Comment

Comment by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 28, 2012 at 2:42am

I think I got lucky with my panniers, they are pretty well made.  The handlebar bag was fraught with a bunch of bad stitching on the seams inside, and the straps were unraveling and falling apart before I ever put it onto the bike -as were all the zipper pulls. 

A little time with a lighter melted back all of the unraveling bits and a bit of judicious squeezing of the still molten plastic helped weld it back into the right shape and close the seems.   Obviously, if one were to neglect this work and let it get worse while one actually used this bag it would be a much more difficult repair -if not impossible.  

With the handlebar bag I spent about 15 minutes fixing it up and doing all this melting of unraveling bits and welding some of the interior seams.  I also put some graphite-based lubricant on the EXTREMELY stiff water-proof zippers which made them work fairly well.  It was worth the effort.  I also replaced all the crappy zipper pulls with some nice aftermarket ones I bought at a hiking gear store in different colors so I could tell which zippers went to which compartment at a glance.

Last night I took the Panniers with me (empty of course) to Critical Mass.  I couldn't find any obviously unraveling parts or issues that needed to be fixed pre-ride, but I will inspect them post-ride to see if the riding shook any issues out with the flapping and whatever.  Ill keep an eye on them the first few rides too and nip any further problems in the bud before they become unfix able or at least harder to fix  

Comment by Matt M. 18.5KM on April 27, 2012 at 4:50pm

I equipped mine with stainless steel straps & buckles with double sided vecro to replace the cheesy velcro Nashbar China stitches to the back at the factory. My elastic straps are loosing their stretchyness after 6 years but that is easily fixed with a trip to the Michaels craft store or fabric store. No real plans to replace these panniers. Recently covered straps and hooks with inner tube to protect my racks , but that will last for years as well. Bottom line is with some careful but simple maintenance these bags last a long time.