Advice on buying panniers

Muckers

So I'm thinking of doing a bit of touring on my Canyon Endurance AL disc bike. I've never looked for or bought panniers before so I'm looking for a little advice regarding any do's and dont's when looking. Front or rear? Will all bikes accept the same racks or does it depend on the frame etc.

Any help or hints would be great.

Paul

doozerie

Do's:
* Go for decent quality waterproof ones if you can, getting the contents of a pannier bag wet is a major pain in the arse. Good options in terms of brand include Ortlieb.
* Go for ones with a decent mechanism for attachment to, and removal from, the bike. If they don't attach well to the top bar of the rack they may fall off, if they don't attach well near the bottom of the pannier they may move around on the rack (and snag your feet as you pedal perhaps). Ortlieb (and others) have a latch mechanism which quickly and easily clips the bag onto (and off of) the top rail, and a "hook" hear the bottom which you can adjust to both hold the bag securely against the rack and also force it into your preferred position front/back in so far as that is possible.
* Think about whether you may have to carry the pannier(s) for any length of time off the bike. Some panniers have a shoulder strap (or a harness like a backpack) which may make this easier, but any extra cost (and weight) may be overkill depending on your needs.
* Give a lot of thought to the size of panniers you need. I've always had a tendency to bring too much stuff, and in the past have bought overly large panniers as a result.


Don't:
* Get panniers that are too big. You may be tempted to fill them, and lug around a lot of unnecessary stuff, or they'll remain half filled at the expense of consuming more space on the bike.


As Weepsie says though, the starting point is your bike and what it is capable of taking in terms of racks, your choice of bag will be largely dictated by that. From checking not that long ago, if your bike can't take a conventional rack, brands like Apidura and Arkel are worth exploring for various alternatives to conventional pannier bags, and for alternatives to conventional racks in the case of Arkel.

Muckers

doozerie wrote: »

Do's:
* Go for decent quality waterproof ones if you can, getting the contents of a pannier bag wet is a major pain in the arse. Good options in terms of brand include Ortlieb.
* Go for ones with a decent mechanism for attachment to, and removal from, the bike. If they don't attach well to the top bar of the rack they may fall off, if they don't attach well near the bottom of the pannier they may move around on the rack (and snag your feet as you pedal perhaps). Ortlieb (and others) have a latch mechanism which quickly and easily clips the bag onto (and off of) the top rail, and a "hook" hear the bottom which you can adjust to both hold the bag securely against the rack and also force it into your preferred position front/back in so far as that is possible.
* Think about whether you may have to carry the pannier(s) for any length of time off the bike. Some panniers have a shoulder strap (or a harness like a backpack) which may make this easier, but any extra cost (and weight) may be overkill depending on your needs.
* Give a lot of thought to the size of panniers you need. I've always had a tendency to bring too much stuff, and in the past have bought overly large panniers as a result.


Don't:
* Get panniers that are too big. You may be tempted to fill them, and lug around a lot of unnecessary stuff, or they'll remain half filled at the expense of consuming more space on the bike.


As Weepsie says though, the starting point is your bike and what it is capable of taking in terms of racks, your choice of bag will be largely dictated by that. From checking not that long ago, if your bike can't take a conventional rack, brands like Apidura and Arkel are worth exploring for various alternatives to conventional pannier bags, and for alternatives to conventional racks in the case of Arkel.

Cheers lads. Lots of good advice in there.

brownian

Ortlieb is indeed the world leader. Rose are the consistent cheap place to get them. Vaude have very similar (and also excellent) bags.

A tubus adaptor kit will let you carry (light) panniers on a carbon frame bike (the weight goes onto the back axle) - I"ve done thousands of kilometres like that, and will again this summer, all going well. On an alu bike, you can use p-clips instead of the tubus kit, which makes life much easier when you get a puncture. My wife's bike is set up like that, and has lots of touring miles on it. A seat-post collar with threaded bits for a carrier lets you deal with the lack of 'proper' mounting holes in the frame.

A handlebar bag and a large saddle-bag (trendy, these days, but small in capacity compared to a pannier, and a bit sway-y when riding out of the saddle) might be enough, if you're not planning on tent-camping and have modest clothing/etc requirements.

For light touring (one pair of slacks, one jumper, 2 t-shirts sort of thing), an alpkit dry bag hanging off the back of the saddle is light and waterproof. A bit more awkward to take on and off, but a sight lighter than a carrier plus Ortlieb(s).

Greybottle

If buying panniers, get Ortlieb.

Robust, waterproof, dustproof. Close with a buckle, so no zip to break. Have a locking mechanism so can't fall off.

But trailers seem to be where its at. Have done a number of tours on the continent and they're all raging about them . I didn't meet a single person who regrets buying them and not one would switch back to panniers.

BOB was the most popular brand, especially the one with the big removable bag, made of the same stuff as the Ortlieb panniers.

benneca1

Greybottle wrote: »

If buying panniers, get Ortlieb.

Robust, waterproof, dustproof. Close with a buckle, so no zip to break. Have a locking mechanism so can't fall off.

But trailers seem to be where its at. Have done a number of tours on the continent and they're all raging about them . I didn't meet a single person who regrets buying them and not one would switch back to panniers.

BOB was the most popular brand, especially the one with the big removable bag, made of the same stuff as the Ortlieb panniers.

Second Ortleib are the best by far. Bob is best for extended trip but tbh 4 panniers can carry all you need. I tour with my OH and she carries nothing and I carry all with 4 ortleib. Happy days

Tigerandahalf

I have a set of the ortlieb rear panniers and a handlebar bag. They are the top brand.

A couple of things though - there is no mechanism to lock the panniers to the rack but a simple lock you are using can be used to thread through the handles and lock to the bike then.

Handlebar bags don't seem to come with a simple hand strap attachment to take them around. There is a shoulder strap but it is not ideal. The handlebar bag can be locked to the bike but the bag itself can't be locked. So if you are popping into a cafe you have to take the bag with you. Poor design for such a market leader.

They do come well recommended though. I have had no issue with mine and rain or dust are no problem.