Originally Posted by lev
Arkel t-42 vs xm-45
hi all,
just wondering if anyone has or used the arkel xm-45....want to get panniers for travel later this year in South East Asia and was wondering which to get..i know there are lots of praises for t-42 and i am also leaning towards that model, but just want to get some feedback about xm-45..the shops dont have arkel products here where i live so i dont have any chances to compare and will have to order it through mail...one concern i have is whether i will have enough ankle clearance with the t-42. on its website arkel markets the xm-45 model as MTB panniers and it seems to be slightly narrower which got me thinking maybe it is a better option since i have a MTB(specialized rockhopper)..although i still prefer the t-42 layout more than xm-45..
thanks for all your help...
I am also considering the Arkel XM-45 panniers. I have a mountain bike that I have rigged as a Tourer and I am of the opinion that the XM-45 would be a better fit on a mountain bike type tourer than the T-42.
It helps to think of it this way: The XM-45 can go on your mountain bike and your traditional road-tourer frame, if you do decide to build or buy one, whereas the T-42 would only work on a road tourer without encountering heel strike issues. In other words, the XM-45 can work with two kinds of touring frames, off-road and on-road.
I hope this helps.
Regards.