Highway 61 Rolltop Panniers

If you're looking for a bag you can quickly pop off your bike and hit a store or something this is not it.

This is a bag that sits on the side of your bike and is not designed for city use where you might pop it off multiple times a day on your trip.

The bags don't come with a shoulder strap, that's extra. Awful nickel and dimey to not provide at least one strap for two bags thinking someone might be interested in slinging one over their shoulder and carrying one by the hand strap given the cost.

The bags themselves are of a fine quality and look to be well stitched. The wax canvas came in and "passed" a water beading test but will need to to be rewaxed before the spring because they're leaky already and in no way surviving a Midwest commuter spring and summer.

I have a deep love for waxed canvas and from all I read, videos seen and pictures I saw I did expect an item to be of at least a B+ quality and I think it's, at best, C.

After a rain Thursday 3/14 in Chicago during the morning the items in my bag, well a kind word would be: damp, so let's go with that.

There's a piece of white plastic that acts as backing against the frame but already bent during shipping and exposed when looking straight into the bag in a supremely tacky fashion. Removing it causes the bag to be prone to deforming and get unnecessary close to the spokes or brakes.

The leather straps are far too long and not a led to be shortened so you have to attach it in a way specific way to then manipulate the straps into place to avoid them hitting or getting tangled in the spokes on the rear wheel. Both the straps that attach to the bike and that secure the bag can succumb to getting tattered in a cruise.

So after about two weeks of use I'm left with a pair of $300 bags I need to rewax, keep a bent piece of plastic in or run the risk of the bag deforming to the goods packed and causing safety issues, spend an abnormal amount of time with three rather fiddly buckles that have straps far too long for a bike rack and then positioning the straps in such a way the aren't either torn to shreds by whipping the spokes or caught in the bike/brakes making it dangerous to stop.

If I went on a long haul ride for days on end and lived in an area where bike theft isn't a problem, maybe. As is, I made my choice and I have to live with it. Don't make the mistakes I made if you're a city commuter, get something designed for the environment and not because you like waxed canvas and an idea of sustainable fabrics and manufacturering, it's too expensive.

These actually fits perfectly well on my
Bike. Fits a ton of stuff and looks great.

Installed your panniers on my Tern R14. They installed perfectly and gave the bike an added touch of class. Will always look at Frost River for added touches for my bike.

Could not be more happy with these bags. I've looked and looked for the right style and finally landed on these. Such a great decision.

Simply put, these are your grandfather's pannier bags. The combination of brass, leather and waxed canvas has a timeless rugged charm. If you are traveling back in time to the 1920s with these, be sure to swap the plastic backing board inside with one of balsa wood or similar. Otherwise, they should raise no suspicion.