Altura Urban Dryline 17 briefcase pannier

Altura’s Urban 17 briefcase pannier is yet another of those clever ideas that demolishes the image of the sweaty disorganised commuter cyclist. So called because it comfortably swallows the larger 17- inch laptops, it marries a host of bike and office friendly features in a smart, practical fashion.

The Urban is made from P-tec. The clue is in the title, it’s hardwearing waterproof polyester with drawstring dry liners to keep the elements firmly at bay. Directly aiming a garden hose at it for five minutes saturates the Codura-like outer but inside – so long as the lining’s drawn tight – everything should remain bone dry. A sturdy plastic bag should be a permanent feature though, as nothing’s 100% waterproof in my experience. Night vision reflectives are liberally yet tastefully featured in the key areas and although there’s no dedicated LED tab, the shoulder strap clips make good substitutes.

The cleverly offset Rixen Kaul Klick Fix mounts grip most diameter of carrier rod like a Doberman on a burglar’s leg and also provide excellent heel clearance but you’ll need a good, sturdy rack. Ignore the rules of weight distribution at your peril: you mightn’t notice when sauntering along at sedate speeds but out of the saddle sprints for the lights certainly affected the handling of an otherwise very dependable tourer.

Take a closer look and aside from the very well padded, removable laptop sleeve there's a capacious front pouch which is great for the A5 pads, envelopes and other generic stationary. It’s really handy for holding lights, computers, mini pumps and other goodies that passing opportunist thieves love to take. Then we’ve the seemingly obligatory, yet extremely useful pen and marker pouch with a handy key tidy too.

The main compartment will take a change of clothes. Unless you’re a meticulously neat packer, this may preclude the laptop but to be frank, even allowing for the substantial padding, subjecting computers and other sensitive technology to vibration from poorly surfaced roads and byways always seems a bad idea; in my book they're better carried over the shoulder in a messenger bag.

Verdict

Smart, practical commuter satchel that works best with a sturdy rack.