Mundo AirPannier

Mundo Music Gear's AirPannier is designed to be a safe method for carrying guitars and other musical instruments on a bike. This is the sort of task that even the products in our best bicycle panniers and racks guide might struggle with.

> Buy now: Mundo AirPannier for £38.50 from Mundo Music Gear

I use my bike to carry an electric bass. Before reviewing the AirPannier, I carried it in a normal pannier and used a bungee to tie it to the rack to stop it toppling over. While this worked to a degree, it was a far from optimal solution.

The AirPannier carries the instrument in a similar way, but moves the centre of gravity lower, which improves bike handling.

The 'Air' bit in the name might refer to the fact that it is much lighter than a regular pannier; it consists of mesh sections, straps, buckles and a couple of carabiniers.

But describing it like that does the AirPannier a bit of a disservice – it's obvious from watching the product and fitting guide videos that Paul and Joe at Mundo Music Gear have really thought about the best way to carry outsize stuff on a bike. 

The AirPannier is not just for guitars either – people have used their AirPanniers for carrying congas, a cello and even a surfboard.

The AirPannier's big advantage – the adjustability that allows it to fit most bikes and carry objects of different shapes – is also what makes it a bit of a fiddle in use. While the fitting guide videos are handy, the AirPannier needs a fair bit of trial and error to get it just right. When I put the bass in the pannier the first time, there was clearly not enough heel clearance.

Even after adjusting, and some additional tips from the friendly and responsive Mundo Music Gear via email, I struggled to get the bass to sit far enough back to give me enough heel clearance.

Some of this is probably down to the bike I'm using – a Kinesis Pro 6 cyclocross frame with relatively short chainstays; a proper touring bike would give you more clearance. The accompanying rear rack – a Tortec Tour Ultralite – probably didn't help either.

Swapping this for a Topeak Explorer rack created more clearance and helped considerably.

Once I'd finally sorted out fitting the AirPannier, I found it the best method I've come across to transport my bass on a bike. It's much more stable than using a traditional pannier, and the flexibility in the straps means the AirPannier absorbs shocks and road bumps rather than transferring them to the instrument.

Value and rivals

There are lots of easy ways to carry stuff on your bike but I'm not aware of other products specifically designed for carrying instruments, so can't really compare price, but I do think £38.50 is very reasonable. It's much cheaper than the Carradice Super C pannier I was using, and it's a price I'd gladly pay not to have the carry the thing on my back on a bike.

Verdict

A great way to carry a musical instrument on a bike, but can be a fiddle to set up just right