icedmocha 

I am looking at picking up some ortleib stuff from rei. I was thinking of getting a tubus rear rack. I just now looked at racks at nashbar and they are MUCH (by about 100 clams) cheaper then the tubus stuff. Why is this? Do they work the same? Will they work with the ortlieb panniers? thanks.

InTheRain

their are MUCH cheaper panniers than Ortlieb too. But, you get what you pay for. Ortlieb is the best pannier in my book. And... tubus are the best racks. You can look at the maximum load that the rack is rated for to get an idea of how robust it is. I have the tubus cargo rear rack and I don't think twice about loading it up with as mucy as 100 lbs of gear if I have to.

icedmocha 

Load ratings. Makes sense. Where did you buy your tubus, if you don't mind? I figure ortlieb will last a long time, and if I don't want it I can sell it without taking a huuuge loss.

tsl

TheTouringStore.com gets my highest rating for vendor service.

You have to call and talk with Wayne to place your order. He makes sure what you want to buy will work for what you want to do with it. Once he thinks the goods and the customer are the right match, he'll take your order.

Although less convenient than ordering online, that process kept me from making a mistake. I took Wayne's advice and I couldn't be happier with my Tubus rack.

He sells Ortlieb too.

daaxix

Also note that Tubus racks are made out of Cro-Mo steel, which is a lot more expensive than aluminium tubing. This increases the load rating and the durablility.

I just bought a Topeak MTX rack (alumininum tubing) from REI because of the "quick-release" feature and I don't plan on carrying more than 40-50 lbs on it.

Yan 

Ortlieb panniers have no side pockets to aid organization. You may want to take that into consideration before purchasing a pair.

InTheRain

+1 on the Touring Store. The best place to by touring (or commuting) related bicycle equipment.

BBnet3000

the tubus rack will be overkill for a great many uses

those who need it, buy it, everyone else can save money by getting a mere mortal rack

tsl

Some models come in stainless steel (I love my stainless Tubus) and for weight weenies, there are two models in Ti.

FWIW, my stainless rack weighs less than the aluminum rack it replaced. And it has twice the capacity.

oakback

Check out Axiom racks (axiomgear.com), several have load capacities of 60 and 70kg, for less than half the price of Tubus. 70kg seems quite lofty, but I'm sure if they make that claim, 45kg is possible.

Giro

This is not quite correct.

My 6 month old Ortlieb Backroller Classic has an inner full length and nearly full height "pocket" which is very good for storing papers flat or a paper notebook AND it has a full length half-height zipped mesh pocket for smaller items. Both lay flat against the inner side when you want one maximum size space. You can also add another pocket, the In-Put. Finally, the Backrollers are available yellow, making them easy to see.

Per Ortlieb's site LINK, the Bike Tourer has "an inner subdivided organizer".

You can also add external Outer Pockets.

And Ortlieb offers one specialized pack unavailable anywhere else, the T-Pack. "Absolutely waterproof outdoor toilet paper pack. A must for everyone who likes the outdoors. ..."

I suggest (as have others) talking to Wayne at The Touring Store about panniers etc.

sauerwald

I commute with a Tubus rack (replaced a blackburn rack) and Arkel panniers. The tubus rack is rock solid, even when heavily loaded, it accomodates my tail runner trunk as well as panniers on the side and allows me to easily put the panniers on and take them off. The tubus rack is expensive compared to some other racks, but it's cost is about the same as what the guy in the next cube pays to fill the tank on his SUV.

I tend to buy expensive, high quality stuff for my bike, and still can't manage to spend what most people in my office spend on their commute vehicles - it's all relative.