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Oxford First Time Sports Motorcycle Panniers Review
By Sharon Parker
Review Date August 2014
I purchased these panniers at the beginning of the year, so to date I have had them around 7 months. I have always preferred soft storage for the bike. The disadvantage over hard luggage is that they are not lockable and therefore not secure. The advantage is they are usually expandable and therefore one can always manage to stuff that extra essential you find into them. They are also lighter and multi purpose as in you can swap them easily between bikes. Lastly but most important to me was cost, the soft luggage being considerably cheaper than the hard.
After a good look around the Oxford First Time Sports Panniers seemed the best option for myself. At around £50 they are not expensive. The model I bought was OF414 in black.
Oxford First Time Sport Panniers - Nice fit for a small bike
Each pannier has an exterior pocket which can prove useful for storing items you may need quick access to such as your waterproofs. One of the bags also has an inside zipped pocket for items you may which to keep separate. They can be expanded up to 24 litres each side easily by just opening the side zip. The tension straps can then be applied to pull in the load reducing its size and adding to the loads stability by putting the bags in a more upright position.
Wide load, panniers fully extended
They fit easily onto the bike. They have three adjustable Velcro bands which join the two panniers together and go over you bike seat. Two of which go over your seat and the third is supposed to go under your seat. I say supposed because my seat is a real pain to lock back into place so I now never bother to place the third strap underneath. However I only do this if I am carrying additional luggage on top of the panniers which is then further secured with bungees. Otherwise your panniers would not be secured safely and could possibly slide off.
Full load with panniers fully expanded and tension straps tightened
The panniers come with 4 additional small bungees for extra securing if required, extra straps for tension and carrying handles. Rain covers are also included.
Now a note about the rain covers. I have personally found them worse than useless. Worse because not only do they not keep the rain out of the bags but they then act as a barrier to the water then escaping. Thus on a trip with rain covers in place I found that the bags had actually managed to fill with water resulting in very wet clothes. By far the best solution I have found is to place clothing into thick durable plastic bags, such as rubble sacks and then put these inside the pannier. Any rain that does then seep into the bags does not penetrate the plastic bags and without the rain covers it easily passes through the bag. After riding through a severe storm in Scotland recently with resulting torrential rain all my belongings thus managed to stay dry using the rubble sacks
Since purchase I have taken the panniers on a few trips and apart from the above mentioned problem with the rain covers have found them perfect for my needs. The expansion capabilities have meant I can take all the clothes etc I need with relative ease. I did add an additional tail pack to carry everything I wanted for my recent trip around Scotland but I do not travel light so that probably says more about me than the size of the panniers.
To protect the paint work on my bike I do always place rubbing matting under the panniers to stop any rubbing.
So far they have proved durable and am especially impressed how easily they are to fit and take off the bike. For a quick and easy solution for carrying your gear on your bike then I would definitely recommend these panniers. How they will hold up long term only time will tell but so far so good.
Rating - 9 out of 10
Great soft panniers just a pity the rain covers are no use.
Reader's Comments
Jayne T said :-
Thank goodness I've found a sensible review, and by a lady. Loving the blog Sharon, do let us know what's going on in your biking world soon.
I always thought the rain covers were a good idea. I don't understand how they're making things worse not better, can you explain? Anyhow, the best solution is to not ride in the rain!
23/05/2016 10:41:39 UTC
Sharon said :-
Hi Jayne,
Thank you. I have been a bit busy of late, poorly daughter and a house move for the daughter but I have just began updating my blog so I will be back here soon.
As for the rain covers being useless I will try and explain in more detail.
The rain covers go over the bags at the front but do not completely cover the back. So when it rained hard the rain got blown under the covers. It soaked into the bags themselves. However the covers then trapped the rain inside the bags so the panniers actually began to fill up with water with no escape because the covers were keeping the rain water in rather than out.
When I travel on the bike I am on a set schedule so I have no choice over riding in the rain. So I find solutions. The solution here is to place your clothes and belongings into a waterproof bag first before placing that inside the pannier bag themselves. I use rubble sacks, waterproof and durable. Since I adopted this method I have kept all my belongings dry even in downpours.
24/05/2016 19:57:35 UTC
David Barker said :-
Did you have any problems with them folding underneath
06/02/2021 18:40:58 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
What do you mean by folding underneath David Barker?
If you mean do they want to collapse into the wheel, as in underneath the seat - then the key to sorting that is getting the straps across the seat the right length. They are merely velcro-d together which might sound insufficient but they never caused me any trouble.
If you mean does the bottom of the bag fold over - then not normally. The bag when unextended has a stiff plastic sheet within the base to help keep the shape. If the bags are fully extended then they can do somewhat. Being firmly (over)packed helps them keep their shape.
07/02/2021 16:17:51 UTC
Peter Mariner said :-
I have the same bags it never used the waterproof bags! If there was a hole or two underneath then they wouldn't hold rain as badly perhaps! Only a thought! Happy, safe riding to you!
26/06/2021 20:19:51 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Good thinking Peter Mariner. A small hole or two at the bottom of the plastic covers would let the water out. But the fact the water gets in the covers would still mean the contents get wet even if not drenched. Sharon's solution of rubble sacks and just letting the bags get wet seems to do the trick.
Even now in 2021 some 7 years later she still has the bags but Sharon's "upgraded" to some Kreiga bags and of course "Tour-A-Plank"...
https://bikesandtravels.com/biker.aspx?ride=7351...
28/06/2021 09:59:55 UTC
Borsuk said :-
Cheapo panniers on the Interceptor with even cheaper water tight bags to put stuff in.
I had several rucksacks in my time that were supposed to be water proof but the only guarantee in my mind is to put them inside another bag before putting in the panniers or rucksack. The waterproof covers that are normally supplied are an annoying joke.
01/07/2021 19:19:52 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Across the internet I see plenty of "waterproof" items such as clothing and bags. I'm sure if you're out walking across a local park in a shower they'll probably be sufficient. When you're motorcycling though it's a whole different ball game. I work on the principle - will this keep dry if I'm/it's stood in front of a firehose? At 60mph the wind blows water up, down, left and right making most protective covers useless.
02/07/2021 09:29:57 UTC
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