Touring - Pannier recommendations for a 1998 specialized rockhopper?

Hi there, im looking for advice on any particular pannier recommendations for a 1998 specialized rockhopper that i could fit, any help would be appreciated. Thanks

I had a '93 (?) Rockhopper that I built up as a touring bike, and the choice of rack is more important than the choice of panniers when you have shorter-than-optimal chainstays. I used a Tubus Logo, and that worked well, since it can put the bags lower and farther back than most other rear racks.

FWIW, I used Ortlieb Back-roller classics with it, and had minimal heel strike.

I don't have direct experience with that bike but if I was fixing up a short chainstay mtn. bike for touring I wouldn't load up the rear with big panniers. What kind of load are you needing to carry? If it's the kind of load you'd need to carry for touring in a set of panniers I'd get a small set to put on a front rack like an OMM Sherpa then pile the rest on the rear rack.

I had a '93 (?) Rockhopper that I built up as a touring bike, and the choice of rack is more important than the choice of panniers when you have shorter-than-optimal chainstays. I used a Tubus Logo, and that worked well, since it can put the bags lower and farther back than most other rear racks.

FWIW, I used Ortlieb Back-roller classics with it, and had minimal heel strike.

Your right.I actually meant to say rack.I will take on board what you said and look into the ortlieb back roller classics.

I don't have direct experience with that bike but if I was fixing up a short chainstay mtn. bike for touring I wouldn't load up the rear with big panniers. What kind of load are you needing to carry? If it's the kind of load you'd need to carry for touring in a set of panniers I'd get a small set to put on a front rack like an OMM Sherpa then pile the rest on the rear rack.
Thanks for reply. I would only be setting up for commuting at the moment but would be looking to get a decent enough set up on the bike.

I have just a standard Blackburn rear rack on my 1998 Hard Rock. I'm not sure if the Hard Rock differs from the Rock Hopper much but the Blackburn works fine for me. I commuted with it and toured on it twice with that rack. Also used Front and Backroller classics which worked great.

Thanks for reply. I would only be setting up for commuting at the moment but would be looking to get a decent enough set up on the bike.

The Ortliebs are nice because you can shift the pannier back on any rack by changing the position of the hardware for heel clearance. It makes a difference if you have size 8 or size 13 feet regarding pannier placement. While the Tubus Logo is a killer rack, I've got one, it's not cheap and if you ride without fenders you'll want some kind of platform to act as one. For any rack that's going to carry panniers get one with three struts so the panniers can rest back on it. The basic bike racks like the old Blackburns with two vertical struts are pretty much designed to be platforms and not as much for securing panniers. For the money a Topeak Explorer or Explorer DX with lower rails is a good value. I haven't seen one of these, it's probably heavy given the use of solid aluminum rod but it looks good. http://store.interlocracing.com/khalra.html
You don't mention how much you need to carry for commuting. If it's just a change of clothes and lunch that's something you can put in a rack bag or small panniers. If it's a bigger lap top then it'll take big panniers to pack and secure it well. The weight isn't that great but the dimensions exclude smaller/front panniers. I put mine in a foam sleeve AND surrounded with an inflatable seat cushion like the Thermarest Sport Seat.
If you're setting up for eventual touring gear and don't need to carry the kitchen sink for commuting check these out.

http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FSBP They're a bit overpriced compared to all the bells and whistles panniers you can find elsewhere but they are small and not that tall so heel strike is reduced and with a bungie strapped from bottom to top they'll be compressed against the rack and not catching wind like big bags. In the event you decide to do loaded touring these small panniers with gear piled on the rack can be balanced with a front rack carrying Ortlieb front rollers/sport packers (the smaller pannier). I'm more inclined to keep the panniers small if don't need the volume for commuting and distribute the load to the front wheel and rack for touring.

The basic bike racks like the old Blackburns with two vertical struts are pretty much designed to be platforms and not as much for securing panniers.

Mine has been loaded up and ridden about 3,000 miles, including a couple of hundred miles of rough, rocky, unpaved roads, without a single problem. My front rack is also one of those cheap two-strut models (CyclePro) and it too has covered the same miles with a full load of panniers, the only problem being in devising a way to mount it securely on the front fork when it was meant to be a rear rack. They may well have been designed to be platform racks, but in my experience they work just fine for carrying panniers as well.