I am hoping to take a couple of panniers on a flight to Germany where I will be hiring a bike for a few days only. Two back panniers will be enough for the trip but obviously, as I have little or no control over the fittings, they need to be universal. Any tips, Ortlieb or Vaude for example?
Which panniers?
- Thread starter Yorksman
- Start date
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PaulSecteur
No longer a Specialized fanboy
- Location
- Walsall, West Mids.
Altura night vision panniers have two little prongs inside the bag that will burst two cans of beer if you stack 8 cans in thereDon't get these .
Best consumer advice ever!
Beer wastage is a crime!
Altura night vision panniers have two little prongs inside the bag that will burst two cans of beer if you stack 8 cans in there
I am content to reach the destination each night and drink the draught beer. I don't want to be carrying that much around anyway.
I've seen that they can take pannier with different strut widths. Are Ortlieb better than Vaude's? It looks as if the Vaude requires a special fitting.
I got a couple or Vaude Aquas. They were 30% off in a department store in Germany and cost me £53. They had Ortliebs marked down too, but they were about £15 more. They look more or less the same with the exception that the Vaudes have a hard plastic plate against the pannier rack.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Ortliebs. Bought some a year or two back. Very tough, waterproof. Nuff Said. Even crash tested them - just a little scratch.
SatNavSaysStraightOn
Changed hemispheres!
- Location
- ɐᴉlɐɹʇsn∀ 'ɐɹɹǝquɐƆ
Ortliebs here as well. thousands and thousands of miles and more than happy with them. and ditto on the crash testing of them, though I can say my OH established that dogs can bite through them if they want to! 
Thanks. It's looking better. I just discovered that GermanWings will take bicycles as sports equipment in the hold. They only require a bike bag, not a bike box. They also do Rail & Fly bookings and the DB transport bikes too. I may be able to get to some of the routes I have earmarked in one of the three books I bought, The Best River Bicycle Routes in Germany, The 50 Best Long Distance Routes in Germany and The Best Bicycle Routes on Disused Railway Lines.
I like the look of the 300km Mosel river route from Trier to Koblenz and, although it is downhill all the way, I shall have to get fitter!
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
You cant go wrong with Ortleibs.
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
Thanks. It's looking better. I just discovered that GermanWings will take bicycles as sports equipment in the hold. They only require a bike bag, not a bike box. They also do Rail & Fly bookings and the DB transport bikes too. I may be able to get to some of the routes I have earmarked in one of the three books I bought, The Best River Bicycle Routes in Germany, The 50 Best Long Distance Routes in Germany and The Best Bicycle Routes on Disused Railway Lines.
I like the look of the 300km Mosel river route from Trier to Koblenz and, although it is downhill all the way, I shall have to get fitter!
That is so dangerous. Not one helmet in sight :O)
With all that wine available and with the cycle path being so close to the deep water, I think floatation vests would be a more suitable safety device.
I was going to go for the Ortliebs but they were 40 litre and the Vaudes, more or less the same construction, were 42 litres, giving a 1 litre advantage per pannier, which is just right for 1 bottle of Malteser Aquavit per pannier which could be bought with the cost saving of the Vaudes over the Ortleibs.
It's no good having good panniers without having something good to put in them.
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
But thats the problem. The bigger they are, they more gear you have to put in them. :0)