terrain. All panniers that I&#x27;ve used have the mounting points reinforced so that they are not loaded in only a couple of places.

Since they ship a few parts, how does the environmental impact compare to buying new bags from Decathlon, or used ones on a classified ads website? The latter seems like a better option to me.

My panniers: a PVC frame + a backpack--<p>1 inch PVC tubing. Shaped like an H, with the top &amp; bottom as cross-beams as well. about 2.5 feet by 1.5 feet. With one on each side of my back bike rack, Makes it easy to hang a 60 liter backpack on one side, and 30 liter backpack on the other.

The things itself is cool enough, I just wish they weren&#x27;t so comically pretentious and holier-than-thou in presenting it.

This is awesome but given all the recent talk about microplastics I can&#x27;t help but think the most environmentally conscious way to employ this plastic is for power generation via incineration.