Brooks Scape Large and Small Pannier review

Designed for adventurers, but not out of place on a commuter's bike

Front and rear mounted
(Image credit: Emma Silversides)
Cycling Weekly Verdict

Brooks has honoured its reputation for high quality and classic styling with the Scape Panniers. Despite being part of a range designed with gravel riders and adventurers in mind, they might still appeal to commuters. They are robust and protect contents from the elements exceptionally well. However, they aren't without niggles and lack some of the more functional features that you would expect on an 'everyday' pannier, so might not tick every commuter's boxes.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Stylish

  • +

    Robust

  • +

    External pocket

  • +

    Well made

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Impractical carry handle

  • -

    No internal pockets

  • -

    Closure can be fiddly

  • -

    No (included) shoulder strap

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Brooks is reaching out to gravel riders, bikepackers and adventurers with its latest Scape range. The panniers might be considered black sheep in the collection of no less than 10 bike bags, mostly designed to sit on a bike without a rack. They've been placed in a sub-section, 'ride around the world', on Brooks's website.

Brooks might have stripped things back too far for some commuters with the Scape panniers though. They are undeniably robust and stylish, but don't boast the practical features of many other commuting panniers. That said, things are kept simple and some people will love that. 

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