Panniers and Tyres

[BrynCP]

I will be doing the trans penine trail in a couple of months.

I plan to take my hybrid and will need new tyres and panniers.

Can anybody recommend any panniers suitable for the job, but not too expensive? It will be over 3 days, so need to fit enough stuff in for 2 nights. It's very likely to be a one off as I am usually a road cyclist.

Also what tyres would be most suited to the job? I need 32mm width, but should I be looking for tyres with some tread, or would a city/commuter tyre be sufficient?

 

[RoubaixCube]

Schwalbe Marathon Plus for tyres - they are heavy but absolutely bombproof!

Pannier wise, im not as versed as the others as i havent toured before and the only panniers ive ever used were my Altura Urban 20 for commuting. Maybe someone else can add their input.

 

[alicat]

Try these panniers at £9.99 plus p&p from SJS Cycles. Probably need a liner, though, and be gentle with them.

 

[alicat]

Also, you don't need as much stuff as you think. Rinse your cycling stuff out as you go, wear flipflops in the evening and have only one set of casual clothes for the evening. Look on the touring threads for tips on lightweight touring.

Hope you have a good time.

 

[steveindenmark]

I would suggest if you buy those panniers you put your gear in bin bags first.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I will be doing the trans penine trail in a couple of months.

Last year's CC Ecosse tour took us on some very rough forest trails.
Us girls had Marathons+ or Marathons originals, nobody got a flat.
The boys did though, on roadie type tyres.
This year, from Glasgow to the Lakes district, less rough roads (one hopes) I will use Schwalbe Land Cruisers, a bit lighter but less puncture proof.
Imo you don't really need knobby tyres unless you plan serious off road.
We did ok on a long gravel descent with our Marathons.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Forgot: I was using a non matching, unbranded pair of panniers.
Stuff in plastic bags as they were not waterproof.
3 days away, I had less than 5kg including tools.

 

[slowmotion]

I'm afraid that I'm going to be the tedious git who advises you to buy Ortlieb Back Rollers. They are not cheap. However, they are exceptionally good and they won't need replacing for a very long time. Who knows, with all your kit dry at the end of the day, you might get to love a bit of touring.

 

[Andrew Br]

If you can, use a rack top bag rather than panniers for the TPT. There are lots of bike gates and some of them are narrow so the extra width of panniers makes it difficult to get through.
I regularly ride the MCR parts of the TPT on normal road tyres (28mm GP4 Seasons) but I'm not usually carrying a lot of weight on that bike or 35mm Clement Xplor USH on my commuting bike.
I'd say tyre width is as much a factor as make/type; wider is better for lots of the trail and make sure there is enough pressure in them to prevent snake-bites on the rough sections.

 

[BrynCP]

For anybody who may find this thread in future, I did this (earlier than expected!) with:

• The £10 SJS panniers: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/sjsc-rear-pannier-bags-black-30-litre-prod11550/
• Lifeline Essential Armour Tyres: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-essential-armour-commuter-road-tyre/

The bags had ample space, and survived the ride. The cons were the thin material at the top rips easily if pulled, and the metal hooks rock on the rack a lot and chip away at the paint.

The tyres handled all surfaces fine, and not a single puncture.

 

[gavintc]

I'm afraid that I'm going to be the tedious git who advises you to buy Ortlieb Back Rollers. They are not cheap. However, they are exceptionally good and they won't need replacing for a very long time. Who knows, with all your kit dry at the end of the day, you might get to love a bit of touring.

IMO, completely unnecessary. If you are going for 3 days and do not intend doing this often - cheap panniers with the kit wrapped in bags will suffice. I commute daily with cheap panniers - never seen the need to spend serious money on a bag. It needs to hook on effectively and stay there over the bumps.