Beginning Tourer>

[leonardnelson]

I have read quite a few info area's of this forum.
I am really just beginning too start touring, most of my cycling is from road bikes
and spinning classes plus triathlons.
I have purchased my touring bike, and now in the midst of building the necessary items for this bike.
Of crse I have selected panniers and I am going for arkel panniers.
I believe I will use camping facilities, so with all that said I would like too ask as
what is a good size in litres for panniers? I am seeking the lightness quanity possible and also to be safe/ no cooking utilities/ just clothing tent sleeping bag.
Of crse all the necessary clothing which I pretty well know what to bring.
But the size of the panniers, and other cases such as handle bar case. Would it be to my advantage to also have front panniers?
I really do thank all of the people on these excellent forums for your support and expertise.
Leon

 

[Don Shipp]

I have read quite a few info area's of this forum.
I am really just beginning too start touring, most of my cycling is from road bikes
and spinning classes plus triathlons.
I have purchased my touring bike, and now in the midst of building the necessary items for this bike.
Of crse I have selected panniers and I am going for arkel panniers.
I believe I will use camping facilities, so with all that said I would like too ask as
what is a good size in litres for panniers? I am seeking the lightness quanity possible and also to be safe/ no cooking utilities/ just clothing tent sleeping bag.
Of crse all the necessary clothing which I pretty well know what to bring.
But the size of the panniers, and other cases such as handle bar case. Would it be to my advantage to also have front panniers?
I really do thank all of the people on these excellent forums for your support and expertise.
Leon

"Panniers are bags designed to be carried on a bike and hold twice as much as you actually need. When chosing panniers, find a nice large pair and don't buy them."

 

[philso]

although there's a lot to be said for going as light as possible (and i generally do), i'm going to disagree with don. decent panniers are fairly expensive items. good ones will last you many years. if you're absolutely sure that you'll never be going on an extended tour and never going to be cooking , etc., then by all means go for a pair of mid-sized panniers, maybe about 40 liters or so. otherwise get large sized ones now and you won't have to spend the money all over again 5 years down the line. if you want to go light, just don't fill them up. and it's good to have the option of not having to smash everything to get them in, like a loaf of bread or a couple of bananas.

 

[geoffs]

We have the complete set of Ortleibs in red which we use for touring, commuting and shopping. Here's a pic of the tandem loaded. It's so good not having to worry about the rain.

Front 30l
Rear 40l
Rackbag 20l
Handlebar bag
Thats for 2 people carrying food, cooking gear, camping gear but no sink.

For one person that isn't cooking, you should be fine with 2 rear panniers that have a volume of 40l. Any more space and you will be taking stuff that you dont need.
When we travel staying in YHA's and B&B's we find that the 40l plus the HBbag are enough for the both of us. We pack well and don't take jeans.

Use steel pannier racks such as Bruce Gordon or Tubus if you dont want to ever worry about the rack breaking.


Cheers

Geoff

 

[alfeng]

But the size of the panniers, and other cases such as handle bar case. Would it be to my advantage to also have front panniers?
Leon

This may be ONLY my opinion ... but, IMO, the weight in the handlebar bag, regardless of size, should be kept to the absolute minimum ... and, it isn't because of the height of the weight as I've read in the past, but rather because the weight in the handlebar bag is displaced from the steering axis (probably, 9-to-12+ inches) vs. the weight in a front pannier which is near the steering axis ... yes, that also means that when you pack, pack the heavier stuff closer to the bikes centerline!

Reserve the handlebar bag for your wallet, phone, maybe a fleece sweater & "candy bar" ...

 

[leonardnelson]

This may be ONLY my opinion ... but, IMO, the weight in the handlebar bag, regardless of size, should be kept to the absolute minimum ... and, it isn't because of the height of the weight as I've read in the past, but rather because the weight in the handlebar bag is displaced from the steering axis (probably, 9-to-12+ inches) vs. the weight in a front pannier which is near the steering axis ... yes, that also means that when you pack, pack the heavier stuff closer to the bikes centerline!

Reserve the handlebar bag for your wallet, phone, maybe a fleece sweater & "candy bar" ...

Thank you for all your information, especially the hanble bar info - I can certainly see where if to heavy would be a problem. Neverthless the mix of fenders with your panniers I do not have too much knowledge as for the best setup in this area? Of crse my road bike it is only the matter of cliping on.
I guess this is a concern when you are using panniers etc?
Thank you again
Len

 

[alfeng]

Thank you for all your information, especially the hanble bar info - I can certainly see where if to heavy would be a problem. Neverthless the mix of fenders with your panniers I do not have too much knowledge as for the best setup in this area? Of crse my road bike it is only the matter of cliping on.
I guess this is a concern when you are using panniers etc?
Thank you again
Len

BTW. I'm not sure what the ideal weight balance is when using rear + front panniers ... 70/30 rear/front? 60/40? 80/20?

Regardless, try to keep the added weight on the fork to a minimum ... and (again), as close to the centerline of the bike as possible.

IF there is a slight imbalance in the weighting of the panniers, load your REAR (and/or, front) panniers so that the CURB-SIDE pannier is slightly heavier so that if you lose your balance you & the bike will flop/fall toward the side of the road.

 

[philso]

how's it coming?i've been rereading your post and decided to stop by again to suggest you consider the larger panniers, or mid-sized with front panniers too.

one reason was that reading your post again, i get the impression that you not only like biking (along w/ everyone else here), but like to push things too (triathlon). so my impression is that you're the type who will easily get sucked into touring and will end up needing the large panniers in the near future.

some of the other reasons are:
i know you mentioned "just clothing tent sleeping bag" as what you'll be bringing, but how about any of these: sleeping pad, decent selection of tools (i don't, but a lot of people bring also spare tubes and even tires), book to read, rain gear, enough water to drink? food for breakfast? not too many places open to eat about the time you'll probably be waking up.

if you've got really high-end gear, you can probably do ok with mid-sized panniers, but you may end up having your tent, sleeping bag and sleeping pad all bungee corded on top of your rear rack.

and as others have said, keep your handle bar bag on the light side; sunglasses,gloves, maps, first aid kit, helmet rain cover and maybe a couple of snacks is about what i usually have.

in case you haven't been here yet, check out this site, too:
http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=47

good luck with whatever you decide on.