The Thule InLock Universal Panel is a decent stab at a rattle-free, quick-release means of mounting panniers. With no significant mounting componentry on the panniers themselves, they can be quickly taken off a bike and carried around like normal bags.
Thule offers traditional pannier bags, backpack bags and attaché-style briefcase bags, all of which can be secured with this Universal Panel which remains on the bike.
To make bags easy to attach or remove, there’s a hoop on the panel that they slide down onto. You then push the bag and hoop inward to secure them.
The hoop is hinged at the bottom and secured at the top with a catch that’s opened by pulling on a wee strap. With no small catches or latches to fumble with, this is thick-winter-glove-friendly stuff – as you’d expect from a company based in Sweden.
The InLock Universal Panel secures to your rack with three plastic C-clamps (with various thickness spacers provided) spread over two or three bars to get the right height. Thule provides a video that runs to nearly three minutes showing the installation process, so it’s not exactly idiot-proof and some customers may prefer their local bike shop to carry it out.
They’ve covered a fair number of bases here with the adaptability of the mounts, so the chances the InLock panel won’t fit your rack are pretty slim. That said, I don’t have access to test the fit on every rack under the sun, and even a cursory peruse of online reviews shows people have found racks it won’t fit. Word is Thule is working on this, but you’d be advised to take your bike into a shop and have them guarantee the fit before splashing out on the whole ecosystem.
When installing the panel to one bike, I managed to snap the lower rack clamp. This was completely my fault. It was late at night and I was using a powered screwdriver that was able to deliver enough torque to break the clamp around an oddly-shaped rack leg – that’s on me. However, Thule lists that part as ‘not available to purchase’ and nor are any other parts, it appears. How this fits in with the EU Right to Repair legislation and Thule’s generally excellent spare parts ethos remains to be seen – it may be a supplier issue.
There’s no way to lock the InLock panel to your bike, but at £25 (and requiring tools to remove), it’s not likely to be a theft target.
If you have various bikes and various needs – shopping / commuting / picnics – I could see the InLock ecosystem being attractive.
When used with heavy loads, the InLock system is solid, quiet and reliable. It’s over-engineered, and that’s a good thing. The looped strap you pull on to release an InLock bag or pannier is easily accessed, and after a few goes the process becomes natural.
You can find a separate review of the InLock pannier here, but the process and stability and lack of noise should be the same across the range.
As a future-proof, adaptable mount that can follow you from bike rack to bike rack (compatibility assumed), the Thule InLock Universal Panel is a good shout.
Test Report
What does the manufacturer say about this product?:
Seamless, secure bag attachment for any ride
The InLock system offers a quick, secure, and rattle-free way to attach Thule bike bags to almost any bike rack. Designed for seamless integration with Thule Shield and Thule Chasm bike bags, this innovative system makes mounting and removing your gear effortless – so you can focus on the ride ahead.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of this product:
Dimensions: 30.4 x 3.5 x 34.1 cm
Weight: 0.73 kg
Material: Aluminium, nylon
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested?:
Being an ecosystem, the panel needs to be assessed against the whole package. At £115 for the Panel and 22L Pannier, it’s not overly pricey for the quality.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Possibly
Would you recommend the product to a friend?
With caveats
Use this box to explain your overall score
Design is good, only marked down by lack of true 100% adaptability.
About the tester
Age: Height: 183cmWeight: 80kg
I usually ride: My best bike is:
I’ve been riding for: –Select–I ride: –Select–I would class myself as: –Select–
I regularly do the following types of riding:
