Ebay Panniers Topeak MTX clones - Anyone brought any?

[potsy]

I got the Topeak baby sitter rack (disc version) £26ish.
The bag is big enough for me to only need the rackbag bit most of the time, the fold-out paniers will come in handy if ever I need to carry more though.

 

[david1701]

now I have either an mtx or a dx can't actually remember, the rack is great, the side bags are a bit of a pain, but thats expected. The build quality of the bags though is shocking, one half of the zip has broken off on one side, the zip metal has pulled off the material and both have holes in from rubbing against stuff in them/leaning on walls. It's less hassle chucking a normal laptop bag into a proper pannier :s

 

[jamin100]

now I have either an mtx or a dx can't actually remember, the rack is great, the side bags are a bit of a pain, but thats expected. The build quality of the bags though is shocking, one half of the zip has broken off on one side, the zip metal has pulled off the material and both have holes in from rubbing against stuff in them/leaning on walls. It's less hassle chucking a normal laptop bag into a proper pannier :s

Hmm this doesnt sound good. If im spending this kind of money id want it to last a very long while

I got the Topeak baby sitter rack (disc version) £26ish.
The bag is big enough for me to only need the rackbag bit most of the time, the fold-out paniers will come in handy if ever I need to carry more though.

Yeh thats why I want a bag like this because i think it may just be big enough for what i need but to have the option of the drop down panniers would be a bonus just in case

 

[cyberknight]

I used to have a bag on top of the rack and i found that the contents got shaken around a fair amount, my sandwiches were always worse for wear after my commute ,if your only carrying clothing etc you might be ok but proper panniers keep the weight lower down so it does not affect the handling of the bike so much by altering the center of gravity with a lot of weight up high .
I also have used a seatpost rack that mounted the weight higher and it certainly made high speed turns and hackign up hills harder as you could feel the weight shifting over the back end so i would go for panniers if you can .
I got a pair of those sjs panniers at x mas and for the money they are a bargain ...

 

[david1701]

Hmm this doesnt sound good. If im spending this kind of money id want it to last a very long while



Yeh thats why I want a bag like this because i think it may just be big enough for what i need but to have the option of the drop down panniers would be a bonus just in case

yeah 6 months of use :s though I recokn at least one of the holes is because I didn't push it in very well and it came off the back once :s but its still excessive and the shitty zips are completely unrelated to that. my panniers are the 35 quid a pair deuter ones and they haven't given me any gip in 12 months

 

[jamin100]

Ok, stuff it - im going to get the topeak setup. Looks like I can get the rack and bag for £76 delivered. Fiancee #1 is going to go mad

 

[fossyant]

They are fine. Don't forget the waterproof cover ! I use the side panniers all the time, and they are OK - zips fine and I generally carry food waterproofs in the side, but when loaded it's shoes and locks as well.

 

[jamin100]

Without the panniers down, do you think id be able to fit the following in just the top bag part:

size 9 shoes, Trousers, T-Shirt, thin jumper?

 

[semislickstick]

I got the one that is on ebay from Dealextreme, roughly about £17 delivered, about a month to arrive. It fell apart the second time I used it, the stitching around the zips on the main compartment and extender part, maybe I was unlucky.
Chain reactions has an offer on the velcro mtx(you don't need their special rack) with drop down panniers half price for £40 with free delivery. No raincover though...
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=57993

 

[jamin100]

thanks, the one with the quick release system is only £44 and i dont have a rack already so will prpbably just buy the QR rack too

 

[Norm]

Without the panniers down, do you think id be able to fit the following in just the top bag part:

size 9 shoes, Trousers, T-Shirt, thin jumper?

Depending on the shoes, that shoud be possible in the MTX DXP rack bag. I used to take that, fresh underwear, camera, spare lights and a handful of other spares in the expanded main section, with tubes, pump, tools and PRK in the folded panniers, waterproofs in the elasticated section on the top.

 

[jamin100]

thanks hopefully will get them ordered pretty soonish

 

[jamin100]

just found a gotcha!

Apparently there are a few versions of this bag!

EXP - which doesnt have the extendable top!
DXP - which does have the extendable top!

So buying both the bag and the Topeak super tourist rack, the cheapest i can come to are as follows

EXP & Rack £76
DXP & Rack £88

hmmm, Not sure if id find the expandable top section handy as ideally I'd like to be able to get everything in the trunk part without using the panniers

 

[Norm]

hmmm, Not sure if id find the expandable top section handy as ideally I'd like to be able to get everything in the trunk part without using the panniers

Just in case it isn't obvious, I think it's worth the extra tenner. It becomes huge.

 

[jamin100]

Yeh already talked myself into the bigger set. Just got to run it past er in doors