Not really a rat thing, but still cruiser-appropriate. I wanted a set of panniers for the rear carrier of my Schwinn Classic Deluxe 7. Even though the bike is late model, it still bears a strong resemblance to the Schwinn Autocycle/Streamliner, so modern nylon bags just don't look right. I wanted something vintage-ish, either canvas or leather. The only canvas bags I found were like the Banjo Brothers pieces, nice, but only available in black. The bike is green, sort of an olivey dusty green metallic with bright yellow-green accents.
Brooks makes a nice moss-green roll up set of the leather bags, but are Brooks-pricey. Frost River makes some nice stuff, but their panniers are perhaps a bit too rustic (and also Brooks-pricey). Then I found that LL Bean (there's a store near my house) has canvas messenger and carry-on bags, and they offer them in several colors. I bought a pair of "dusty green" bags that are about 11"x8"x3.5". They're not huge, but they're a nice size for the application. Big enough to carry some tools, lunch, etc. I'm not looking for grocery shopping size here.
I'm no good with sewing stuff, so I had my mother do the modifications. Essentially, she cut the shoulder straps off, used them to make the over-rack strapping, sewed them together and attached some velcro under the straps to attach the bags to the rack. I then cut some cardboard strips to the make bag stiffeners, to give them some shape when empty. Finished product:
They make a nice addition to the bike, and since I was able to combine a 15% off coupon, a store credit and a gift card, I was able to get them for a bit less money than any off-the-shelf product I found that was comparible. Less than half the cost of the Frost River bags, although these are smaller and don't have a stick as part of their asthetic design...
Brooks makes a nice moss-green roll up set of the leather bags, but are Brooks-pricey. Frost River makes some nice stuff, but their panniers are perhaps a bit too rustic (and also Brooks-pricey). Then I found that LL Bean (there's a store near my house) has canvas messenger and carry-on bags, and they offer them in several colors. I bought a pair of "dusty green" bags that are about 11"x8"x3.5". They're not huge, but they're a nice size for the application. Big enough to carry some tools, lunch, etc. I'm not looking for grocery shopping size here.
I'm no good with sewing stuff, so I had my mother do the modifications. Essentially, she cut the shoulder straps off, used them to make the over-rack strapping, sewed them together and attached some velcro under the straps to attach the bags to the rack. I then cut some cardboard strips to the make bag stiffeners, to give them some shape when empty. Finished product:
They make a nice addition to the bike, and since I was able to combine a 15% off coupon, a store credit and a gift card, I was able to get them for a bit less money than any off-the-shelf product I found that was comparible. Less than half the cost of the Frost River bags, although these are smaller and don't have a stick as part of their asthetic design...
