Panniers with shock cords

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betty swollocks

large member
Many years ago I had a pair of Karrimor panniers.
They attached to the top of the rack with hooks and elastics with a hook on the end, to the bottom.
Because of the elastics they were held in tension and thus were secure and (very important) rattle-free.
I wish I still had them. I don't know what happened to them.
Anyone know of any currently available panniers which attach this way?
 
I used to have hook and elastic and under heavy load on a big bump they could unhook. Modern QR locking hooks with an anti sway hook are far more secure and much quicker to attach and remove. The main hook brands are Rixen & Kaul and Ortleib. Many bag makers use R&K and you can get the parts to attach to any bag.
There are some substandard hooks that require the QR lock to stay hooked on at all. If the mechanism fails, the hook fails and the bag pivots off the rack badly. With R&K if the lock mechanism fails, the hook is still good.
 

abcd efg

Über Member
Many years ago I had a pair of Karrimor panniers.
They attached to the top of the rack with hooks and elastics with a hook on the end, to the bottom.
Because of the elastics they were held in tension and thus were secure and (very important) rattle-free.
I wish I still had them. I don't know what happened to them.
Anyone know of any currently available panniers which attach this way?
Yes Arkels. I too had Karrimores many years ago. My Arkels are the first to be even better than the Karrimores. They are available in many different models but the fittings are all the same and just like your Karrimores.
 
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betty swollocks

betty swollocks

large member
I used to have hook and elastic and under heavy load on a big bump they could unhook. Modern QR locking hooks with an anti sway hook are far more secure and much quicker to attach and remove. The main hook brands are Rixen & Kaul and Ortleib. Many bag makers use R&K and you can get the parts to attach to any bag.
There are some substandard hooks that require the QR lock to stay hooked on at all. If the mechanism fails, the hook fails and the bag pivots off the rack badly. With R&K if the lock mechanism fails, the hook is still good.
Thank you. I've got some like that. They are secure, but not rattle=free, unless I wrap a bungee round too.
 

abcd efg

Über Member
Thank you.

Going back to my Arkels, you might like to see a review I wrote for Freewheeling France. https://www.freewheelingfrance.com/books/arkel-panniers-for-cycle-touring.html As well, on the Arkel website https://www.arkel-od.com/ there is a wealth of info that might help you. Panniers are expensive, and you seldom know the defects until you are in the middle of a tour. The Karrimors never let me down after years of service(they just got old and worn out) and the Arkels have never failed since I bought them in 2005. And that includes some Rough Stuff as well! There is a downside, however, there are not the cheapest.

Good luck
 
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España
A handy solution to rattling with the added advantage of saving the rack is to use some heavy duty plastic piping such as used for gas or water hoses.
It's available everywhere and means that I don't have to worry about losing the different sized inserts (Ortliebs).
535947


It can also be added at the bottom (trickier depending on the rack design)
 
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betty swollocks

betty swollocks

large member
Going back to my Arkels, you might like to see a review I wrote for Freewheeling France. https://www.freewheelingfrance.com/books/arkel-panniers-for-cycle-touring.html As well, on the Arkel website https://www.arkel-od.com/ there is a wealth of info that might help you. Panniers are expensive, and you seldom know the defects until you are in the middle of a tour. The Karrimors never let me down after years of service(they just got old and worn out) and the Arkels have never failed since I bought them in 2005. And that includes some Rough Stuff as well! There is a downside, however, there are not the cheapest.

Good luck
Again, thank you.
 
OP
OP
betty swollocks

betty swollocks

large member
A handy solution to rattling with the added advantage of saving the rack is to use some heavy duty plastic piping such as used for gas or water hoses.
It's available everywhere and means that I don't have to worry about losing the different sized inserts (Ortliebs).
View attachment 535947

It can also be added at the bottom (trickier depending on the rack design)
Excellent idea. I made some hook inserts out of Sugru. It worked well in securing the hooks tight to the top of the rack, but the panniers still rattled as the anti-sway hook would not hold them tight enough.
If I don't have a completely silent bike except for the hum of the tyres and whirr of gears, I'm driven mad.....especially on long rides.
 
Location
España
Excellent idea. I made some hook inserts out of Sugru. It worked well in securing the hooks tight to the top of the rack, but the panniers still rattled as the anti-sway hook would not hold them tight enough.
If I don't have a completely silent bike except for the hum of the tyres and whirr of gears, I'm driven mad.....especially on long rides.
Don't get a saddle with springs then 😀
It's not my idea - something I found online.😊

I've often wondered about gluing some of the soft sided velcro to the anti-sway hook. As it is, a bit of duct tape around the rack does the job
 
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