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I have a set of Inertia Design panniers which I bought over 20 years ago. It's a simple design: 2 top clips which hang off the carrier rack and a bottom clip which uses elastic straps to hold it in tension against the bottom off the rack.

The panniers are still in usable shape except that the elastic straps which hold the bottom clip are all stretched out and I've had a pannier fall off when riding over rough terrain. Bungee cords help but then make attaching and detaching the panniers cumbersome.

Are there any sort of purpose-made replacements for these straps out there? I've searched the company website and the web in general but found nothing.

I will probably try cutting up bungee cords if I can find ones which fit the upper plastic attachment points but I thought I would ask here before going all "DIY"

UPDATE: Here's a photo of the panniers. 20+ years old – they could do with a good wash but aside from the elastic strap problem, they are still in decent shape. Plastic tube connectors hold the elastic strap in place. I haven't yet been able to find bungee cord thin enough to fit through the plastic connectors.

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  • With a picture we may be able to suggest a way to sew/tie/clip replacement straps on
    – Chris H
    Aug 9, 2021 at 8:58
  • Can I suggest asking an outdoor sporting goods shop instead? Or even a shop offering any tailoring services, e.g. dry cleaner, laundromat? Or, last ditch, ask people at a fabric shop like Joann Fabrics in the US for advice? We're probably talking about an elastic strap that's sown onto the fabric. I'd be surprised if pannier manufacturers made them available. It's possible they'd offer to repair them, but I assess that as unlikely unless they're a small scale, high end manufacturer.
    – Weiwen Ng
    Aug 10, 2021 at 12:01

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Try writing to the company. They'll probably be happy to sell you replacement straps, and will be happy to hear they've got 20-year-old panniers still in use.

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For that setup, I'd suggest buying some longer automotive bungee cords, and thread the existing metal hook on.

The difficulty will come in undoing the existing elastic endpoints, and attaching a new bungee cord securely. You may have to be creative.

Last resort would be to knot the new bungee onto the old cord right at the top by the bag, but that would be sub-optimal.

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Thanks for all the replies! I tried calling the company. They told me to email [email protected]. I did that but haven't heard anything back after a week. I ended up buying these "ball bungee cords" at my local Ace Hardware (US). The cord is thin enough to fit through the pannier's plastic attachment tubes but a little too thin to for the locking mechanism to work. I ended up just knotting the ends and they work fine.

enter image description here

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  • Great work! Thank you for coming back and sharing your results.
    – Criggie ♦
    Aug 19, 2021 at 20:49
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I've had bungee cord down to 2mm from ebay (it's not expensive). This looks thicker, 4-6mm, which is also readily available online. Some large independent camping shops have various sizes on reels, as do a few hardware shops. The similar plastic tube connectors I've come across wouldn't be secure enough in this application, so I'm not sure how they work here, but with the right thickness cord replacement shouldn't be too hard, making them as good as new.

I suspect you could run the cord through the plastic, then tie it back on itself with a couple of half hitches, if you can't fit it in exactly the same way.

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I have found elastic like that on a market stall which sells things for home sewing. I guess shops and online sellers also have that size of elastic.

It might also be possible to change the set-up so you can use a shorter thicker bit of elastic and a cord thin enough to fit in the connectors if you can not find the right size elastic. It might even be possible to use several strands of thinner elastic but that might deteriorate faster. (Same kinds of shops are even more likely to have the thinner elastics.)

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