Jerry,
You should be able to modify almost any pannier with fixed mounting hooks and a solid stiffener to improve its position on your rack.
My (ca. 1998) Jandd grocery-bag panniers each originally had two bare metal rack attachment hooks bolted in fixed positions through the 1/8 " thick nylon stiffener and the fabric. To make the panniers fit better on my Minoura front rack, I simply unbolted the hooks, drilled new holes through the Cordura (tm) nylon and the stiffeners, sealed the holes in the nylon fabric with a hot nail to keep them from fraying, re-installed the original hooks, and added an additional hook to each side (so there are now three hooks per side that lock the panniers' fore-and-aft position). Before I re-attached the hooks, I slipped some plastic covers (also from Jandd) over the bare metal hooks. This modification has worked fine for three years or so. You might take the opportunity to sew on some additional reflective materials, pockets, a rain flap, or other details as long as you have your panniers apart. Most standard sewing machines WILL handle the heavier fabrics involved, if you use the correct thread and needle sizes, and a free-arm machine will help a lot with the corners.
Any panniers with a rigid stiffener (and I believe that your TREK ones do) should be similarly amenable to alteration. You may have to replace the original rivets or pop-rivets used by some manufacturers with simple nuts and bolts. (I suggest using stainless steel hardware, probably 5MM or so, and utilizing both lockwashers and nylon-insert locknuts to ensure that the hooks do not rattle loose.)
CR QUALIFIER: I have some ancient (pre-1978, as I was in college at the time) bright yellow Kirtland front panniers with uncoated stainless steel rack hooks riveted to aluminum stiffeners that I intend to rebuild using the above technique. The original fabric coating has long since separated from the nylon after much abuse (and many heavy library books) in Eugene, OR. I will replace the fabric and rebuild these panniers one of these days when I have more time for this involved sewing project.
I hope this helps.
Jon Spangler
Alameda, CA USA
On Dec 9, 2008, at 4:00 PM, Jerome & Elizabeth Moos wrote:
> Yeah, someone sent me this offlist this morning. This is a lot
> different than IcyclesUSA.com made it sound. Evidently what
> Congress really passed was a measure giving favorable tax treatment
> to businesses that reimburse employees for bicycle commuting
> expenses, so unless you happen to work for such an enlightened
> employer, you are SOL. Well there go my dreams of recovering at
> least some of my cost for those beautiful Berthoud panniers.
>
> BTW anyone know of any other panniers besides Carradice and
> Berthoud that have a system for adjusting the position of the hooks
> that attach the bag to the rack? This certainly does help in
> getting just the necessary amount of heel clearance without pushing
> the bag too far back. I have a pair of Trek shopper panniers with
> the more basic fixed position hooks and an elastic cord that
> fastens to the bottom of the rack, but I've seen some mention that
> Trek has a more expensive version of these bags with a different
> attachment system. Perhaps this is a copy of the Berthoud/
> Carradice system. Trek and maybe Cannondale do still make a few
> pieces of useful touring gear, but I think this is just a residue
> of their origins as classic bike or gear manufacturers.
>
> Regards,
>
> Jerry Moos
> Big Spring, Texas, USA
>
>
>
> --- On Tue, 12/9/08, Jon Spangler <hudsonspangler@earthlink.net>
> wrote:
> From: Jon Spangler <hudsonspangler@earthlink.net>
> Subject: [CR]Re: Bicycle Commuter Act (BCA) info
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Date: Tuesday, December 9, 2008, 5:22 PM
>
>
> Jerry and all,
>
> The info you seek is, indeed, on the LAB site:
>
> http://www.bikeleague.org/
>
> There is a link to the above the BCA
> info on the LAB's home page:
>
> Next Steps for Bicycle Commuter Act (10.07.08)
>
> Now that the bicycle commuter provision is law,
>
> the League is taking the lead to ensure that
>
> implementation guidelines are established
>
> prior to the provision's effective date: January 1, 2009.
>
> Continue to check our web site for new information,
>
> we will be updating it with answers to
>
> Frequently Asked Questions as we get the details.
>
> Click here to see full text of the tax provision,
>
> or here to read Congressman Blumenauer's explanation.
>
>
>
>
> There should be enough info on these links to
>
> keep you and/your CPA happy.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
>
>
> Jon Spangler
>
> in Alameda, CA USA
>
>
>
>
>
> On Dec 9, 2008, at 11:14 AM, classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org
> wrote:
>
> >
> > Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2008 09:17:56 -0800 (PST)
> > From: Jerome & Elizabeth Moos <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net>
> > To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> > Subject: [CR]Cycle Commuting Tax Credit
> > Message-ID: <750095.88290.qm@web82204.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> > In-Reply-To: <C4611D0A40704FA383FDEE85E2895C06@Newhouse>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
> > MIME-Version: 1.0
> > Precedence: list
> > Reply-To: jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net
> > Message: 9
> >
> > Several people have asked me offlist about the cycle commuting tax
> > credit I
> > mentioned. Here is where I believe I saw it, on the ICycles web
> > site:
> >
> > http://www.icyclesusa.com/
> >
> > Not much detail here, but it does seem to be a Federal program, not
> > a state
> > one. Maybe one could get some additional info from Icycles. Or
> > maybe
> > call the office of your local Congressman. That's the supposed
> > justific
> > ation for Congressional staff, especially the ones in the home
> > district - t
> > o provide service to constituents. So if we are going to pay
> > Congression
> > al staffers, we may as well get some service out of them. I'm
> > surprised
> > I can find no mention of this on the League of American Bicyclist
> > website.
> > But perhaps I shouldn't be, I haven't been real impressed with
> > the LA
> > B for some years, probably since about the time they changed their
> > name fro
> > m League of American Wheelman in a fit of gratuitous political
> > correctness.
> >
> >
>
> <SNIP>
>
> >
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Jerry Moos
> > Big Spring, Texas, USA
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
Jon Spangler
Writer/Editor
Linda Hudson Writing
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