The newest addition to the shop is the Axiom Typhoon panniers. I used my step-dad's panniers from the 80s to commute to high school, and they were great. I only had two problems: they were not waterproof so I had to double bag my textbooks (and even then they got wet on occasion) and I bounced a bag off the rack a couple times when I hit a pothole. About a month ago, I was riding home from the grocery store with less food than I wanted to buy and more food than I wanted to carry on my back, and I decided it was finally time to invest in panniers of my own.
I checked the panniers we carried, and none of them met all of my required criteria: waterproof, high volume, and secure attachment. One, a pannier by Orblieb, had impressed a car-free informant, but their price kept me looking . I checked through all of the bags we could order, and narrowed my options to Delta and Axiom. Both have similar designs, and it's hard to gain any real insight by reading reviews online, so I asked our touring expert Anona. She uses Axiom. I orded Axiom.
I was so excited that literally seconds after the bags arrived I was showing them off to a customer who was so impressed that she bought them. We ordered two pairs on the next shipment, and again they were purchased before they even made it to the wall. I kept my pair and carried $73 in groceries in them last week without slipping a disc. Plus, look at the cool things you can do once your bike has a rack (left).We have another pair coming in tomorrow. I suggest you camp out tonight if you want to see them.
These panniers are awesome! I was curious as to how heavy they are compared to the Axiom Lasalle's; they are almost 500 g lighter! I'm not a weight weenie, but when you are touring, 500 g is valuable food space. One feature on the Monsoons that I like is the plastic reinforced corners. I crashed going over the Coo's Bay Bridge last year and scuffed the corner of my pannier. The plastic would have prevented this.
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