Ibera Bike Bag Expandable Commuter 17-23L - Clip-On Bike Rack Bag with Panniers & Strap - Hard Base, Reflective Trim & Taillight Ready - Ideal for Commuting & Touring - PAKRAK ONLY FOR IBERA RACKS

This review will be for 3 items that were purchased to work together, and I will post it as a review for each individual item. Photos show the bags all the way opened and all the way closed in all configurations.Ibera IB-RA5 Touring Carrier + for disc brakesIbera IB-BA14 Expandable Commuter Trunk BagIbera IB-BA9 PanniersMy husband and I bike a lot, and we camp for many weeks during the summer. The bikes always go to the campgrounds with us. We often use them to ride to the beach, other park attractions, or to the store to pick up a few items. I was getting tired of using plastic shopping bags hung over my arm to carry things to the beach or home from the store, and I often wished we had a way to carry snacks or cold drinks with us. Besides, carrying those swinging plastic bags never made me feel very safe. We also usually have our dog along with us on a break-away leash, and we carry our back-pack style folding chairs with us. It is quite a load, and we needed to be able to take it all safely.This rack and the bag/panniers will be the answer!The rack was easy to install on my 26” bike, and we like it so much that we might get the same rack for my husband’s 29” bike. Since it is adjustable, we are hoping it will fit his bike, too! We bought this particular rack, because it was compatible with the bags we wanted to purchase. It provides a nice frame to add accessories to the bike, and, with a little jury rigging, it even accommodated the attachment needed for my existing clip-on red tail light. The tail light is ever more visible on the frame than it was when attacked to the bike itself.We are always looking for flexibility that will allow us to use things in multiple configurations as we need them, and these bags fit that bill! We can use any one of them, two of them or all 3 as long as the bike stays in balance.The panniers are roomy, and there is stiffening for the bottom and sides that either folds or removes to allow the bags to be flattened to take up less room for storage. They will carry our beach towels, other paraphernalia, or a few groceries with ease! Couldn’t be happier with the size! The large pocket in the main compartment has a pull tie to close the inside bag down before closing the top over it, and the straps that hold the top down are adjustable. In addition to the main compartment, there is a smaller pocket on the outside at the top. These panniers will be perfect for beach towels, water floats or a few groceries, and the top pocket will help keep smaller things like books separate and within easy reach. The panniers come with a handle to carry them when off the bike and a nylon rain cover. Great idea!The Expandable Commuter Trunk Bag lives up to its name! The main compartment can expand at the rear to be about 2 inches taller. It has a solid bottom and foam stiffening that would also act a bit like insulation. This main compartment is perfect for taking along some water bottles, snacks or some lunch – or anything else that will fit. There is a smaller top compartment both inside and outside of the bag to help keep smaller items from getting jumbled in the main compartment, and there is a bungee cord on top to keep items like a jacket or (leakproof) water bottle within easy reach. There is another small pocket at the back of the bag for keys or a wallet. The side pockets can be used as they are or unzipped to expand into a longer inner bag that are like small panniers. The bag also comes with a shoulder strap making it easy to take it along when it is off the bike. The one thing I wish it had is a rain cover. Ibera makes one for this model, but we have not been able to find anyone who sells it.The pannier-like side bags of the Commuter Trunk Bag can be used with the regular Pannier bag, although they will lay on the top of the panniers on an angle. I don’t anticipate using the side bags on the Commuter Trunk Bag as pannier extensions when the Panniers are also on the bike anyway, because it would be a bit of overkill, but the pannier extensions will be great when I need a bit longer space but not enough to put on the panniers.These bags are really flexible, and they will let us use just the bags we need while accommodating every use we can think of.As for the quick release feature on all of the bags – OMG! These bags go on and take off within seconds! So easy! We will see whether or not they come off too easily after we have used them for a while, but for now we love the idea and the design!The one drawback? I am at the shortest safe height to use a 26” bike, and the trunk bag will make it harder for me to swing my leg over onto the bike. I can do it by tilting the bike to the side quite a bit, but I won’t be able to bail off quickly. Shorter riders beware! You might need to try this bag on your bike to see whether or not you will be able to get on or off. The panniers are not problem for getting on or off.

We ended up buying 2 bags. Both had the Mik adapter part of the bag. It's a great size before expansion. I did have to use a lighter to burn the ends of the zipper pulls to keep it from fraying. Easy to put on and take off.

This review is for an installation on a Mongoose 2.1 26" Mountain Bike using an Ibera IB-RA1 Rack.(First off, for anyone else who is curious about whether this bag will work with the IB-RA1 Seatpost-mounted Carrier; for the record it works well indeed even though the rack is not listed as compatible on Amazon or in the Ibera documentation.)I've been busy accessorizing a pair of Mongoose Mountain Bikes for Urban Warfare in and around Minneapolis and one of the requirements was a good rack/bag setup that didn't interfere with the independent rear suspension of the bike.And I wanted to be able to stuff a lot of, well, stuff, into a bag should the need arise.This bag fits the ticket well, with a large center storage section, expandable top compartment, expandable paniers on each side, and a small compartment in the back. It also comes with a shoulder strap and some elastic webbing on the top.Everything seems well constructed, seams seem well-sewn, zippers appear robust (once they have been used a little, like many nylon zippers at first they can be "sticky" until broken in a bit), and the fabric and materials look to be of good quality.The spring-loaded clip assembly for attaching to the rack is wonderful. One of the more pleasant surprises was how quickly my Wife and I could bike to the Local Famers Market, lock the bikes into a rack, unclip the bag from the bike and use it as a should bag for shopping. Very much a no-muss, no fuss arrangement and the bag will actually hold a surprising amount of food (I've had a watermelon in the main compartment already, which was not something originally on my "requirements" list for a bike bag).The panniers work well in this application, and even though there is no place to attach the pannier securing-straps to the frame of my bike (the straps would need to be about 4" longer to make it to the lower frame) I've found that even when pretty full, they don't interfere with the rear wheel of the bike.I do have a few gripes, but all of them are pretty minor:* $70 for a bike bag, even a good one like this, seems a bit steep. I've got a fully outfitted piece of airplane luggage that has traveled over 250K Miles and around the world twice that cost just $10 more and even though this bag is well made, I don't see it holding up nearly as well or as long. But since I would probably buy this bag again I guess it would be fair to say I think it is worth the cost somewhat pricey though it is.* I would love to see a better setup with the shoulder strap. Currently there is no real way to easily tuck the shoulder strap out of the way when the bag is clipped onto the Ibera Rack and one is in "bike mode". Right now I stuff it into the webbing on the top of the bag, which works, but not real well, and can be prone to falling out and then becoming a tangle risk for the rear wheel. However one of the real joys of this bag is being able to rapidly unclip the bag from the rack, sling it over one's shoulder, and quickly go on your merry way. Having to detach the shoulder strap and stuff it into one of the compartments severely hampers that ease-of-use. I just suspect that Ibera could come up with a clever solution here.* The plastic base is a glossy fake-carbon-fiber molded plastic and is exceptionally prone to scuffs and scratches. While it looks "cooler" than the textured-finish black plastic base on their smaller IB-BA6 bag (which I also own for my Wife's Bike) the base on that bag is holding up way better from a looks standpoint than the base on my IB-BA14.Because of those minor issues, the bag only gets a 4-star rating from me. But make no mistake, I do think that the Rack/Bag combo set that I have from Ibera is a great one and I almost certainly would buy it again.(9/29/2014 UPDATE) After further consideration I've bumped this review up to 5 stars. After having used this bag most of the summer and for well over 300 miles of biking I find that it has indeed been a great accessory. If it fits within your budget it definitely well worth having.

The item was as ordered and fit perfectly into the racks on my bicycles.