Cycle panniers come in all shapes, sizes, materiels and price ranges. Different types of bike panniers are used for specific cycling purposes such as touring, commuting, shopping or just everyday cycling.
In general though the imortant things about bicycle panniers are the same whatever type of cycling you want to use them for.
Firstly, they need to fit securely to your bike rack. The last thing you want to happen is for them to fall off when you cycle over a bump!
They should be easy to fit and remove from your rack, ideally just clicking into place. Some old style panniers have straps with buckles and these can be really difficult to fit and remove, particularly in bad weather.
Make sure you get pannier bags that are big enough for what you want to put in them. If you need a lot of space then a large pair of matched panniers (40 to 50 Litre capacity) is what you should be looking for. If you don’t need much space then a single small pannier will do the job.
If you are touring, then it may be wise to consider waterproof panniers. Also, as you will need to carry quite a lot of gear with you a set of front panniers combined with a set of rear panniers should give you all the space you need and ensure your bike is well balanced. If you need more space then simply add a handlebar bag, seat bag or rack bag.
For commuting it is likely that you’ll need to carry your work clothes together with a laptop and possibly papers. Perhaps combine a large roomy single rear pannier with a bike pannier specifically designed to carry your laptop, some of these panniers unclip and double as a briefcase. If you are a hardy soul and will cycle to work in all weathers make sure the bicycle panniers you get are waterproof!
For shopping or everyday cycling you will probably only need a single pannier, but if you need the extra room and don’t want to balance carrier bags on your handlebars get a matched pannier set.