Panniers - Racks - Bags - Bike Luggage

Cool. Think I'm gonna get them too. As a starting point at the very least.

Blackburn/Arkel options are really attractive and a nice "in-between" capacity but they're so much more expensive - I don't think I can justify it when there's other gear to buy :(

bought my first pannier.. went for a cheap dhb one. The clamp that attaches it to the rack isnt exactly a snug fit. In the picture below my rack must be an 8mm one (tubus fly).

Is it fairly standard for a bag to fit such a wide range of rack diameters and therefore seem a bit rattle-y on smaller diameter racks? should I send the bag back and get something else?

Bottom left pic shows why rattly. Ortleib come with inserts to fit smaller rails, might be something similar available to these, else you could tape old innertube to the rack to make the tubing thicker at attachment points.

yeah I know why its rattly, just seems odd to fit such a wide range of tube sizes. Could probably attach it round the toptube of my bike for a snug fit.

Good to know more expensive ones come with inserts, will just bodge this one for now though.

I bought panniers before I bought a rack :/

Thinking about these three - I know the Tara is the "go to" rack for many people, but I'm not a fan of the loop over the wheel thing, functional though it is...

Salsa Down Under - small, can be found cheap. Weight unknown.

Thorn Lo-Loader - perfect match for my forks. Pricey-ish, 560g

Tubus Tara - slightly lighter, slightly cheaper, not so keen on the looks.

Thoughts?

Salsa would be aluminium and probably quite light.
And the coolest looking of the three.

Salsa looks like it puts the weight infront of the axle, guess that'll slow the handling a little, probably only really an issue off-road...

Very happy with the Tara, need to refit this weekend as I'm due a trip back to my parents to pick up walking boots and a selection of home made jam and pickles mmm...!

Tubus Duo might be an option?

The hoop might look a bit odd, but it greatly increases the stiffness. Also a great place to pop a light...
Salsa have changed the design of the Down Under and do a CroMoly version too if you're feeling the need. It now doesn't look quite as good (at least in my opinion, you can see one here) but the new design is probably stiffer. It's basically the same as the Thorn now.

Self-amalgamating tape seems to be working pretty well on my rack to increase the diameter of the tubes so stop the panniers rattling.

Buy some of this with the correct id, slit lengthwise and slide onto your existing rails to increase the od.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nylon-Pneumatic-Tubing-Metric-1-Metre-30m-Roll-Air-Line-Compressed-Push-Fit-/121889832548?var=&hash=item1c61333e64:m:m5YnRNTZyoBDadbziwDLv5g

I want get a rack like this http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Tortec-Velocity-Rear-Pannier-Rack_24700.htm?sku=47781&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=AdwordsProductAds&utm_campaign=Adwords&gclid=CjwKEAiAova1BRDS15OXjcug_FMSJACWNAKZrl9W3sOD_T0XlZugJQQoh6fPl6aJBCkeKZ35i_AxfBoCs97w_wcB#

(My brother has it and it's light and compact and fits his CDF well), any suggestions for a single bag for it? waterproof and capable of taking full set of work clothes & shoes and lunch..

I have one of those - it's great.

Pannier (ortlieb or >>>>>)
Saddlebag (doesn't actually need a rack)

You can use ortlieb front rollers (smaller, 12.5L each) on a rear rack if you don't need the capacity of the back rollers (20L each).

Cheers, will check them out..

@andy_k @hamrack

Cheers fellas - It's probably pretty stupid to go on looks so I might as well start with the Tara as it sounds like the best at what it's supposed to do! The tubus duo is interesting though.

Decisions decisions...

Are there any decent sources for Soma/Pelago porteur racks in the UK? I know you can order direct from both, but shipping costs are pretty high...

Velorution is Pelago's UK distributor. Ask them maybe?

Guess I posted this in the wrong place on the courier bags thread last week,but not sure this is the right thread either, but let's see!

I'm looking for a new rucksack / backpack, something suitable for bike use, flap top for waterproof ness etc, but also suitable for carrying a laptop amongst other stuff - have a carradice cadet at the moment but it doesn't fit a laptop and I'm not so keen on keeping a laptop on the bike itself.

Was looking at the Brooks range - the pickwick, Dalston, Hackney etc and they look very nice and have the features I want, but are rather pricey. Does anyone have any experience of them, are they any good, and is there anything else worth me looking at?

Prefer something other than the standard black nylon type bag, something a bit more interesting looking.

I got mine from velovitality.co.uk

BigxTop/@jtrent90 makes really excellent bags to order - drop him a line. He's made bags for heaps of people "on here".

I also bought a T-Level Challenger a few years ago which fits this bill and is still going strong. Would recommend.

Never owned a Chrome bag but they're probs a safe bet. There's also Mission Workshop and Inside Line and Trakke that make really great looking bags but they're in, if not above, Brooks range as far as price goes...

http://www.homeofmillican.com/smith-the-roll-pack-18l.html

Does anyone know how to contact /order PAC bags other than via their Facebook page? Cheers

Posted on the FB page...

production timeliness:
Finish 7 LARGE BACPAC's - this upcoming week ( 2 bags unspoken for) ,
Finish 12 Ultimate messenger shoulder bags( have 1 or 2 spots open): next 2-3 weeks,
Finish small batch of Medium BACPACS, next 2 months ( have 5 spots open). As many of you know I have gone back to college and am only hand making these bags part time, If you would like any of the production spots available message me or email pat30@me.com and we can talk about the details of your bag.

Lightweight (as in volume) pannier setup - Ortlieb City Roller front my best option?

SJS have the old style ortlieb front roller plus for £56+p&p? The fabric is nicer than the classic vinyl.

These? Good spot, ta, I always forget about SJS for these sort of things.