Somebody help me to understand. Why are bike manufacturers putting rear racks that don’t seem to be compatible with panniers? Where’s the lower attachment point? Are these racks designed for proprietary panniers, or am I totally missing something?
Looks? Probably trying to sell their proprietary bullshit though. If a bike doesn’t have a standard rack, I’m probably not going to buy it.
I didn’t know anyone used panniers. How and why do you use one?
I can’t see how they would be useful for commuting or any type of biking except long distance biking where you have to bring a lot of stuff for camping or something.
A backpack seems way easier to use and isn’t attached to your bike, which seems very inconvenient.
I searched for panniers because I didn’t know what they were and pretty much all images are of a bike that’s obviously not intended (or used) for commuting.
One reason for panniers is probably shopping but having them attached to the bike again seems very inconvenient when backpacks exist and personally I would just walk or take public transport if I’m transporting large amount of shopping gods.
Panniers are quite popular for everything from touring to commuting. I saw a ton of people using them in Toronto and they are widely used in Montreal.
You can even see plenty of them being used in this very recent Dutch video.
Why do I use them? Plenty of reasons.
I’ve carried everything from groceries to spare clothing to camera equipment and even small camping chairs (for a local music events).
Sure, you can use a backpack, but they make your back sweaty, raise your center of gravity, and you can’t hold nearly as much weight or volume without destroying your back.
Some people use special panniers to haul large items and musical instruments.
Considering this is a “utility bike”, it should offer more utility.
Considering this is a “utility bike”, it should offer more utility.
True but I don’t think transporting a lot of stuff is what they had in mind. I think the main purpose is portability so you can take it in public transport and maybe store it easier in your apartment.
I have never used bike bags (I have always had exclusively mountain bikes). But the first ones found at some bike store looked like they could be fitted to that bike. It wouldn’t be hard to just make some 3d printed parts that enable that functionality anyways.
One problem is that the bag looked big enough that it would touch the wheel hub on a bike this small, which seems very undesirable.
But yeah not having a good attachment point for the bags seems like a stupid oversight even if the usage of bike bags is rare.
I think the main purpose is portability so you can take it in public transport and maybe store it easier in your apartment.
Yes, it’s a smaller bike, so it may be easier to take around. But at 40lbs, it’s not that easy to take around! LOL
As someone who owns a non-electric folding bike, I also recommend them when space or public transportation is a regular concern.
If someone is doing multimodal commuting, and the panniers are cumbersome, you can also get backpacks which convert to panniers. So on the bike, you use it as a pannier, and when you need to get on a bus or something, you can use it as a backpack.
One problem is that the bag looked big enough that it would touch the wheel hub on a bike this small, which seems very undesirable.
Not a problem at all. That bike uses 20" wheels, and my 20" folding bike easily handles panniers on the front or back without interfering at all with riding.
In fact, on these smaller bikes, the center of gravity is very low when you’ve got panniers, so it’s a far more stable ride.
I use my bikes for everything, so they need to offer utility. My vintage MTB is a utility beast!
Thanks again. I thought that big bags would compromise balance a lot but apparently not.
Is the bike in the image yours? Is it not exhausting and hard to ride it in terrain. Must be hard to get over obstacles with wheels that are so small and especially with road tires.
My mountain bike is my only bike and I rarely use it nowadays because it’s just simpler to walk 15-20 min to the train than to bother with a bike.
It got no place whatsoever to put anything except some holes where I guess I can put a water bottle holder. I have only over commuted short distances (<2,5 km one way) with it so I haven’t felt the need for it.
I will have to end this conversation since I’m only rambling on about shit.
I thought that big bags would compromise balance a lot but apparently not.
You’d think so, but they tend to make the bike more stable! The only time that panniers feel unstable, is when I’ve got 60lbs loaded in them… a little excessive, yes, but a haul is a haul 😂
My previous vintage MTB had a much smaller frame than my current one (too small for my height), so it felt squirrelly with heavy loads. Most normal loads wouldn’t cause instability, even if loaded on one side of the rack.
Is the bike in the image yours? Is it not exhausting and hard to ride it in terrain. Must be hard to get over obstacles with wheels that are so small and especially with road tires.
Yes, my bike. That photo was taken on one of my first rides out to the city - 150km+ that day. I did more off-roading than I had planned for, mostly because the route was all new to me. But on roads/trails, it’s quite easy to move all that.
It got no place whatsoever to put anything except some holes where I guess I can put a water bottle holder. I have only over commuted short distances (<2,5 km one way) with it so I haven’t felt the need for it.
In your situation, I’d see no need for “extras” on the bike, but if walking gets boring, you’ve got it ready👌
I bike 14 miles with two panniers every day. One holds my bike lock, tools, and laptop. The other holds my work clothes and cell phone and wallet. Can’t stand wearing a backpack when biking !
The lack of fenders seems so strange to me. Regardless, that price seems really good.
The rack is weird too. IDK about the price and specs though, that battery is pretty tiny and you could get better specs from other bikes. I bought an EP2 Pro for $700 and it has a 750w motor, 13.5 AH battery, pannier compatible rack, and fenders.
That said, I’d still recommend another bike: Save up your money and get something that’s really high quality, I wish I had.
What are the things you don’t like about your bike? What bike would you have told your past self to have bought instead?
If I had to stick to my budget, I would’ve just converted my steel hybrid to a Bafang mid drive with a good battery. For purchase, I probably would’ve gone with REI’s Co-op bike or saved up more to buy a Tern Vektron or maybe even a Tern GSD.
For the Engwe EP2 Pro I didn’t like that the brake rotors were too small for the bike (mechanical, but frankly, after upgrading to larger rotors, stopping power is adequate), the customer support is pretty terrible, and the bike is huge and heavy so the folding feature is effectively pointless. I also received my bike with a bent derailleur, they told me to take it to my local shop to get it serviced, but after getting service, they’re playing games with reimbursement. Overall, Engwe is a shitty company in my experience and I won’t be buying anything from them again.
Are these small wheeled ebikes somehow mostly an american thing? Other than kids bikes I don’t see almost anyone riding these here in the northern europe. eBikes are generally mid-drive aswell. Rarely with hub motors.
I don’t know if they were specifically e bikes but I see them occasionally here in northern Europe.
They are small for the sole purpose of being portable and easy to store.
I have seen some bring them on trains so they can bike to and from the train. Most often they are also foldable for increased portability.
E scooters have probably replaced quite a few of them since they are even more portable.
