Originally Posted by
littlebigbot
I'm looking for something cheap, if it only lasts me 5000 miles, that's fine. Otherwise I'd go for tubus racks and ortlieb panniers.
My Nashbar waterproofs have a lot more than 5000 miles on them and are still like new.
Blackburn EX-2 Expedition - Not sure about the EX-2, but I have been very happy with my EX1
For the front Nashbar and Performance both have a nice low rider clone. The one I got from Performance has larger diameter tubing and I like it better, but both are cheap, work well, and should last a long time.
For both front and rear I like the Nashbar or Performance waterproofs quite well. Our's are holding up well. I didn't like the Nashbar MTB panniers nearly as well, but my two companions on the TA wanted a few pockets so they each took one of the MTB panniers and one of the waterproofs on front. I found the MTB panniers tended to be kind of floppy and get into the spokes, but a stick and a couple cable ties resolved that for the remainder of the trip.