DIY Bike Panniers
Panniers make it easy to carry groceries or any heavy load on your bicycle. The way panniers distribute weight make it so that you barely notice them when riding. Additionally, the added weight does not throw you off balance, unlike carrying weight on the front of your handlebars. To use panniers, you will need to attach a rack to the back wheel of your bike. DIY panniers can be fashioned from old canvas bags or re-purposed plastic buckets. You can also sew your own using heavyweight fabric.
Recycled Bucket DIY Panniers
If you have two large empty buckets, you can easily transform them into panniers. Re-used buckets may not be the most fashionable but they are incredibly sturdy and inexpensive. You can use any empty five-gallon plastic bucket, such as a cat litter bucket. Purchase sturdy hooks from the hardware store. You will need two for each bucket. Align the top of the hook with the top of your buckets, on the side you want facing the wheel. Using a drill or an awl, make a hole where you want the hook to go and thread through the bucket. Repeat with the remaining hooks. You can decorate the buckets or add reflective tape if you wish.
Recycled Panniers
You can convert an old backpack or messenger bag to a pannier simply by adding hooks. Place the bag flat so that the backside is facing up. Position the hooks on the back of the bag. You want to position the hooks so that the bag is centered when it is on the rack. Play around with the hooks until you have them centered. Hand sew them in place.
Handmade Panniers
Make your own pannier by making a tote bag. Determine how tall, deep and wide you want your bag to be. Cut two panels of fabric that are the twice the height measurement plus one inch plus the depth measurement by the width measurement plus one inch. If you want a bag that is 15 inches high, 10 inches deep and 12 inches wide, your panel will be 42 inches by 11 inches. Fold each panel in half, right sides together and sew along the long sides. Make gussets on each side of the panel by measuring up half the depth measurement and pushing the fabric out so that it forms a triangle. Stitch a straight line along the flat end of the triangle and trim the excess. Repeat on the other side and then on the other panel. Attach the two panels together by placing them bottom to bottom and sewing the trimmed corners. Turn the bag right side out and hem the top edge. Attach hooks to the bag side of the bag as described above.
Tags: depth measurement, fabric that, measurement plus, measurement plus inch, plus inch
