Originally Posted by
Duragrouch
Tourist in MSN : I've seen your pannier setup before in your other posts. I love my Jandd trunk bag (big expandable one, ex-police found at goodwill), but that rear racktop bag sure does make sense instead of that, if the panniers are high enough to stabilize it. I like the panniers on the lower rack tier, but they should be that high when full.....
Backrollers and the 31 liter Rack Pack. Rack Pack described here:
https://us.ortlieb.com/products/rack-pack
I did several tours before I realized that I was not doing it right. This is the right way to attach it.
But that also means there is a lot of work to do if I want to get something out of a rear pannier during the middle of a ride. So, I have to plan packing well.
Works best if both rear panniers are packed so that they both are the same height. The 31 liter Rack Pack is essentially a duffle, has no frame to give it shape or structure. When it is only half full, it sags because of that lack of structure. Now I use a sheet of Coroplast inside that gives it more of a cylindrical shape, as shown below.
I lowered the rack slightly for use on this bike. The pannier frame at the bottoms of the panniers sit right over the ends of my rear skewer. When touring I use bolt on skewers, not quick release. I did not plan it that way, but I want the center of gravity as low as practical and this is about perfect.
An inch or so above my rear derailleur, so it does not interfere with shifting or impair the derailleur hanger alignment. Thus, that is about as low as it can go with this rack on this bike.
