Are bike bags now cool?

[Blue Hills]

Discontinued, PlanetX had a sale on and I bought it on a whim for peanuts, certainly less than £15. It is a really well thought out, durable, top quality product and I wish I'd bought a couple more.

Karrimor when they were a proper outfit used to do a slim satchel type thing that fitted at an angle on a pannier rack. So good and well made i used to use it around town as a regular bag - eventually left it on a bus on a drunken night out. Recently acquired something similar from karrimor's old school range but haven't tried it out yet.
Like you i favour rack-mounted stuff.

 

[bitsandbobs]

The first (and only!) ones I've seen in the wild were on TPR (October). maybe 3-4? Seem a decent - if expensive - choice for a mainly road event, but daft for 2000km of off-road!

1 breakage is not data - but that's one breakage amongst very few tested on long rides. Look how many metal racks have survived not just ultra-races, but many 1000km+ audaxes and of course, plenty of world tours over decades.

Then there's the green aspect of CF ... (ignores CF forks in own garage) ...

There are alloy versions of the Tailfin.

 

[matticus]

Yes, and they seem to make more sense. Although there are titanium competitors - from established manufacturers with less publicity - which seem at least as good a package.

(I've only seen CF ones in the wild, and I'm fairly sure the breakage in the GBDuro pic I saw was CF?)

 

[Zanelad]

I always ride with a rack and a single pannier. Whether going to work or out for a weekend jaunt. I cannot be bothered to take the pannier off and then fit a small saddle bag for a couple of tubes, levers etc. Let alone removing the rack.

I do have a second pannier, but it doesn't match the one currently on the bike. Just imagine the shame if someone sees me .

Use what you have, need or want and don't worry what others might think. I've never understood why we worry so much about what others, most of whom we don't know, think of us.

 

[bitsandbobs]

Yes, and they seem to make more sense. Although there are titanium competitors - from established manufacturers with less publicity - which seem at least as good a package.

(I've only seen CF ones in the wild, and I'm fairly sure the breakage in the GBDuro pic I saw was CF?)

Yes, Gail Brown's looked to be CF in the picture I saw,

Do you have any recommendations for others to look at - you mention some Ti competitors?

 

[matticus]

Look for tubus stuff? I've never owned a high-end rack , so probably not the best commentator. There were some on a recent thread!

 

[steveindenmark]

Looks like Jason may have had GPS issues (along with a broken saddle), so maybe he's been DQ'd.

Which Tailfin did you go for, a rack+bag solution or the rigid seat pack option?

I got the rack and bag and the add ons to use my own panniers. I didnt go for the carbon fibre rack. The difference in weight is a couple of tomatoes. But a lot of pounds in monetary terms.

The reason that some of thd GBDuro riders used racks and panniers is that quite late on in the organisation of the race the rules were changed. The riders could not have contact with the public at all. They had to carry all their food and shelter with them. The front runners didnt need to carry as much as those at the back and didnt need panniers. But they were all experienced ultra distance riders and knew what they were doing.

Tubus make good racks. I have couple of them. What attracted me to the Tailfin was the bag which sits right behind you, takes lots of gear and is 100% waterproof. The whole package is unbelievably light and solid. The other thing I really like is that I can move the rack from one bike to another in about 10 seconds. Its expensive but I like it.

 

[Moodyman]

Just seen the price of the Tailfin rack and bags set up. Crikey!

I'll never view my conventional rack and Carradice luggage as expensive again.

 

[bitsandbobs]

I got the rack and bag and the add ons to use my own panniers. I didnt go for the carbon fibre rack. The difference in weight is a couple of tomatoes. But a lot of pounds in monetary terms.

The reason that some of thd GBDuro riders used racks and panniers is that quite late on in the organisation of the race the rules were changed. The riders could not have contact with the public at all. They had to carry all their food and shelter with them. The front runners didnt need to carry as much as those at the back and didnt need panniers. But they were all experienced ultra distance riders and knew what they were doing.

Tubus make good racks. I have couple of them. What attracted me to the Tailfin was the tol bag which sits right behind you, takes lots of gear and is 100% waterproof. The whole package is unbelievably light and solid. The other thing I really like is that I can move the rack from one bike to another in about 10 seconds. Its expensive but I like it.

Thanks Steve! Very helpful comments. The thing I like about the Tailfin top bag is that you can get at stuff easily: most "bikepacking" saddle bags are a bit of a faff. An advantage of the metal versions is that they now come with bosses for manything/anything cages.

 

[steveindenmark]

Just seen the price of the Tailfin rack and bags set up. Crikey!

I'll never view my conventional rack and Carradice luggage as expensive again.

Choosing to have a rack was an instant decision. Getting the money out my pocket took months. I TOTALLY understand everyones shock. Everyone I know who has one says the same thing. Followed by "Its worth it". I promise you. If it was crap. I would bite the bullet and tell you. But its not. Its great.

 

[RichardB]

Bikepacking ... I had seen the term used, and assumed it meant the same as it did back in the 70s. It doesn't, obviously. Back then, bikepacking was a play on the term 'backpacking', and was literally touring round with a tent and cookset, only on a bike rather then on foot. US origin. Bikes were standard tourers/junkyard builds, bags were old rucksacks and duffels, and trying to keep the bike's load down to under a ton was the main concern. It was certainly not an achingly cool way of using a lightweight road bike (what we used to call a 'racer' back in the day).

This book was the bible of the movement, and has been out of print for a long time. My copy fell apart. Very entertaining.

View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Title-Backcountry-bikepacking-William-Sanders/dp/0811722589

 

[taximan]

I always ride with a rack and a single pannier. Whether going to work or out for a weekend jaunt. I cannot be bothered to take the pannier off and then fit a small saddle bag for a couple of tubes, levers etc. Let alone removing the rack.

I do have a second pannier, but it doesn't match the one currently on the bike. Just imagine the shame if someone sees me .

Use what you have, need or want and don't worry what others might think. I've never understood why we worry so much about what others, most of whom we don't know, think of us.

I agree