THE TANDEM PANNIER: Our classic pannier for long hauls or short jaunts via bike
KEEP IT ORGANIZED: Front zip pocket for keeping small items in check
CLEVER EXTRAS: Reflective hits; Vista loop for attaching blinky bike lights; Grab handle for easy lifting; Internal stretch pocket compatible with up to a 15" laptop
MATERIALS & FIT: Easy on and off rack attachment with two hook and loop straps; Removable shoulder strap; Main body material is rugged 600D Poly Non-P PVC
LIFETIME WARRANTY: Timbuk2 stands behind the legendary quality and craftsmanship of all our products; We also embrace the wild, twisty ways of life; If there is a defect in the materials or workmanship we will repair the bag at our discretion for the lifetime of the product
Luke (comprador verificado) –
Very good bag, with minor annoyances.
I got caught up in how awesome and practical this pannier appeared to be — don’t get me wrong, it is both of those things, but it’s not as convenient as it seems it would be in the pictures. I commute about 10 miles each way, daily. These panniers have a great amount of space. That means that my uniform (I’m in the military) fits on one side, rolled up as tightly as I can manage (thick material pants and button up blouse, cap, tee shirt, knee length socks, boxer shorts), and my boots on the other side, as well as a small assortment of textbooks and papers (I’m a teacher), a multitool, u-lock, keys, wallet, phone, odds and ends. It’s got space. It’s made out of sturdy, waterproof (or at least resistant) plasticky/vinyl-ish fabric, and any time I’ve ridden in the rain, my belongings have stayed dry. While the bag is on the bike, it’s entirely manageable – it stays in place reasonably well and doesn’t get in the way while riding, as long as the velcro straps are attached to the rack on the bike. When the bag is removed, the velcro straps hide away and a set of magnets keep the panniers pulled together.Herein lies the problem: the velcro straps can be tough to get to when taking the bag off the bike, which takes time. The strap clips on, and that takes time. Straps don’t attach or store while clipped, so they must be unclipped when riding, and they use those plastic ring clips that are annoying to get off, which takes time. I saw the pictures of the guy calmly pulling the bag off, then one of him holding the bag in courier-configuration, and thought it would be much more intuitive than it really is. The bag is unwieldy and strangely shaped when it’s filled anywhere near capacity, which makes it less than ideal to carry. Also, when putting the back back on the bike, the magnets try to keep the bottom of the bag together, which is annoying, when trying to fit it over the rack.So. Quibbles. At its heart, this pannier is solid, has good capacity, and performs well, but it’s not perfect. Were I carrying about half the amount of belongings that I do, this bag would be perfect. Otherwise, if it were up to me, I would widen the bag (along the Z-axis, when viewed from the side), choose a better clip for the shoulder strap, and put a velcro or elastic strip on the top connector of the bag that the strap could stick/be tied to, so it’s readily available when you get where you’re going, and maybe design some kind of quick-detach system for the bag, so you could just pull it off the bike when you arrived. These would make the bag utterly and completely perfect — but otherwise, it’s a solid 4-stars.
Graham Scharf (comprador verificado) –
Ideal commuter saddle bags
This is a sturdy, well-designed bag – exactly what I expect from Timbuk2. I cycle commute 3-4x/wk, and after putting it through the paces for several months, here are the highlights:- I use 2 2-inch carabiners to attach the panniers to my rack – easier, faster & sturdier than the velcro strap design built in.- I leave the shoulder strap detached. It easily clips on and off (good!), but almost invariably rubs if you leave it attached while riding (bad).- I almost never use the buckles on the side panels. The side panel velcro and bag design are so good that the buckles are just added security.- The outside zip pockets are fantastic for bike lock keys and LED lights – easy to zip and unzip, even with gloves on.- Carry like a briefcase function works brilliantly. The magnets from the two sides snap together, and it carries much better than any pannier set I’ve held/seen. It works so well I rarely take time to snap on the shoulder strap.- As always, I love the little pockets on Timbuk2 for pens, biz cards, tissues, bandaids, wallet, keychain clip, bike lights, etc. Both sides have identical pockets.- The internal mesh laptop sleeve (present on both sides) is better than expected. I wish they had made it of neoprene for cushioning. (I always put my Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit Lock in one panel, and my laptop in the other; I’d be nervous with them rubbing/banging around). But I’ve had the panniers fall off (didn’t clip on for a short ride uphill, and it slid off), and there was no damage to the bag or the laptop.- The panels are ideally sized. I can put lunch, small jacket & laptop on one side, and helmet and shoes in the other side when I lock my bike and pull the panniers off.- Material quality is exactly what I expect of Timbuk2: I’ll ride home in the rain with my laptop and phone in the bag and not think twice about them getting wet.
Steven W Monroe (comprador verificado) –
My initial thoughts are this is a perfect amount of space for a daily commuter
Just purchased this Bag This year I will ride all winter in Salem Oregon. I will update my review. My initial thoughts are this is a perfect amount of space for a daily commuter. I bring my clothes, lunch surface pro, coffee and various cords and small items. This is bigger in volume that the Bomgartner Pannier. My bomgartner was also a bit smaller than this one and lacked handles. You have to lock your bike here in Salem and this bag being readily removeable will be great. I ride about 20-30 minutes on my commute and we can have some rainy rainy days here I will keep you posted.Excellent size the zip pockets on the outside save atrip opening the bag, looks of excellent waterproof quality easy to throw onto the rack and ride. Bigger than the earlier pannier this will work great this year.
ーーーーポポ (comprador verificado) –
自転車通勤にピッタリ
これは２回目の購入です。色違いでしたが使い勝手は最高です。かなり丈夫で３年以上使えています。前回のは現在バイクで転用しています。まだまだ使えていたのですが色を変えたくて購入にいたりました。防水機能もしっかりしているし、ポケットの数も適正です。とにかく使ってみて下さい。個人的に超オススメです。
Kevin (comprador verificado) –
Love this pannier!
Great pack for commuting! Larger than I need, but the two sides make balancing weight easier which makes riding more comfortable. I put my laptop on one side and clothes on the other side that my bike isn’t overly unbalanced.Tons of internal space plus the two zip pockets at the top floor easy to access items makes this the best commute pannier I’ve ever owned!The only downside is that the magnets that hold the two halves together obviously are not strong enough to hold the bag together when slung on my shoulder.
omar (comprador verificado) –
Excelente
Productos de muy buen material
Use reed (comprador verificado) –
water resistant
excellent
Alberto (comprador verificado) –
Great pannier set, very durable.
I have owned this for almost 3 years now, and it holds up great, it has gotten a little dirty especially underneath between the two bags. No big deal as the inside has always stayed dry even though I commute in all season in northern Canada. The one thing I wish they did was to make that underside more dirt repellent so it would be easier to wipe down. But other than that it is perfect, has not had a single scratch or tear even though it’s life with me has not been wipe out free. My wife started commuting by bike this year and I just got her this same one.
S. Barnes (comprador verificado) –
Versatile, Functional and Stylish
I’ve always had a thing for messenger bags with style (mainly North Face) and I lucked out finding a pannier that serves that same purpose with very similar aesthetics. I got a cushion for the strap which made it a complete package for taking the bag on foot and strapping it to my rack when riding off. It’s a low profile and doesn’t scream Pannier. The velcro straps are strong and I’ve added plenty of weight to test the limits. The bag has a lot of space and has plenty of pockets for smaller items. The bag is very durable and stands up to the elements and roughhousing.It can be a bit cumbersome attaching, removing and repositioning the straps, but I got used to it and can handle the tasks quickly enough. I paired the bag with a low profile Axiom DLX Streamliner Road Cycle Rack, and they go great together. The bottom straps can be a bit difficult to attach to the rack, though it’s not too much of a hurdle.
Derek E. (comprador verificado) –
Exactly What I Needed
This is a really nice bag/s. Simple, cool design. Roomy. Moreso than I expected in fact. A twelve pack of canned beer fit into one side without much coaxing tonight. They seem to be built well and they look great.The reason for the star deduction is because of the mounting system. It’s not a system so much as well, pretty much nothing. There is a single velcro strapping point on each side. It’s at the bottom. I think this might keep it from completely parting ways with you on your way to work, but I can’t be sure of that. Im using cord to hold it down. But hey, that works well and they’re now secure, and they look great. If your using just for commuting, I highly recommend this set.
CMF (comprador verificado) –
Great brand, great bag
I have a Timbuk2 backpack that I’ve loved for years, so when I needed a pannier this brand was an obvious choice. Am not disappointed. I carry one laptop in each side, with their peripherals, and then add food/water to one side and wallet and stuff to the other. Zippers on top hold keys and biking stuff (gloves, pant strap, hex tool).Definitely buy carabiners to clip this to your rack—makes life so much easier. I have four, one on each strap buckle, and clip in and out pretty fast. Then I use the shoulder strap to carry around. After a little practice, whole thing takes maybe 30 sec.I’ve had one crash and this bag held everything securely—nothing fell out, laptops didn’t even move or get scratched. During a light rain, everything stayed dry. (Haven’t had a hard rain yet but the backpack did well so I’m assuming this will.) Bags still look brand new.
artdrectr (comprador verificado) –
Very well designed!
Love these tandem bags, I’ve used them daily over the past month on my ebike.As others have said, they make a great commuter and very professional looking for a pannier.The easy-to-use mounting system of 4 strips of velcro holds it to the rack, and has stayed in place securely. (riding on roads & paths, not trails).Water resistant material works well in a drizzle (don’t know yet about heavy rain).Cons:- I’ve tried but these aren’t ideal for groceries (and tbh they’re not made for that, they’re dedicated book bags), since the bags aren’t wide enough for big items like 6-packs. But works fine enough to pick up smaller things.- There’s no reflective material on the rear of the bags. You’ll want to think how to remedy that.- No security to leave on bike when parked, of course must take with you when switching to pedestrian mode.If you commute this is the bag that will make you get rid of your backpack.______________Update Jan 2018I bought some of this Gear Aid Tenacious Reflective Tape.Gear Aid Tenacious Tape for Fabric RepairWrapped it around the straps at the rear and now have some reflectivity off the back there.
Marie-Michele Laliberte (comprador verificado) –
good pannier, bad velcro straps
I loved the Timbuk2 panniers for the 6 months I could used them. The size is perfect and the water resistance is pretty good. But after not using them for a couple of months during winter, I put them on my bike this week and noticed that one of the velcro strap is ripping of. Very disappointing as the panniers are unusable without those 2 straps… It’s sad to design a beautiful bag made with great water resistant material and attached it with this poor quality velcro straps.