# How weird is riding with a pannier on only one side?



## goat000

Hi RBR,

I started out commuting with a backpack on my back, but it would get quite annoying and extremely sweaty. So for the last few months, I've been commuting with a change of clothes in a backpack secured to my rear rack by bungee net/cords. That's mostly alright, but it takes about a minute longer than I'd like to attach / detach the bungees, and worse, they've popped off 4-5 times now, getting caught in the rear derailleur twice and yanking off a spoke once.

So I'm in the market for more proper storage. The primary criterion is that the bag is really, truly secure. Besides that, I'd rather not spend much more than $100 total, and I want something that I can attach / detach very quickly, as I park the bike on a busy street during the day and I don't won't leave the bags attached then. I'd also like to be able to use it as a backpack/shoulder bag for brief stretches - the elevator up to the office, or occasionally up to a mile walking from my car to a sports field.

This seems like a good fit (through stretching the price range): http://www.arkel-od.com/us/all-categories/laptop-bicycle-pannier/switchback.html and people on this forum seem to have good things to say about Arkel.

My question: I think I could fit all the stuff I commute with in just that one bag. I take a change of clothes, shoes, and very basic maintenance stuff. I'd guess it comes out to ~8 pounds. I sometimes see people on my commute with a pannier on only one side, but I wonder, how awkward is it riding with uneven weight like that? Should I get a trunk bag instead? Or just bite the bullet and get two small panniers so I can split the weight evenly?


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## roadfix

Not weird at all. I've done it many times.


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## bigbill

I commuted for years with panniers and typically only one side was loaded. I used small bungie cords to hold the empty side flat. I typically loaded the left side so it stuck out further and attached a PB superflash on the outer edge. Makes you look wider from the back at night. I never noticed any issues with having more weight on one side than the other. A pannier is only inches from the wheel, only having one or loading one side shouldn't make any difference.


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## brucew

Not weird at all. It's easiest if the pannier is on the same side as your "landing gear". This pulls the bike towards you rather than away from you at a stop.


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## BentChainring

No issue whatsoever.


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## rcnute

Just fine. I had one pannier with about fifteen pounds and could only tell the (minor) difference on a standing climb. You'd think it'd throw the bike off balance, but nope.


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## clarinetcola

nope. I do it mon-fri. Although when I do need to haul heavy stuff home, even if it all fits on one side I'll take the other pannier with me and split it up as it tends to affect handling a bit (depends on geometry though).


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## goat000

I guess that settles it, single pannier for me. Thanks guys.


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## SelfPropelledDevo

I know this is way off tangent, but you may start to think about something like a Long Tail Cargo bike... Big Dummy-esq

it hauls
it carries
10lbs off balanced, isn't that big of a deal on a BD.


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