Ortlieb Front Roller Classic
 

Anyone here use the Ortlieb Front Roller bags on their back rack for commuting (I want to make sure they'll work on the back rack)?

I can't find anyplace to put my hands on a set to see how large/small they are and I want something that will carry your average commuter clothing items, laptop and a few misc work folders and wonder if these are a good size for most folks. I'm thinking the back rollers are overkill for me for basic commuting and I'll probably never go on long rides where I need to pack that much stuff.

They will work just fine. The latching mechanism for both the front and back are the same. You may have to fiddle with the lower catch to engage the rack properly however. If you want to use them as front bags, you'll probably have to reconfigure that catch but it's not hard to adjust.

They total 25L, they will fit fine on front or back.

I think only a pretty small laptop (12" screen or less) would fit. Folders would be fine if you don't mind them getting crumpled up. That would happen in most any pannier (not sure if it would happen more in a small pannier you roll down onto them, or a large pannier they have room to bounce around in)

I do have a pair of ortlieb frontrollers but I don't use them for day-in-day-out commuting. The daily panniers I use are closer to the size of the backrollers and they comfortably fit a computer and all the papework I ever need on one side, and all my clothes on the other side (shoes stay at the office).

I use the front ones on the rear for around town. This past weekend I even used the set on the back for an overnight camping trip. The size is perfect for around town. Although, if you want to do grocery shopping I would go for the larger size.

What are the dimensions of your laptop? I have fit a 12" record in my front roller, however, it was a tight fit and i worried about the album sleeve getting bent up.

What's an album? Just kidding.

I have a 12" Thinkpad which I hope will fit since it's pretty small. I also purchased the Ortlieb handlebar bag with the camera insert for my SLR camera.