The Best Bike Panniers 2023
If you use two wheels for transport, we suggest carrying your everyday gear not on your body, but on your bike.
The best option for most people is usually a pannier, a bag that attaches to your bike's rear rack and won't make your bike hard to steer.
1. For just the essentials: Ortlieb Twin-City Urban
You're meeting friends for lunch or exploring town by bike. This bag won't hold a full-size laptop, but it would be a good replacement for a purse, fanny pack, or sling.
2. A tough-as-nails gear hauler: Ortlieb Back-Roller Classic
You're often hauling heavy or oddly shaped gear and you ride in near-constant wet weather. These panniers are waterproof, seam-sealed, and so tough that cyclists have found all sorts of uses for them. One long-distance touring rider we met empties his out, fills one with clean water and the other with soapy water, and uses them to do his dishes.
3. For supermarket runs: Banjo Brothers Grocery Pannier
The number one thing you want to do with your bike is make trips to the market. A grocery pannier is cheaper than a specialty commuter bag, can carry twice as much weight as a bike basket, and can even substitute as the grocery bag itself. This pannier is open at the top, though, so it's not good in the rain.
4. Versatile and laptop-friendly: Arkel Commuter Urban Pannier
You regularly carry a laptop and part of your commute is via train, bus, or subway. In that case, the Arkel Commuter Urban Pannier is the best carry option we've found. The backplate on the pannier protects the laptop from bumps on all sides, and it's easy to access your wallet or phone or transit pass when you're wearing the bag on your shoulder.
