On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 01:39:14PM -0400, Sam L wrote: > > On Oct 22, 2011, at 3:03, Bob W wrote: > >> > >> think about getting a saddle bag rather than a rack & panniers. Saddle bags > >> are well out of fashion but they are far more practical than a rack & > >> panniers, and much better than using a backpack. > > > I am mystified as to the difference saddle bags and rack & panniers. > I even googled around a little bit but everything seemed to be lumped > in together with no clear differences. > Anyone care to school me?
A saddlebag attaches to the (rear of the) saddle. Panniers attach to a framework, usually on either side of the rear wheel. The attachment frame often (but not always) incorporates a flat rack area above the rear wheel. I've got a rack on my bike that's large enough to transport a medium- sized camera bag (which I have to attach with bungee cords), and I also have a pair of removable panniers that can be attached to the rack. Panniers carry the weight lower, and generally have slightly higher capacity than a saddlebag. I bought mine for the occasional trip down to the shops or library, and for somewhere to stick a camera with a medium/long lens attached if I'm pootling around the neighbourhood. If I wanted something for bike-based touring I'd probably want something a bit better than a simple sack-with-a-zip; for one thing, I'd take factors like easy access to contents and wind resistance into account. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
