Bike Belle started out in 2011 creating beautiful baskets, colourful bike bells and waterproof seat covers.

The couple behind the brand, Gosia and Maciek, have now branched out into practical but elegant bike panniers – calling the range ‘Mira’ – which is Spanish for “look!”

Our first reaction, admittedly, was that these bags looked very pretty, but not completely practical. We were very, very wrong.

Designed to be large enough to hold a laptop, they clip into a normal pannier rack with sturdy attachments that are hidden by a flap of fabric when off the bike.

They’re hoping the new design will take away some of the barriers that prevent people commuting – such as the struggle with a heavy backpack and the resulting sweaty ‘T-shaped’ residue.

Ask the Expert: How Do I Make My Commuter Bag Lighter?

All the bags have handles or shoulder straps, meaning they operate just like a normal bag when you’ve locked the bike up for the day.

There are three models available:

The brand have launched an Indigogo crowdfunder page, and are aiming to raise £10,000 to create the bag in three different styles. They need to order a large numbr of bags to keep the prices on the lower end of reasonable.

You can donate as little as £2, for which you’ll receive a “thank you” note, or you can snap up an early bird for a  s little as £35. At RRP, they’ll range from £42 to £45 – which we still think is pretty reasonable!

Rather stick with a traditional backpack? Here are 6 of the best.