AxiomSeymour Oceanweave P55+ Panniers: Gray/Black

Only four stars instead of five because I own Axiom bags from the previous generation and those were better made without the shortcuts this generation took with the handles and the attachment mechanism.These are very large bags. I use them on an electric bike that is tasked with shopping/cargo duties. My rack is an Axiom Fatliner, so my Axiom P55+ bags are matched to the same manufacturer's rack for max compatibility.You see in the picture my front bags are Axiom Champlains, which are the bag the P55+ replaced in the Axiom lineup. Both bags are roughly equivalent in size (the Champlains are a bit larger)As others have stated, the Seymour P55+ has handles sewn into the seams of the bag. Only. I did have to send back a set of Seymour P35's because the handle was sewn improperly into the seam, so I have seen this problem as described by another reviewer on another Axiom Seymour bag. However these bags - which I purchased in July of 2017, have shown no signs of the handles giving way despite heavy duty use hauling groceries that include soda 12 packs, gallon jugs of liquid laundry detergent and similar heavy loadsIn terms of their construction, I am a heavy duty user and so far, considering I own the previous generation Champlain bags (which, to be fair, were a little more expensive) I would say construction - material weight and seams - is 'adequate'. Nothing has split yet. I'm not sure it ever will. But I just don't get the feeling of solid quality I got from the older Axiom line.Now for the thing I don't like about them: Again I use an Axiom rack so I am getting the best, most compatible fit possible on these bags. The current generation of bags still uses the same Rixen & Kaul locks up top and they are excellent. However, the lower attachment is no longer done via a sturdy spring-and-bungie cord method. Springs and bungies may have been old-school but they were largely bulletproof and easily repairable in the field. they just plain work. And they work better than the new method of the sliding locking thingie thats there now. To get this to fit, you slide the lower locking arm forward or backward until it finds something to jam itself underneath to stabilize the bag. Its secure enough, but nowhere near as secure as a hooked bungie. On my Axiom rack there is only one place where this works and while its a stable connection, I miss the hooked-in bungies that flex with the bumps but never, ever give way.All the grumbling aside, for $100 or less these bags are still a solid value.

Shopping for panniers was hard.The brackets were too small on the first pair I got from Performance bikes, so they went back. These looked like they might work, and they have! I actually quite like the bracket mounting system. Two deep notched clips facing down, and then a shallower, upward facing clip that twists into place to lock to the rack tube from underneath. Below the vertical clips up top, there is a horizontal clip on a slide, which you can reverse. This adds a fourth point of contact with the rear rack. After a couple of weeks of riding, the system has been rock solid. These guys don't budge.I've been carrying my lunch bag in one. I can fit my backpack in the other (it's kind of a miracle) but it's kind of a pain, so when commuting to work, I just wear it. I think when summer returns and it get's hot, I'll revisit this. But it's nice to know it can fit in there if it has to.The carrying handles have a metal snap button clasp that can marry the two pieces together.A couple of pockets for water bottles, bike tools, seat leashes, snacks, and what not. Each can be put on or off in about 10 seconds.I'm very pleased with the around $90 I paid. They are just what I was looking for, at the price I was looking for.Oh.. Rain. I live in Portland, Oregon, and our rainy season has started. These seem to be just fine for my 20 minute commute. They don't claim to be waterproof, but the contents of the bags have remained dry.

These panniers replaced an older pair of Axiom LaSalle panniers. There’s a lot here to like. I like the new mounting system. It’s much faster than the old bungee hook. The big zippered pouch on the side is comparable to the LaSalle, as are the bottle pockets in front. The zippered pocket in the back is a really nice addition.The loops on top of the bags are fine for hooking stuff to the tops, I suppose. However, the laced bungees on the old LaSalle, made it super easy to stow a hoody after you warmed up without having to open the panniers. I really miss that. I also miss the zipper in the top flap. On the LaSalle, that’s where the rain covers were stored. Sure, I’ve gained a new pocket in back but it’s not as elegant and efficient as that top pocket. Oh, thank goodness that I still have those rain covers because Seymour doesn’t have them.Finally I really miss the compression strap. If you had a light load in your LaSalle, you could easily pull it tight, against the rack frame. Seymour is missing that final strap as well. The result is a cavernous space for your load to roll or rattle about in your panniers. All the secure locking systems won’t amount to anything if your delicate goods are banging around in a huge sack.All in all, I’ve been commuting to work with a laptop case for a few weeks. These panniers do the job well, and I applaud Axiom for sourcing a recovered plastic material. It’s a great story.I’d love to have have some of those LaSalle features back on these panniers. Maybe they’ll be back when these bags wear out.

Well thought out and nicely built!My wife and I are taking a week long bike tour and I've been shopping for good quality bags that leave us a little money for the trip. These fit the bill ruggedly built from recycled material (very cool) with tons of pockets and attachment points on the tops to affix additional gear. And of course these are cavernous. I can fit my Alps Mountaineering 2 person tent with rainfly, foot print and my Big Agnes Encampment sleeping back into one pannier. Not that I'd actually pack those together for a tour it was more of a test, but those items aren't super compact. I was impressed!Impressed enough to buy a set for myself and a set for my wife.