Originally Posted by
sportridertex
That ain't cheap....
Yeah, I wasn't very specific but I was (unrealistically) hoping to get on the road for less than $50 for rack + pannier... I'm thinking anything in that price range will probably be more like 1-time use though and certainly wouldn't be waterproof.
Originally Posted by
Paul01
Thanks for the recommendation, I'm leaning more toward the Topeak Explorer though due to price (Amazon has them for $28 with free SS shipping)
Originally Posted by
Altair 4
A lot of people like the Topeak Explorer rack - looks to be available for about $30 or so. I used a Racktime TourIt rack for my first tour - solid performance with no complaints; $55 or so.
Panniers? Well, that depends on what your needs are. What size? Waterproof or rain covers? I bought a set of Ortlieb classic rear rollers - for a three day ride (credit card touring), they were more than roomy enough. I could have probably gotten away with using the front rollers on a rear rack. If you are camping, then the regular rears would proably fit the bill.
The weather turns nasty on us and, despite a great sounding forecast when we left, it rained for two days, with five hours straight on the second day. The Ortliebs more than lived up to their waterproof reputation. Everything was bone dry, including a roll of toilet paper. Can't say the same for the stuff in my buddy's Vaude panniers with rain covers. The rain apparently found a way into the covers and formed a pool at the bottom, soaking the pannier.
Thanks, I'm leaning toward this rack now because of price. I hadn't considered looking for something waterproof but I'm thinking I should be. I don't know how much stuff we're going to be hauling but whatever it is I'm sure I'd prefer it stay dry
I've never done anything like this so don't really know how much we're going to be packing. My brother is thinking 6-days for this trip, I was thinking more like 5 or 4 but it'll probably end up being 4. Mostly just be hauling clothes and whatnot, I think we'll be planning on getting food on the road.
Originally Posted by
RT Metro
I've had good experience with Axiom brand racks and bags, fairly cheap going through Amazon especially if you can get the older models. The weight ratings on their racks seems outrageously high. Make sure you tighten the bolts on the footing really well otherwise the rack would sink with a loaded weight on the models that have the foot extension. I use the Monsoon (or is it Typhoon, which ever is smaller) waterproof pannier and it has worked well on the daily commute, no problems even on pouring rain. For the rack, I have the Streamliner Road and the Streamliner Disk. Both have served me well, has the footing that allows to move the load farther back to assist in minimizing heel strike, and can be used through the quick release skewer if you don't have a rack mount. The footing also clears the disk brake calipers.
I'll take a look at these as well. It looks like the panniers are more than I'd like to spend at this time but the racks are in my price range.
Originally Posted by
rogerstg
It's hard to beat the Nashbar waterproof panniers when they're 40-50% off (almost always). My wife and I use them. So far they've proven themselves to be inexpensive, light, sturdy and waterproof.
I was just looking at these on Amazon and they're looking like a real possibility. One thing I hadn't considered but appears to be common looking at the reviews is kicking the panniers while riding. I'll be on a 2003 Giant OCR1 road bike which is a bit of an aggressive compact geometry, also it's a medium when I should be on a large. I'll have to try to estimate how much clearance I'll have back there... Is this a serious concern or more of a freak accident sort of thing? One specific review mentioning this issue was a Specialized Allez which was likely a similar geometry depending on the year.