Commuter Panniers

The initial inspiration for Ironweed originated from a desire to build a useful commuting pannier that was handsome and easy to use. And I thought we had done an okay job describing why our panniers were great for commuting.  Then a couple of weeks ago, someone sent me a link to a Chicago bike forum called thechainlink.org.  

On that forum, a gentleman started a thread asking for a recommendation on commuting panniers. The responses were pretty much what you'd expect.  And then an Ironweed customer named "Eli" chimed in about his panniers. This is what he had to say about it:

"I like the Ironweed panniers. I like that they hold their shape even when empty. The one I bought is a rectangular shape and thus easy to pack. I like that they are made in Iowa. I think they look better than most panniers without making you look like a historical re-enactor. And I like that you don't have to fumble with a roll-top closure, which I've always found inconvenient.

I'm sure the canvas is not as waterproof as Ortliebs, but it is surprisingly waterproof all the same; water beads up on it and rolls off, and while I've never ridden for days at a time in pouring rain with the pannier, in showers during city rides nothing inside has ever gotten wet. More than that, I once had a six pack of beer in mine (the Alyce model fits one perfectly) when I crashed and shattered all of the bottles. There were several inches of a very pungent porter pooled in the bottom of the pannier. I took it home and rinsed it out under a faucet for about 30 seconds. The next day I could not smell the beer at all no matter how hard I tried, and there was no staining or any other sign of the spill. Whatever treatment they use on that canvas is pretty impressive."

Eli completely gets what we were going for with our panniers and it is so well written! Our customers generally complement the bags on three points.  First, they are nice looking. Second, they are so easy to get in and out of and put on and take off the bike.  The third compliment generally refers to their waterproofness, or in Eli's case, pungent porter-proofness!  Well, we can't claim they are completely waterproof, but your stuff stays dry and the material breathes.  

As we've always said the best way to understand and appreciate our bags is to use them.  Thanks Eli!