One of the biggest breakthrough’s I had in making my bicycle commute more comfortable was the investment in a bicycle rack and a good set of panniers.

Not only did I get to experience the enjoyment of having nothing hindering my body as I rode but the addition of a rack and panniers increased the functionality of my bike greatly.

For most people however a backpack seems to be enough. Whether this is a convenience thing, laziness or just because they aren’t aware of the other options available I don’t know. Having come from a backpack though, here’s some reasons why if I’ve never worn one again since fitting panniers on the Trucker.

Your back

Unless your carrying around an empty backpack all the time, at some point in time you’re going to load up your backpack with one too many items and absolutely kill your back as you cycle around.

For me it was the ’1-2 item’ supermarket run which inevitably turned into the ‘oh crap I forgot I need that, and that, and that, and that’ run. Despite living only a 5 minute ride from the shops I’d always get home and feel the strain on my back once I got off.

Over the long term this can’t be good for the old back. Especially considering that if you’re on a road bike your back is going to be arched somewhat. Sure you can get ergonomically fitting backpacks but they can’t ergonomise gravity. You’re still going to have the backpack weight pulling down on your shoulder and neck area.

If you’re on a mountain bike or hybrid then there’s even more pressure placed on these parts. Not to mention the jolts everytime you go over a bump in the road.

Bicycle panniers eliminate this problem by making the bicycle carry the weight. Whether loaded on the front or back your body is never tied down or directly put under additional strain when cycling.

Of course pedalling a heavier bike is going to make your legs work a bit harder but even under the heaviest of loads, unless you’re going uphill once you get going it’s relatively easy to maintain a steady pace.

Weight distribution

When you carry weight in a backpack your weight distribution is top loaded. What this means is handling and weight correction and even braking, things you do normally without thinking all of a sudden need to be thought about.

Handling is affected by the simple fact that a backpack is a concentrated area of weight, you’ll notice this most when turning.

Weight correction becomes a problem due to the fact again that a backpack is a concentrated area of weight. Weight correction is something we all do naturally on a bicycle, if we’re leaning towards one side most of us don’t even need to think before we’re leaning the other way to correct ourselves.

With a backpack on your back the amount of correction needed can be underestimated which then results in a crash. Obviously the heavier your backpack is the more of a problem this becomes.

Finally braking can become a problem as a backpack inevitably adds to your inertia. Think of a toolbox sitting in the back of a van flying towards the windscreen if the driver brakes suddenly.

When you brake a backpack will push you forward and if you brake hard enough, over the handlebars. Given that the weight is on the top end of the bicycle, it really doesn’t take much weight in the backpack for this to happen.

Bicycle panniers solve these problems by keeping the extra cargo weight lower to the ground. This means that there’s far less chance of the extra weight affecting your handling, braking or weight correction. Obviously if you’re only using one pannier and it’s loaded pretty heavily you’ll need to be a bit mindful but I’ve found this is still drastically more stable then a backpack.

When I was riding a aluminum/carbon road bike (Gitane Mach 1600) having a rack and panniers did affect the handling considerably and I think this will be true of any thin racing frame so that’s something to take into consideration. This was particularly noticeable due to the twitchy steering of a racing frame and if I ever got up to pedal the bike would sway from side to side.

I’ve since upgraded to a Surly Long Trucker which is made out of steel and has a much longer frame, needless to say loaded panniers now have a negligible effecting on the handling of the bike.

Back sweat

Although backpacks are available which lift the rear of the backpack off your back to allow for ventilation, by and large when I’m cycling around I just see people wearing yumcha backpacks that don’t have this feature.

Even on the coolest of days it doesn’t take much for a backpack hugging your body to create a cold sweat patch along your spine. Not only is this uncomfortable but it saturates whatever you’re wearing with sweat.

Back when I used to wear a backpack I found that with my back suffocating under a backpack this caused the rest of my body to sweat more to compensate. The end result was, unless I kept it under 15km/h I’d arrive wherever I was going looking like I’d just stepped out of a shower.

Panniers alleviate this problem because they aren’t worn on your body. I love cycling around with completely free movement of my body and no matter how much stuff I’m carrying, using panniers ensures this will always be the case.

When my whole body is able to breath I find the sweat drops away to almost nothing, this of course is important when you’re commuting around in casual clothes because you don’t like the human condom lycra look.

Versatility

A backpack is a single compartment (the front pocket becomes useless if the main compartment is full) that directly straps onto your body. Panniers on the other hand are usually 2 compartments and depending on the quality of pannier will offer side and top storage too.

If you buy a good set of panniers there’s tons of room to carry almost anything around. Additionally you’ve also got the rack the panniers attach to to carry stuff on top of too. Normally I strap two bungee cords around my rack and use them to hold down my heavy 2kg Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboutit D-lock. The lock is solid but heavy as and it’s nice to have it always with me in a convenient manner.

The bungee cords have also come in handy when I’ve had to cart around larger items. There’s been more then a few trips to Bunnings where I’d have been stuck not being able to strap larger items to the back of the Trucker.


For some people a backpack will be more then enough, for example there are people who only use a bicycle to ride to and from work and they often only need to carry a shirt and pair of underwear with them. If this is all they ever use the bike for then a backpack certainly is much cheaper then investing in a rack and pannier set.

However anything more then this and it’s worth investigating whether or not your cycling could benefit from taking the load off your back and onto your bike. Typically I won’t leave the house without one pannier clipped onto the rack, even if it’s empty (it never is as I carry my winter gloves, nighttime glasses, keys, wallet and phone in the top pocket), because you never know when you might have to carry something.

For the cyclist who relies on their bicycle for everyday transport, panniers are a worthwhile solid investment. Definitely consider a set if you’re sick of riding around with a tired sweaty back.

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