Opinions on a new pannier design?

[Coluber42]

I've been working on a new design for a city pannier that will hopefully be ready for sale soon. Photos at the bottom of this post.

It's a double pannier made of vinyl tarp material, similar to the basic Dutch panniers than hang over the rear rack, but with some modifications:
- it's bigger. Each pannier is 10" deep and 14.5" tall, with a volume of around 1835 cu. In./30 liters without over-stuffing.
- the front-facing edge is angled to allow for heel clearance
- the plastic stiffening panels are all encased, and instead of just a single panel on the bottom, there's a tri-fold panel that attaches to the sides with velcro for additional stability.
- the straps are extra long so that you can over-load it and still buckle the straps, and the ends are captured so they don't go flying.
- they're attached at the bottom/back, not just at the top.
The panniers are intended to be left on the bike when you go in somewhere; they'll have a grommet that you can run a cable through and lock them, although they're enough of a pain to get off that they should be OK left there in most places. So instead of needing a convertible backpack/pannier, or a pannier that looks professional, or whatever, you just put your whole bag in there and everything stays clean. They also have inside cinch straps, rain flaps on the lid and inside the front edge of the pannier, loops for blinky lights on the outside corners, and they can collapse flat.

My big question at the moment is color choices. At the moment, my plan is to offer two colors: one will be solid light gray, the same color as the trim and the central panel in the prototype in the photos; the other choice will be some color, with the same light gray trim and central panel. I know black is a common and popular option, but I kind of want to avoid it because the panniers really are pretty big and even though they do have reflective material on them, I think it's better for the sake of night visibility if an item with such a large surface area is not black. The options I'm considering are the fairly obvious red, yellow, and blue.

So I'm wondering what you all think. Yellow is nice, and it's bright, but the prototype that's been on my bike through all the snow in the Boston area is looking pretty grungy right now (and my commuter doesn't even have a rear brake, so no brake dust). It will mostly hose right off, but still, yellow really shows the dirt and brake dust doesn't always hose off easily. Royal blue with gray trim will look nice, but not as bright, and I do think bright colors have some appeal to an urban cyclist who would ride around with gigantic panniers on all the time.

I'd consider black if it seems like people would really prefer it; it would still have the light gray trim, which would help a bit visibility-wise by outlining the edges.

So, anyone have any thoughts/opinions?
Here are some photos. You'll have to excuse the fact that these are just around-town photos, not nice product photos yet. There are more views and another prototype (in a color of blue I can't get, because I decided that fabric was too heavy) in my instagram feed if you feel like looking. Www.instagram.com/dillpicklegear
Thanks for your input!

http://www.dillpicklegear.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/city-pannier-3.jpg
http://www.dillpicklegear.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/city-pannier-4.jpg
http://www.dillpicklegear.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/city-pannier-5.jpg
http://www.dillpicklegear.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/city-pannier-2.jpg
http://www.dillpicklegear.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/city-pannier-1.jpg

[jr59]

First, you build really good stuff. I like the panniers.

[JAGI410]

Fantastic design! I like the yellow, and quite honestly anyone who would need these is likely going to not care of they get that dirty and might like that "patina". As long as the material can hold up the the abuse, bright colors are good! Safety and utility isn't always a fashion show.

[ohsnapitsed]

Agreed with both above. Looks like you make some fantastic gear! I like the design of these as well as the Yellow and Grey options.

As a side note, what type of price point are you looking at for these?

[m_sasso]

Yellow looks nice and is functional, if I was purchasing I would prefer black piping to the gray. I also like the collapsing feature and the ability to fasten them collapsed seen in one of your Instagram pictures.

[rugbysecondrow]

I like design, look like a great product.

I wonder if you started with a less bright yellow the wear would be less distinct. Or if you used an olive, orange or green that might mask it some.

This is nit picky stuff. I think it is nice and would be interested. I enjoy riding my bike back and forth to the gym, so something like would work well.

[redir]

Looks good to me and hi-vis is always a good idea in my opinion. If not high vis then at least some reflective tape. But then... Hi-vis with reflective tape even better :)

[Coluber42]

There aren't very many color choices in this fabric at this weight. There are a few more if I use a heavier material, but that makes the final product weigh around 5 1/2 lbs. At this weight it's under 3 1/2, which is actually pretty good for two panniers. But the choices are about what you'd expect from a box of eight crayons. So it's basically red, yellow, or blue. (And black and gray, of course).
My thinking is that depending on how they do, I'd like to add a third color at some point. The gray trim is cut from the same material, and that needs to be done in quantity, so all colors have to have the same color of trim. That could be black instead of gray. If I went with darker colors in the future (blue or black) I'd definitely want the gray trim to help visually outline the overall shape. Incidentally, they do have some amount of reflective tape on them, too.

I'm still waiting on some estimates, so I'm not yet sure enough of the price point to give any numbers. Out of curiosity, what might you expect to pay?

[pitonpat]

Hey, that looks like great design work and execution. I have no use for panniers currently, but my son commuted from Cambridge to downtown Boston for work in the past and he could have used panniers made from that sort of material & in a color that increased his visibility- I'd suggest an orange version if available as well. Having designed & specified the custom construction of an ice climbing-specific backpack recently, and as an inveterate gear head, I commend you on your thought process and finished products... very nice.

[Coluber42]

Orange is available. I like the idea of orange, but what I like the idea of and what will actually sell are not necessarily the same thing! ;)
Same deal with yellow. I think it's a good idea, and it doesn't bother me that it looks dirty. But other people might want an option that shows less dirt.

[roguedog]

I was thinking about this on my ride to work.. Yep.. orange. A nice kinda burnt orange would be nice but sounds like you don't have a whole lotta choice.