Panniers are a utilitarian solution for carrying luggage on your bicycle. Allowing the bike to take the weight rather than your shoulders, they’ll also allow you to carry far more in terms of both weight and volume compared to using a backpack.
They can be used alone or as a pair, ensuring you arrive fresher at work or helping you haul your camping gear with you on holiday. However, if you’re carrying lots of weight, you’re best spreading it between two (or even four) for the sake of balance.
While they’ve been somewhat eclipsed by the rise of bikepacking with its bags designed to be directly attached to the bike’s frame, a set of panniers provides an alternative that may allow you to carry more, lower down on the bike and where it’s less likely to interfere with your pedalling.
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Best bicycle panniers at a glance
- Ortlieb Back-Roller Classic: RRP £120 – Buy now from Tredz (£120)
- Elops 500 Waterproof: RRP £24.99 – Buy now from Decathlon (£24.99)
- Thule Shield: RRP £130 – Buy now from Halfords (£97.98)
- Carradice Super C: RRP £135 – Buy now from Carradice (£135)
- Overboard Classic waterproof: RRP £54.99 – Buy now from Amazon (£54.99)
- Blackburn Wayside Backpack Pannier: RRP £74.99 – Buy now from Amazon (£74.99)
- Arkel Dolphin 32L: RRP £175 – Buy now from Spa Cycles (£175)
- Vaude Aqua Back: RRP £129 – Buy now from Alpinetrek (£97)
- Restrap Pannier, Large: RRP £100 – Buy now from Alpinetrek (£92)
- Chrome Industries Urban Ex 2.0: RRP £166 – Buy now from Alpinetrek (£135)
- Altura Vortex Ultralight: RRP £50 – Buy now from Tredz (£40)
- Topeak Trunkbag DXP: RRP £100 – Buy now from Tweeks Cycles (£80)
How do panniers work?
Most panniers work on a basic and near-universal system of attachment. A pannier rack bolts onto fixing points on your bike; the panniers then hang off the rack via a series of hooks.
Mounting can be either beside the back wheel or on the front fork. Most riders prefer to start at the rear before loading up the front of the bike, although more experienced cyclists often prefer the handling afforded by placing more weight over the front wheel. Traditional touring bikes are designed with pannier loads in mind.
Panniers tend to be designated as front or rear-specific. The main difference is that smaller front panniers won’t risk dragging on the ground when fitted beside the front wheel. This means you can also use most front panniers on the back of the bike, but not vice versa.
How much should I spend?
Panniers range in cost from around £50 a pair to several hundred pounds. As you spend more you’ll get tougher materials, waterproofing and replaceable fixings.
Racks themselves vary in cost from around £20 to £100, with specific models for disc brake bikes, or to fit with very wide tyres.
Best bicycle panniers in depth
1. The best all-round panniers: Ortlieb Back-Roller Classic
£120 pair | View offer
Capacity per pair: 40L
Tough, waterproof and easily repairable, Ortlieb Roller Classic bags are as popular with round-the-world tourists as they are with practical German commuters.
Made of tough nylon-reinforced material, the bags take their name from the way they close. A simple roll of the top renders them impermeable to water, while also making it easy to adjust their 20-litre capacity.
Backed by a five-year guarantee, all the fixings are both easily replaceable and widely available. With internal pockets and shoulder straps included as standard, the Classics are the most popular of Ortlieb's extensive range.
- Read our full Ortlieb Back Roller review
2. The best budget panniers: Elops 500 Waterproof Bike Bag
£24.99 | View offer
Capacity per Pannier: 20L
A budget option that’s still sufficient quality that we’re happy to recommend it, these Decathlon Elops brand panniers meet IPX4 standard, meaning they’ll keep your kit dry in all situations short of them falling overboard.
Looking more expensive than you’d expect, their tops first roll and then clip together via a pair of buckles. Sadly this premium styling doesn’t extend to the back of the bag where you’ll be faced with a more basic attachment system.
This sees simple hooks backed by a tab that you twist to prevent the panniers from bouncing off the rack. At the base, you’ll also find a Velcro loop rather than a conventional rail, making them a little more of a fiddle to fit. However, given the price, we won’t complain too much.
3. Best large volume panniers: Thule Shield
£97.98 | View offer
Capacity per pair: 50L
Available in bright colours and covered in reflective elements, these panniers are designed to keep both you and your stuff safe when out on the roads.
With welded construction and a roll-top closure, the panniers themselves are waterproof and each weighs just under 1kg despite a sizeable 25-litre capacity.
4. The best retro and repairable panniers: Carradice Super C
£135 | View offer
Capacity per pair: 54L
These British-made panniers arrive with the name of the person who made them stitched into the label. Retro, but not obnoxiously so, they've been a staple choice among practical tourists for decades.
Their large main compartment is supplemented by an extra unit with a separate lid, making for easy organising. While their looks may be old fashioned, the fixing system remains one of the best out there. Hanging off a robust aluminium rail, the Quick-Clip fittings allows secure and fast fixing to the bike.
Once removed, the panniers can be clipped together for easy carrying, while the adjustable straps also make for easy portage. Their waxed cotton construction might not be as water-resistant as more modern materials, but it's tough and easily repaired. Handy, as they look even better with age.
5. Best mid-priced pannier: Overboard Classic waterproof
£54.99 each | View offer
Capacity per pannier: 17L
These moderately priced panniers benefit from a simple and robust waterproof construction. Made of PVC tarpaulin material, they won’t get waterlogged and will clean up easily.
Sealing via a fold at the top, seam-welded constructing means no water will be getting inside, while their handy external stash pockets are also IP65 rated.
Rigidly structured, and with reinforcement in high-wear areas, other neat features included multiple D-rings for lashing gear to their exterior, along with light loops for visibility.
Bright yellow and with multiple reflective details, even without light fitted they'll leave few excuses for drivers not to see you.
6. The best pannier that's also a backpack: Blackburn Wayside Backpack Pannier
£74.99 | View offer
Capacity single: 19L
Terribly urbane, this 19-litre, waxed cotton pannier converts to a backpack in seconds. With the shoulder straps deploying from an integrated zip pouch, Velcro-lined tabs attach the bag to the rack at the top and bottom.
A little fiddly to fit, the plus side is comfort indistinguishable from a regular backpack. Inside are an interior mesh pocket, two compartments and a padded laptop sleeve.
Showerproof and good looking, it’s possibly better as a backpack than a pannier, but having the ability to use it as both will be a load off your back.
- Buy now from Amazon (£74.99)
7. The best pannier for beard-and-sandal wearers: Arkel Dolphin 32L
£175 pair | View offer
Capacity per pair: 64L
Wildly desired by SPD sandal wearers, Arkel panniers are some of the very best. Waterproof and robust, their standout feature is the brand’s Cam-Lock system.
Pull up the handle to open the cams and remove the bag. Release the handle and the cams firmly lock on the rack.
Automatically adjusting to fit racks with beams between 8mm to 15mm in diameter, these solid aluminium fixings are about the most secure used anywhere.
With two separate accessible pockets, these huge Dolphin models make organising your things easy, helping divide clean and dirty kit or just keeping your house keys readily to hand.
- Buy now from Spa Cycles (£175)
8. The best pannier for range of options: Vaude Aqua Back
£129 pair | View offer
Capacity per pair: 48L
The Vaude Aqua Back panniers have a range of handy features for all-weather load carrying. They're a roll-top design with welded seams and are PVC-free, with Vaude offsetting the carbon produced in their production. Their Quick Mount system makes them fast to attach to racks with a range of tube diameters and their hard backs make them stable. There's a carrying strap to make them easier to move around off-bike too.
Vaude sells the Aqua Back as a single pannier, as well as a pair, and there are eight different colours. There's also a more expensive Luminum version with all-over reflective details. If you need more capacity, the Aqua Back Plus panniers each have an additional pocket that gives you 51 litres per pair. The Aqua Back Pro model has a flip-top for quicker loading.
All the Aqua Back panniers can be locked to your rack, for added security when you park up your bike.
9. Best pannier for durability: Restrap Pannier – Large
£100 each | View offer
Capacity each: 22L
Restrap has built a strong reputation for quality bags for bikepacking and it carries this over to its panniers, which it claims are waterproof and highly abrasion resistant. There's the more-or-less standard roll top to prevent water ingress and the fabric is PU coated to repel water too.
The Large bag has a 22-litre capacity, but there's also a Small option, which can carry 13 litres, either on a rear or a front rack. Restrap sells its panniers singly, so buy two and you can double both figures. All Restrap's bags are hand sewn in Yorkshire and there's a black option as well as this olive colour. Restrap offers a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.
10. Best for city riders: Chrome Industries Urban Ex 2.0
£166 each | View offer
Capacity each: 21L
Chrome Industries has designed the Urban Ex 2.0 for durability, with a welded design that it claims is 100 percent waterproof. The reflective external carrying loops make it easy to attach a D-lock or other items to the exterior, adding to the bag's utility.
Inside, there's a padded laptop sleeve that will take a 13" computer and the bag comes with a carrying handle and detachable shoulder strap for carrying duties. The attachment hardware is designed to be adjustable for a range of rack tube diameters and Chrome claims a sub-kilogram weight.
- Buy now from Alpinetrek (£135)
11. Best lightweight option: Altura Vortex Ultralite
£50 each | View offer
Capacity each: 15L
With a claimed weight of 258g, Altura says that the Vortex Ultralite pannier may be the lightest available. The 15-litre capacity per pannier is still greater than you'll get from bikepacking bags and Altura also says that the Vortex Ultralite is 100 percent waterproof. It's another design that benefits from a seam-welded construction and uses a roll top with a strap to stop water ingress.
Altura has a wide range of different luggage options, of which this is the most minimalist. As with Altura's other equipment, there are reflective details to help keep you safer when riding in low light conditions.
12. Best all-in-one option: Topeak Trunkbag DXP
£100 | View offer
Capacity: 23L
If you're looking for a handy option with a decent amount of capacity, but without separate bags, the Topeak Trunkbag DXP has a lot of versatility. Not only does it have two small weatherproof panniers, but there's also a rack-top bag. All can be expanded to add extra capacity or the panniers can be folded up to make it more compact, just forming a rack top bag if you have less to carry. Although not fully waterproof, there's a rain cover available to provide extra protection.
As well as a carrying handle there's also a shoulder strap included, there's a bungee cord on top, a light clip and even a space to carry an extra water bottle. Topeak adds reflectives to help keep you safer as well. It's a good alternative to bikepacking bags for fast and light rides or can be used for extra kit for day rides or for commuting duties.
Planning a long-distance excursion? Read our guide to the best touring bikes
