Hi all,

anyone know what bags will fit a front Tern Spartan Rack? All my panniers are too big and all the stores I've visited have nothing in that fits, they're all too big for the bottom clip to attach to the rack.

Cheers,

Che

Have you tried Ortlieb bags? The position of the clip on the bottom can be adjusted. I used the front roller on my old dahon front rack. My old bag had an oval shaped track so I could adjust the height of the bottom clip. The new bag design seems to have a single track, but it probably still fits. They seemed to have renamed "front roller" to "sport roller". The rear roller might be too tall that it touches the ground. But you can go to a local store and test it.

The ortlieb panniers are really long lasting. Still in good condition after 8 years. The plus version with cordura is supposedly more durable than the classic version with PVC. I also prefer the texture and feel of the plus version.
https://www.ortlieb.com/sport-roller-plus


old bag with oval track. No longer in production.

I just came back from an outdoor shop, and I saw that Vaude has a rectangular track for the bottom hook, so you'll have more possibilities to adjust the position of the hook, when compared to the new Ortlieb single track. The website lists prices, weight, and volume by the pair, so it might be confusing.
There is a lightweight version and a standard version. The lightweight specs look very light, although the material is thinner. The standard version is slightly heavier than Ortlieb. The lightweight version's closure seems similar to the Ortlieb roller, where the rolled ends clip together. The standard version has in addition clips on the side if you want to attach a shoulder strap separately from the top closure. One of the annoyances of the Ortlieb closure is that it tends to unroll if you're using the shoulder strap. The standard version also looks like it has a beefier back plate compared to Ortlieb. Ortlieb has exposed fabric on the back, which is being worn thin by rubbing on a protrusion on my rear rack. I'm going to have to add some Seam Grip and a piece of tape to cover up the worn area.
https://www.vaude.com/en-INT/Product...mber=129514590
https://www.vaude.com/en-INT/Product...mber=124931250

Aaaahh brilliant!
Everything I looked at didnt have that, so thats a huge relief.

Thanks a lot guys, I'll probably go Vaude, used a lot of their stuff in the past and never let me down.

for the record, you can turn the single track of the Ortlieb Sport Roller upside down. You need tools though - see the manual of the Ortlieb Sport Roller. (I cannot post links)

Take a look at New Boiler 10L panniers on Ali-express. I got one for my Spartan rack and it fits perfectly. Was only $27AUD. Time will tell how robust it is, but given the weight limits of the Spartan rack, it's not going to be too heavy.

In front of USS Midway, San Diego, California

I can highly recommend the Carradice Super C front panniers, made in jolly old England.
Made from waxed cotton, waterproof, durable.
This picture was taken soon after I had completed a 16 month tour of Europe, SE Asia and North America.
They still look new.
On my Bike Friday Diamond Llama.

Another vote for the Carradice Super C front panniers with a Tern Spartan rack, with the proviso that it’s a bit of a faff getting the lower clips on the panniers connecting up with the bottom of the rack. That said they’re small enough and sturdy enough not to need them held firmly in place there.

I have a treasured waxed-cotton jacket, obtained cheap because washed and shrunk, I rewaxed it better than new*. I like that the finish can be renewed, but it does take that, where the fabric wrinkles, the coating needs to be refreshed. But it does add weight to the fabric.

* Original fabric was waxed with paraffin (candle) wax, stays thick and stiff. I rewaxed with what is technically called waxed/oilskin fabric, like vintage marine foulies; beeswax, raw (not boiled) linseed oil (vary ratio depending on water-repellancy vs flexibility desired at cold temperature), and gum spirits turpentine, which is a co-solvent with the linseed, neither totally evaporates, and the mixture cures and shrinks over months until fabric is flexible like thin leather, but waterproof.

Looking online at those panniers, yep, looks like for only 1 front pannier is 1584 grams, 3.5 lbs each. That sounds heavy, but may be comparable to Ortleib back rollers.

My coated polyester fabric (backpack cloth) panniers used in the 1990s leaked like a sieve, both due to water penetration of the fabric, and under the lid with blown rain at speed. My next panniers will be the Ortleib heavy synthetic canoe-bag material, with the canoe-bag style closure, the back rollers. If waxed cotton ones are made in that style, when fully closed, if squeezing them causes any air leak, I think that would be a water penetration point. But if not, I really like the whole concept of waxed cotton, aesthetically, environmentally, durability.

I own a lot of Carradice gear now, and I’ve not bought a single piece new. I did have to rewax the 54l pair of rear panniers with a pot of wax from them and a hairdryer, but the rest of my kit is fine so far. Definitely worth a search on eBay and see if you can find a UK seller willing to post you their cast-offs. Plus, if you buy their saddlebags you’ll find that they’re signed by the sewist who made them.

We have these (i think 15l each) on a spartan front rack on our Terns and they work fine for us. I don't worry much about the bottom clips though Keri tries to hook them on more. We're mostly on road or going pretty slow so bouncing around hasn't been a problem. Sometimes put them on the rear - need to adjust them so heels don't hit and then they're fine, but i quite like the weight being on the front. Btw, Keri is using using Arkel dry-lites on the rear and likes them. (The bottom clips for those is too low so she tends to put a bungee right around the middle of each bag and the carrier leg).