Ok, appologies for the delay in the review, been traveling a bit.
All in all, I'm very pleased with the Axiom Journey rack and Cartier Panniers.
I definitely think that the Journey rack gives you a good bit of the length of the Jandd expedition rack, but at considerably less cost. It's not quite as long as the Jandd, but should help most of those out there with heel strike issues. Combined with the panniers, and my heel strike issues are well solved. I gained a great deal of heel clearance with this combination. On top of the sheer length and solidity of the construction, the engineering around the mounting of the rack to the frame is much more elegant, with articulating attachment points that move and adapt much better to the bike frame.
As for the panniers, I just like them better, they seem less "billowy." Not sure how to describe really. I guess in comparison the Performance Pro Panniers, which just seemed to have a lot of fabric, and not a lot of shape. Admittedly, I think that the Performance Pros are bigger for the same cost, the Axioms just seem tidier.
I would strongly encourage anyone to pursue Axiom racks and bags as a solid commuter set up.
Hope that was clear enough, if anyone has any specific questions, please feel free to write!
Regards,
Sam
__________________
"More ideas than a dying duck in a thunderstorm"