Top Rack Bags

[Blue Hills]

am in south east London, five miles from centre.

 

[ColinJ]

mm - those panniers look rather wonky to me Colin to be honest - and I don't have much faith in the fixings. hate to say it but probably wasted money, no matter how cheap. I use a pair of small Alturas with R&K fittings - had them for donkeys so in the long term cheap - sometimes they carry 2 D locks.

Good move to go with panniers though - can be simpler.

Well, it was a small investment and a calculated risk. I wouldn't have spent £30 on them but with 1p change from a tenner, it's no big problem if they don't last.

I normally carry tools, spare clothing, phone etc in a Camelbak bag on my back. It will be nice to carry that stuff on the bike instead. The rack will be on my CX bike which I hope to use for some light touring as well as local off-roading.

 

[mcshroom]

My standard commuting/audaxing bag is now a Carradice Super C Rack bag. Pretty much waterproof (nothing including a thunderstorm as beaten it yet), 13L Capacity (bigger than one of my Ortlieb City front bags) and no zips to fail. It's basically a Carradice Saddle bag with one side pocket removed and Velcro rack fixings added.

I'd use it for a short tour happily. It doesn't normally get fitted for longer tours as I keep my tent strapped to the top of the pannier rack so it wouldn't fit.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/carradice-super-c-rackbag-black-13-litre-prod6307/

 

[Siclo]

Carradice Carradura here, http://www.alwaysriding.co.uk/carra...C-YZXLUCk7rpaoL9-D8KxEj_4t7_bg11_kaAhLE8P8HAQ

although one of the zips is starting to act up after much use, I need to email them to see if they'll fix, they're usually pretty good.

 

[PlymSlimCyclist]

am in south east London, five miles from centre.

If need be, I have a friend coming from that way in a few weeks. So could ask him nicely to collect on my behalf, that's up to you.

 

[PlymSlimCyclist]

Thank you folks, looking forward to seeing what comes of @Blue Hills offer, and then take it from there.

I'm looking forward to getting back into my distance cycling, especially since it's a good way to get to see my friend for free Leaves more money to spend on drinks

 

[mmmmartin]

My rack bag is a Sainsbury bag for life, kept in place with a bungee strap. I can stick it on top of the tent if the tent is on the rack, and if I'm staying indoors i can put a small ortlieb pannier and the barbag in it for ease of carting the luggage to the room. It's waterproof if you fold the top down, and costs about £90 less than a Carradice saddlebag. What's not to like?
(I have also used an ikea bag but found it too heavy when i put lots of kit in it when walking round a hotel. They can be bought on the interweb without having to go to an ikea shop.)

 

[clockworksimon]

Slightly fancier variation on the bag for life option which I use is an Ortlieb dry bag either bungeed or strapped on. My most used on is 10 litres. They cost between £10 and £20 depending on size, are aerodynamic and can be used for other outdoor activities too. Have never been able to justify the cost of a proper rack bag when this works perfectly fine.

 

[jay clock]

I have bought one of these from Rose https://media1.rosebikes.de/product/370/4/9/498424_1.jpg
and a rack like this https://media1.rosebikes.de/product/370/5/8/586007_1.jpg

For a 4 day ride to Cornwall on a carbon road bike. Tourer will be too heavy for the nature of the ride

 

[Blue Hills]

Am a great fan of ortlieb. Have been tbinking of getting one of their duffle bag thingies - the ones that open up along the length for easier packing/rummaging. I also have a 10 litre drybag. Damn fine, tough as boots, handy size (though maybe 13L better), must admit i rather mistrust the new generation of lighter weight drybags - have doubts about how well they will stand up to releated bungying (and their sharp edges) and being tossed on the floor multiple times. Traditional ortlieb material seems tough and easy to clean.

 

[JackE]

I'm also a fan of the Carradice Super C rack bag. Use it for credit card touring in Belgium / France and UK. It's kept out torrential rain on several occasions and seems generally indestructible.

 

[Julia9054]

We have these Altura ones. They have zip pockets that can form small side panniers. I have never tested it in torrential rain but I like that it's sides are really sturdy

 

[broady]

Get some dry bags and you can separate your stuff to.
Then you can use whatever panniers you want

 

[Ajax Bay]

Get some dry bags and you can separate your stuff to.
Then you can use whatever panniers you want

Have you read the OP's question (Post #1)?

 

[broady]

Have you read the OP's question (Post #1)?

Yes.
The panniers can be any size then and the dry bags make whatever is in there waterproof