Minnehaha Panniers Longterm Review

I purchased two Minnehaha Utility Canvas Panniers, at an extremely reduced price in March of this year. I use one of them on every ride, the other sits in a closet until it's needed for an overnight bike trip or something similar. I thought it might be good to do a quick review of my panniers in case anybody else out there is considering buying one.

First of all, I think these are great looking panniers that match up nicely with a vintage bike. The canvas is fading with exposure to the sun and the leather is darkening with repeated handling with sweaty hands. I like the look of weathered canvas so that's not a problem for me, but it doesn't exactly match the other pannier now.

The rubber sleeve on the left side hook has fallen off. The hook was scratching the previous rack that I was using, so I wrapped the hook with electrical tape, problem solved. I always carry more gear than I actually should in my pannier, sometimes it's kind of heavy, so far the metal hooks haven't deformed in any way despite occasional rides over rough terrain.

I believe that the worn spots on the pannier are due to contact with moving spokes. This happened while sprinting up a hill without properly tensioning the restraining strap on back.

It's hard to see but the interior pocket is coming apart on one side. It shouldn't be too hard to fix.

I used to experience the occasional heel strike when I still had the original, vintage rack attached to my bike. I recently installed an inexpensive Sunlite rack with adjustable legs, I haven't experienced a heel strike since. I looked for a rack that would allow the mounting hooks to attach toward the very back to maximize heel clearance.

The panniers come with a matching shoulder strap. I use the shoulder strap any time I stop for an extended period. It's too narrow and digs into my shoulder, I'll be replacing it with something wider. I can't tell you anything about the water repellency of the panniers as I haven't ridden in the rain. I carry a plastic bag just in case I get caught in an unexpected downpour.

Overall, I'm really happy with my panniers, they're durable, carry lots of stuff, and they look good.

Minnehaha Panniers and Other Stuff

The Minnehaha Canvas Utility Panniers I ordered arrived Friday afternoon, just in time for the Bike Friendly Arlington ride. I took one with me on the ride and had it loaded with essentials and as usual, stuff that I didn't need. I attached it as far back as possible on the rack for maximum heel clearance and took off. I completely forgot it was there which is probably the most complementary thing you can say about a pannier. There was no swaying or sagging despite the excessive gear (for a casual ride). Unfortunately the panniers are sold out at Restoration Hardware. At $27.99 I knew they wouldn't last long. They still have some saddlebags in stock although you might want to hurry.

The quality of these panniers was much better than I expected. I had read people's complaints about problems with heel clearance when using these panniers. I think the longer chainstays kept me from experiencing any problems.

Facebook: To my new Facebook friends, it's pretty obvious that I'm new to this stuff. I haven't picked up on all the do's and don'ts yet so please be patient with me.

Tour of Flanders this Sunday: Even if you're not a pro-cycling fan you're bound to enjoy the Tour of Flanders. The steep climbs up cobbled roads are legendary. The race is even better if the weather gets nasty. As far as I'm concerned this race and the following weekends Paris-Roubaix are the high points of the pro-racing calender.

My favorite place for links to live coverage of most professional races is Steephill.Tv (which is where these images were borrowed. I hope they don't get angry).

Stijn Devolder, former Belgian national champ. This guy is awesome!

This is about the only race where you'll see pros running their bikes uphill.

Minnehaha Stuff on Sale

I was doing some checking on Minnehaha canvas panniers when I noticed that they were on sale online at Restoration Hardware. I don't think this is the first place that comes to mind when looking for panniers, which is probably why they're on sale. I paid $72.51 (which includes tax and shipping) for two panniers. It's hard to go wrong at that price.

The panniers are $27.99 (single)


The saddlebag is $26.99