Which Panniers?

[saoirse50]

Ooooops! Been there and done that! Last summer, nearing the end of an 1800 mile Dungeness to Durness via quite a few of the islands, riding up the A894 towards Scourie on a very hot day, I stopped after a climb and lay flat out on the grass, with my bike laid down on the grass, just above my head. Leaned back to grab my water bottle, (grey screwtop Sigg in bottle cage on top side of down tube) but mistakenly grabbed the red Sigg screwtop from bottle cage on underside of down tube where I keep my meths. My eyes were half closed with tiredness and also due to the bright sun, so took a good swig, before I noticed the odd slightly menthol taste. At first, it almost tastes OK, a bit sweet and mentholly. For about half a second. Then, the evil, vile taste takes over and the gag reflex kicks in. Revolting. I spent the rest of the day trying to get rid of the foul taste. Lemon sherbets helped.

 

[strofiwimple]

Just a word for the bargain route-if lidl stock there 'pro cycle panniers' then keep an eye out for them.
Had mine 8 years, at the time £20 a pair! Still going strong-not a leak in all that time despite the worst our weather could throw at them. Not a problem for me but no pockets apart from a very flimsy netting pouch and single compartment but very strong fittings and rolltop closing-In hindsight I would have paid ten times the amount i did for them.

 

[squiddley]

Thanks for that,funny you should mention Lidl,they are selling bike gear in one of there weekly deals starting today 18th April.

 

[the snail]

Just a word for the bargain route-if lidl stock there 'pro cycle panniers' then keep an eye out for them.

I bought a pair last year - they were even cheaper at £13/pair! My only gripe is the hooks on mine are crap, and need something else to stop them jumping off. Seems daft not to buy a pair if you get the chance.

 

[Por2geezer]

If you commute with lots of stuff to carry like myself and want some panniers to do this and work when touring I would recommend getting a Knog Dutch Dog

Not cheap at about £90-100 but they drop over your back rack easily and when you take them off there's some straps which lock the 2 panniers together and convert it into a backpack making it easy to then carry about.

One pannier is zipped and has a laptop section, the other has a drawstring and there's even internal pockets for mobile phones etc. and at the bottom of the laptop pannier there's a zip which opens a hidden section from which a waterproof cover emerges.

It's really well thought out

http://www.google.co.uk/products/ca...a=X&ei=4_-TT67cDeHb0QXv-OSEAg&ved=0CGkQ8wIwAg

 

[The Gourmet Wanderer]

Having read everyones ideas and experiences. I have just been to Holland with some MSX back panniers which are 3 years old and do not leak. Even though as a woman I've learned how to over fill them. I had dry bags with bungies for the tent and sleeping bag but an Ortlieb back roller bag sounds a much better option.

Experiesnce tells me the fewer bags the better. Just make sure they are a) waterproof b) easy to carry once unloaded c)easy and quick to load and unload. Ortlieb or MSX both fit the bill.

 

[Crankarm]

Having read everyones ideas and experiences. I have just been to Holland with some MSX back panniers which are 3 years old and do not leak. Even though as a woman I've learned how to over fill them. I had dry bags with bungies for the tent and sleeping bag but an Ortlieb back roller bag sounds a much better option.

Experiesnce tells me the fewer bags the better. Just make sure they are a) waterproof b) easy to carry once unloaded c)easy and quick to load and unload. Ortlieb or MSX both fit the bill.

MSX are a new one on me. Never heard of them.

 

[saoirse50]

Having read everyones ideas and experiences. I have just been to Holland with some MSX back panniers which are 3 years old and do not leak. Even though as a woman I've learned how to over fill them. I had dry bags with bungies for the tent and sleeping bag but an Ortlieb back roller bag sounds a much better option.

Experiesnce tells me the fewer bags the better. Just make sure they are a) waterproof b) easy to carry once unloaded c)easy and quick to load and unload. Ortlieb or MSX both fit the bill.

I'm a woman, and it's often been commented on how on earth I manage on a long tour with so little kit. Maybe I'm a genetic mutation.

 

[The Gourmet Wanderer]

No Saoirse you are amazing. I must take a leaf out of your book. I see you have got yourself the better lightweight kit so - oh good that means I can go shopping! what fun this is going to be.

 

[The Gourmet Wanderer]

I was given the MSX or mainstream X as they are on the internet as a present 3 years ago. They are very similar to Ortlieb and it makes me wonder if they are a partner of sorts.

 

[BalkanExpress]

mainstream X...you may want to be careful about googling that

 

[Big Jim]

I've got Ortlieb Back Roller Classics. They are completely bomb-proof weather wise. As someone recently observed, it can be a bit of a pain trying to find stuff in the single compartment. I'm still delighted with them though. I think they have a five year warranty too.

BTW, you can clip them on and off your rack in three seconds. Brilliant!

I've bought some of these a few weeks back after reading a thread about which panniers to buy. Wasn't sure whether to get Altura or Ortlieb.

I agree with the above 100%. So simple to put on and off. Seemingly bomb-proof. and yes they have a 5 year guarentee. I paid about £78 from bike republic. I had a full wave come down on me whilst out cycling yesterday (don't ask how), but everything was completely dry inside.

Not sure the single compartment would be a problem for me. I usually stuff everything in anyhow anyway.

So, personally I'm happy with them and would recommend that you can't go too far wrong with these.

 

[slowmotion]

You surf on your bike...?

Respect, dude.

 

[Randochap]

Entirely depends on what exactly you're doing, but Ortlieb are hard to beat; simple and tough. However, expedition bags sometimes include expandable features, so loads can always be kept stable, regardless of how much stuff you, er, stuff in.

Some people also prefer extra pockets (available as add ons or built in). I have been happy with Jandd's "Mountain" panniers for remote treks. They are bombproof, though not as waterproof as, say, the Ortliebs, so waterproof stuff sacks are recommended. I like using those anyway as double protection and for sorting gear.

Whatever you consider, beware of zippers on main compartments.

 

[theloafer]

carradice ..if it,s not broke why fix it had my panniers over 25 years and still going strong ( well just repaired 2 holes in them with the kit from them simple to do now ready for the next 25 years ..
http://www.carradice.co.uk/