Ortlieb Office Bag 2 Pannier

[User]

 

[Bollo]

Haven't got one of these but I have got the 'soft' office bag.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDeta...5360028319&N=Ortlieb Office Bag Large Pannier

I did have a look at the hardcase for commuting with a laptop, but the weight put me off a bit. The softcase is lighter, has a rigid insert and I also use a padded sleeve for the laptop and I've had no problems. The quality is excellent and it looks smart enough to take into meetings without undue comment.

Unless you're putting the thing in the hold of a plane or you like crashing, I can't see why you'd need the hard case.

 

[Danny]

I have got the basic Ortleib soft sided office bag, which has been absolutely great. It doesn't look as stylish as the Altura bag, but has been absolutely great to use.

As I think I previously mentioned you can get an insert for laptops. This has successfully protected mine even though I have had a couple of crashes while carrying the laptop.

Wiggle doesn't say how much the hard cased version weighs, but it looks as if it could be quite heavy. So personally I'd stick to the soft sided one uneless you really need something that looks like a briefcase.

 

[Danny]

Thanks for that.

What does the soft bag have inside? Is it just two pockets, or does it have extra flaps/pen holders etc?

The soft bag has some pretty basic slots for pens, etc, and the pockets and pretty minimal too. So all in all internal storeage is not the strongest feature of this bag.

 

[Bollo]

Its got plenty of flaps and holders, though I tend to use the ones on the insert.

Ortlieb's site lists the weight of the hardcase as 3kg!

 

[Bollo]

That's the chaps! Although I've got no idea what the velcro diagonal bit it for.

Total weight is a little under 2kgs.

 

[Danny]

Its got plenty of flaps and holders, though I tend to use the ones on the insert.

Ortlieb's site lists the weight of the hardcase as 3kg!

They must have improved the insert since I got one - mine is just a cut piece of foam.

3kg is pretty heavy for a bag. One of the things that put me off the Altura briefcase was that it was quite heavy even when empty, and I often have to walk quite a distance with my bag.

 

[HLaB]

I've got the same pannier as Bollo, I've found the bag good has plenty of stoarge and is versatile, I've not got an insert though.

 

[Danny]

You could also look at a Carradice Bike Bureau. I saw someone on the train the other day who had one, and it looked like a decent bag. Definitely a bit more modern looking than their traditional panniers and saddle bags.

 

[Bollo]

So the normal Ortlieb office bag -how do you stop the pannier fixings from rubbing your leg when you're carrying it with the shoulder strap?

I quite like the sensation of a rough, hard fixing rubbing itself against my muscular yet sensitive thigh

-or-

I've never used the shoulder strap, as you have to remove it before riding to stop it catching in the rear wheel and that's too much pfaff. When I carry it using the two short handles, I just turn the fixings away from me. No problem. I guess you could do the same with the shoulder strap.

 

[Bollo]

A second or two to get it on and a quick pull to get it off (...resists temptation to indulge in Viz and Carry On style double-entendres).

The Ortieb panniers have quick release clips that are opened by pulling on the connected short handle strap. In theory, the clips should also engage 'automatically' when they're aligned and dropped on the rack bars. Its because of this that I'm not a huge fan of the Ortleib pannier quick releases, as they can appear to be engaged on the rack but still not have closed properly. It's only happened to me once and I pulled in at work to discover that the bag was hanging from a single clip. Since then, I've always double-checked that the clips have engaged fully. Apart from this gripe, the mechanism is very adjustable and should fit any rack worthy of the name.

 

[Danny]

So the normal Ortlieb office bag -how do you stop the pannier fixings from rubbing your leg when you're carrying it with the shoulder strap?

I use the shoulder strap all the time. If you have the pannier fixings on the side that is away from your body it is very comfortable to carry.

I used to worry that when I was somewhere crowded like the tube I might catch somebody with a fixing but it hasn't happened yet.

 

[HLaB]

I can't see the fixings close up. How easy is it to get on and off the rack?

I find they're quite easy to get on and off if they are loaded but a bit pernickity when not. Like Bolo says occaisionally you could make a mistake assuming its clipped in but it has never happened to me. Once clipped in they're are very secure.

I bought the office bag some years back, specifically for carrying paper work, files etc but found it very versatile and it soon got used for other things, shopping, awkward loads etc. When I wanted something smaller I went out and bought a couple of Ortlieb Sports Packers.

 

[HLaB]

Sounds like Ortlieb have increased the storage since I bought one.

 

[Tynan]

bought Ortleib classic? rollers for the rear and the one I use is superb, loads of space but still looks very tidy and neat

I had to wrap some tape to make stop some slight rattling