Panniers and Rack

Guy Anderson said:

I need to set up my mountain bike for light touring, and need advice,
opinions and suggestions about rear racks and bags. So far the Topeak
outfit looks pretty good, and I'd welcome any opinions re it:

Consider some of the following when making your decision:

* Will you ride in the rain? Downpours? Do you need waterproof bags or
raincovers? How effective?
* Will you park your bike in the office, or outside? Will it be
necessary to remove the bags every day? Does it need to be an easy
attachment system?
* How much stuff do you carry? Is it heavy (thus wear out the bag
quickly)? Fragile (such as a laptop)? Can you get by with cheaper bags
or do you need the better quality stuff?
* Do you really need lots of little side pockets and gizmos? Personally
I don't use them, one bag for lunch, the other for clothes, one side
pocket for tools/tube.
* Will you do grocery shopping/etc with them? Perhaps you want
expandable bags that cinch down?

I'm sure that there's more to consider, but that's what comes to mind
right away.

Rex Kerr said:

Guy Anderson said:

I need to set up my mountain bike for light touring, and need advice,
opinions and suggestions about rear racks and bags. So far the Topeak
outfit looks pretty good, and I'd welcome any opinions re it:

Consider some of the following when making your decision:

Wow... I can't read... for some reason I just jumped to the conclusion
that you meant for commuting... er... touring... haha... Umm...
consider these resources:

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com
http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/

Those are my favorite touring resources.

Guy Anderson said:

I need to set up my mountain bike for light touring, and need advice,
opinions and suggestions about rear racks and bags. So far the Topeak
outfit looks pretty good, and I'd welcome any opinions re it:

http://www.topeak.com/t8/products/bags/mtxtrunkbagdxp.php

Thanks!

My experience with rack luggage is limited to commuting. As far as I
can tell, trunk bag/panniers combos are neither good truck bags or
panniers. None of the compartments are sufficiently sized as a
compromise for the other compartments. Get a plan truck bag and decent
panniers. Keep in mind this advice is worth what you paid.

\\paul
--
Paul M. Hobson
..:change the ph to f to reply:.

"Guy Anderson, Sr." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I need to set up my mountain bike for light touring, and need advice,
opinions and suggestions about rear racks and bags. So far the Topeak
outfit looks pretty good, and I'd welcome any opinions re it:

http://www.topeak.com/t8/products/bags/mtxtrunkbagdxp.php

Thanks!

I'm surprised no one has yet suggested Arkel. Arkel is way better than
Topeak. Since I learned of Arkel in RBT, I will never go back to Topeak.
Topeak stuff is poorly designed, and they use crappy zippers, which do not
hold up in the weather. Nothing is more annoying than a cheap zipper which
will not zip open/closed, with your cold/wet fingers.

http://www.arkel-od.com/

J.

Sr. said:

I need to set up my mountain bike for light touring, and need advice,
opinions and suggestions about rear racks and bags. So far the Topeak
outfit looks pretty good, and I'd welcome any opinions re it:

http://www.topeak.com/t8/products/bags/mtxtrunkbagdxp.php

Thanks!

Arkel is good and so is Topeak. Another thought for you may be to
consider going to a local Army surplus store. Pick up a couple of
medium size Alice packs and configure them for use as saddle bags.
Advantage is they have LOTS of storage space, are SOMETIMES waterproof
((nothing beats a plastic bag)) and aren't all that hard to get to
fit on a bike. They are usually a LOT cheaper than the ones that are
designed to fit.

Guy Anderson said:

I need to set up my mountain bike for light touring, and need advice,
opinions and suggestions about rear racks and bags. So far the Topeak
outfit looks pretty good, and I'd welcome any opinions re it:

http://www.topeak.com/t8/products/bags/mtxtrunkbagdxp.php

Thanks!

Be careful that the rack you choose is long enough for the panniers to
be far enough back that your foot doesn't hit them with every revolution
of the pedals. This isn't an issue when you're just plopping a trunk bag
on top of the rack, but it can be a big issue with panniers.

See "http://bicycleluggageracks.com/" for details.

As to panniers, ensure that whatever you get has a secure, non-spring
and non-elastic mounting system, and is waterproof. I don't think I'd
get those Topeak panniers.

Actually the Arkel panniers, despite the elastic, are very secure due to
the clamping mechanism on the top of the rack. What you want to avoid
are the panniers that hook onto the top of the rack with some sort of J
hook, then use springs or elastic to hook near the bottom of the rack.
The problem with these is that they tend to fall off when you go over
big bumps.

On Feb 13, 4:01 pm, "Guy Anderson, Sr." <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I need to set up my mountain bike for light touring, and need advice,
opinions and suggestions about rear racks and bags. So far the Topeak
outfit looks pretty good, and I'd welcome any opinions re it:

http://www.topeak.com/t8/products/bags/mtxtrunkbagdxp.php

Thanks!

I've never been a fan of 'one piece' pannier sets like that,
personally. I've toured about a week per year for the last five years
with home-made bikebucket panniers (made from kitty litter buckets.) I
got enough questions about them that I put up a page here:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Buckets about making them.

They're waterproof, good sized (32 L per pair), cheap, and are useful
as stools when in camp. You can put a LOT of reflective stuff on the
back for visibility. Downsides include their poor aerodynamics and
square cross section - large items such as laptops might not fit. But
they yield a wide flat top platform when set up right, so can support
large items atop them with a few extra straps.

Brian Huntley said:

On Feb 13, 4:01 pm, "Guy Anderson, Sr." <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I need to set up my mountain bike for light touring, and need advice,
opinions and suggestions about rear racks and bags. So far the Topeak
outfit looks pretty good, and I'd welcome any opinions re it:

http://www.topeak.com/t8/products/bags/mtxtrunkbagdxp.php

Thanks!

I've never been a fan of 'one piece' pannier sets like that,
personally. I've toured about a week per year for the last five years
with home-made bikebucket panniers (made from kitty litter buckets.) I
got enough questions about them that I put up a page here:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Buckets about making them.

They're waterproof, good sized (32 L per pair), cheap, and are useful
as stools when in camp. You can put a LOT of reflective stuff on the
back for visibility. Downsides include their poor aerodynamics and
square cross section - large items such as laptops might not fit. But
they yield a wide flat top platform when set up right, so can support
large items atop them with a few extra straps.

For those who have more money than time and/or just do not like and/or
do well at building things: <http://www.cobbworks.com/>.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

I just got a pair of Ortleib Sport Packers and love them. Very waterproof,
solid mounting, easy to work with. Expensive but worth it. I had my old
pannirs, probably about like the Topeak brand, 20 years and 3 zipper fixes,
they were never very waterproof but I do keep things a long time. The
Ortleib feel like they ought to give me 40 years, they're well built. Get
the outer pockets that clip on, I use them for rain gear, since the Ortleib
don't have much by way of pockets, just a small mesh side pocket. I'll get
the big Ortleib's when I can afford them and I'll be set for longer touring.
I do long weekend tours but mainly use them for daily commuting where the
waterproofness and simple cable lock both help by way of reliabilty.

J Murphy

"Guy Anderson, Sr." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I need to set up my mountain bike for light touring, and need advice,
opinions and suggestions about rear racks and bags. So far the Topeak
outfit looks pretty good, and I'd welcome any opinions re it:

http://www.topeak.com/t8/products/bags/mtxtrunkbagdxp.php

Thanks!

On Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:01:34 -0600 in rec.bicycles.misc, "Guy

Anderson said:

I need to set up my mountain bike for light touring, and need advice,
opinions and suggestions about rear racks and bags.

my suggestion is to avoid rear panniers if possible. i have
always had problems with my heels hitting the rear bags, and the
weight is too far back for comfortable hill climbs.

i am very happy with my blackburn low rider front rack with
blackburn panniers. i bought some british rear panniers in '04
when i went to the tour de france and needed to haul my tent as
well as clothes, but for light touring i use a trunk bag on the
rear rack, a handlebar bag, and front panniers.

the trunk bag came from nashbar, and i use it as my regular daily
bike bag for camera, wallet, and and other stuff since it don't
like a lot of stuff in my pockets or on my back when riding. when
i need to schlep groceries and laundry, i use folding "city bags"
and take the supermarket's cloth bag discount.

front panniers distribute the weight much better for hill climbs,
have a much lower center of gravity, and don't affect steering
much if you are careful to balance the weight.

Paul M. Hobson said:

Guy Anderson said:

I need to set up my mountain bike for light touring, and need advice,
opinions and suggestions about rear racks and bags. So far the
Topeak outfit looks pretty good, and I'd welcome any opinions re it:

http://www.topeak.com/t8/products/bags/mtxtrunkbagdxp.php

Thanks!

My experience with rack luggage is limited to commuting. As far as I
can tell, trunk bag/panniers combos are neither good truck bags or
panniers. None of the compartments are sufficiently sized as a
compromise for the other compartments. Get a plan truck bag and
decent panniers. Keep in mind this advice is worth what you paid.

\\paul

I've got a Topeak rack (on one bike; Jandd on another), Topeak rack topper
(trunk), and Topeak panniers. They work well together. But I second what
Paul says. For day trips, the rack trunk is sufficient; for summer credit
card touring (no camping) you probably will just need the panniers. Buying
separately gives you a lot of options.

You might want to look at Jandd and Arkel as well.

--
Mike Kruger
Say not always what you know, but always know what you say.
Claudius; 10 BC-AD 54, Roman Emperor

"Guy Anderson, Sr." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I need to set up my mountain bike for light touring, and need advice,
opinions and suggestions about rear racks and bags. So far the Topeak
outfit looks pretty good, and I'd welcome any opinions re it:

http://www.topeak.com/t8/products/bags/mtxtrunkbagdxp.php

Thanks!

I used a Topeak setup for a long time. The nylon is OK but it fades badly
from UV exposure. The fold-out panniers on my version didn't hold nearly
enough stuff, but that's the compromise.

It didn't survive my getting hit by a truck too well. One of the fold-out
panniers ripped off.

Now I use Carradice Kendal panniers. They're old-school cotton duck
panniers. Not too big, not too small, and should last a lifetime. Plus they
smell great and look really cool.

Brian Huntley said:

On Feb 13, 4:01 pm, "Guy Anderson, Sr." <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I need to set up my mountain bike for light touring, and need advice,
opinions and suggestions about rear racks and bags. So far the Topeak
outfit looks pretty good, and I'd welcome any opinions re it:

http://www.topeak.com/t8/products/bags/mtxtrunkbagdxp.php

Thanks!

I've never been a fan of 'one piece' pannier sets like that,
personally. I've toured about a week per year for the last five years
with home-made bikebucket panniers (made from kitty litter buckets.) I
got enough questions about them that I put up a page here:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Buckets about making them.

They're waterproof, good sized (32 L per pair), cheap, and are useful
as stools when in camp. You can put a LOT of reflective stuff on the
back for visibility. Downsides include their poor aerodynamics and
square cross section - large items such as laptops might not fit. But
they yield a wide flat top platform when set up right, so can support
large items atop them with a few extra straps.

I cannot see them as a touring solution but they look excellent for
around town shopping and cartage.

--
John Kane, Kingston ON Canada

On Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:13:25 -0500, John Kane <[email hidden]>
replied to Brian Huntley:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've never been a fan of 'one piece' pannier sets like that,
personally. I've toured about a week per year for the last five years
with home-made bikebucket panniers (made from kitty litter buckets.) I
got enough questions about them that I put up a page here:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Buckets about making them.

They're waterproof, good sized (32 L per pair), cheap, and are useful
as stools when in camp. You can put a LOT of reflective stuff on the
back for visibility. Downsides include their poor aerodynamics and
square cross section - large items such as laptops might not fit. But
they yield a wide flat top platform when set up right, so can support
large items atop them with a few extra straps.

I cannot see them as a touring solution but they look excellent for
around town shopping and cartage.

They'd make an excellent camp seat.

I find "expandable" storage most versatile though not always the most
weather-proof nor is it as good for sitting on.

With many packages carried from a shopping trip being round there's
lots of wasted space in a carelessly packed, rigid, square, pannier
that depends on a snap-fit lid for its watertight integrity. . . and
they're noisier when partially full.

Fact is I've loved my Arkel Lady Bug for over six years of near daily
utility service and my Xtracycle for almost two years of
extraordinary service. For the rare tours I still have modified
surplus cotton duck bags because they refuse to die.

To the OP: Even using submersible bags you'll have to double-bag in
plastic anything that _must_ be kept dry on a rainy tour or commute.
Look for racks that will mount farther to the rear if heel clearance
is going to be a problem with your frame and chosen panniers.
--
zk