To make her Tokyo Fixed Dream Machine Cargo complete, Lauren really wanted a rear rack and panniers. Now I know I push the handmade in the USA thing a lot here but what I really care about are quality products made by people who give a damn about what they’re doing. When I met Shane from Laplander at the Philly Bike Expo, I was very impressed with these City Panniers.
Laplander makes all their bags in Philadelphia and I opted for the waxed cotton model for Lauren. After a few weeks of use, she loves them. Matched with the Wald rack and they add a whole new level of simplicity to her daily routine.
Check out more below!
The quality of construction is superb.
With reflective accents and a light loop, they provide more than enough visibility.
These panniers attach to your rack with ease, via two clipped straps. There’s a bungee cinch that hooks onto the lower arms of your rack, keeping the bags from flapping or moving.
The top doubles as a u-lock holder, which you can see here on their blog (some of my photos got lost from this shoot).
Each bag is closed via a simple cinch strap.
The flaps also have a velcro pocket for smaller items. She keeps her 15″ laptop, hoodie, sneakers and other items in the pouches and her wallet, keys and smaller goods in the velcro pockets.
Once you remove the contents, you can even roll the bag up for easy storage.
Simple roll and re-buckle.
You can do it to one or both sides and you don’t even need to take them off the rack.
What’s next? Ah yes, heal strike. Well, the tapered silhouette eliminates that problem, even on bikes with shorter chainstays. Here, Lauren has ample room on her single speed cross frame.
Lauren’s had no issues with any leaking from riding in the rain or fabric tearing from heavy use. Just the other day, she noted how well they have broken in.
They really are the perfect companion for a commuter with class. The finishing and detailing of the Laplander City Panniers is shocking for the pricepoint. The standard cotton comes in at $210 and the waxed, $249. I didn’t think twice about paying $249 for these bags. They’re that nice.
Check out their Etsy store for stock and if they don’t have any in, you can always email them!
