The Zinger of the day is the Ortlieb Bike Shopper Panniers!!!
The Bike Shopper is a classic Ortlieb pannier. The bike shopper is setup to keep a bag of groceries dry and secure. Sold as a single pannier, the Bike Shopper is ideal for not only groceries, but also as a second pannier for any type of use. The Bike Shopper pannier is a great second pannier to be coupled with one of Ortlieb’s bike commuter specific panniers. My personal setup recently has been an Ortlieb Downtown for my laptop, notebooks, clothes and food etc. On the other side of my rack, the Bike Shopper is where I store my rain gear and bungee straps in case in need to strap something to my bike rack. The Bike Shopper also serves as my spot for extra capacity, whether it’s picking up groceries, bringing in some cake to work or bringing home products to review.
Form: The Bike Shopper comes in 4 colors, silver, yellow, creme and black (shown above). The black has an interesting pleather look and texture. I’d have to say the silver is my favorite both for its shiny look and it’s reflective aspects, repelling sun-rays from your groceries. The bag is not the height of style, but rather has that rugged, durable, functional Ortlieb look that says this product gets the job done.
Function: The simplicity of the Bike Shopper’s design is its strength but is definitely a weakness if this is not what you are looking for. One large compartment is perfect for transporting all sorts of things. The Quick Seal Closure does the job of closing and opening the pannier quickly and easily. The QSC offers both a reliable waterproof closure and by sticking up on the top of the pannier effectively offers some extra capacity. The two adjustable handles allow for the pannier to be transported easily by hand or over the shoulder. One thing that seems to be missing is a neat way to secure the handle when on the bike. While it’s configuration makes it so that it won’t drag on the ground or into the wheel, it does flop around a little bit.
A few other features to mention are the internal pocket that can hold a few small personals like a wallet, phone or tools. The Shopper utilizes the Ortlieb’s great QL-2 upper and lower mounting system to secure the pannier to your bike rack and finally the bag has front and rear reflective spots for added viability.
To sum it up, this is a great pannier for someone looking for a great all around use in a single pannier.