I'd decided cargo-net pockets in the lids of my GSA panniers are a definite must-have, the panniers are a good size and a few items are better stored in the lid than getting lost lower down. Initially I'd looked at the Touratech pannier nets but at over £63 for the pair it's silly money. Also the Touratech nets appear to stand slightly proud of the lid face which can't be ideal for document or map storage.
So I've looked at alternatives and come up with a pretty cost effective solution ... around £21 for a pair of nets plus a fiver for the hardwear
The bits I've used for each pannier ... (all the fittings are stainless steel):
- Givi E144 Elastic Cargo Net - £10.28 on eBay from Ghostbikes.
- 4 of M5 x 18mm TX button head screws - the Torx heads are used for the other fitting on the GSA panniers and I prefer to keep things consistent.
- 4 of 25mm penny washers.
- 4 of M5 Nylok nuts.
- 20 of standard size washers (1mm thick, 5 per corner to give 5mm clearance).
- A little sealant under the head of each Torx bolt to ensure a watertight seal, although I'm not convinced it's necessary.
Here are a few photos, I hope they're useful for anyone else wanting to do something similar. I started by simply drilling out the corner rivets using a 5.5mm drill, once the initial "rolled" part of the rivet is removed the rest can be knocked out. The holes in the ally and plastic corners are 5mm. I did actually buy loads of bolts etc because my SS fasteners supplier packages them as units of 100, if anyone wants any pm me your details and I'll send a set to do 2 panniers, I guess a fiver would cover the fasteners and postage costs.
So I've looked at alternatives and come up with a pretty cost effective solution ... around £21 for a pair of nets plus a fiver for the hardwear
The bits I've used for each pannier ... (all the fittings are stainless steel):
- Givi E144 Elastic Cargo Net - £10.28 on eBay from Ghostbikes.
- 4 of M5 x 18mm TX button head screws - the Torx heads are used for the other fitting on the GSA panniers and I prefer to keep things consistent.
- 4 of 25mm penny washers.
- 4 of M5 Nylok nuts.
- 20 of standard size washers (1mm thick, 5 per corner to give 5mm clearance).
- A little sealant under the head of each Torx bolt to ensure a watertight seal, although I'm not convinced it's necessary.
Here are a few photos, I hope they're useful for anyone else wanting to do something similar. I started by simply drilling out the corner rivets using a 5.5mm drill, once the initial "rolled" part of the rivet is removed the rest can be knocked out. The holes in the ally and plastic corners are 5mm. I did actually buy loads of bolts etc because my SS fasteners supplier packages them as units of 100, if anyone wants any pm me your details and I'll send a set to do 2 panniers, I guess a fiver would cover the fasteners and postage costs.
I used these:
