Hi everyone,
I wish to post my experiences with a pair of Arkel T-42 panniers. Essentially, the panniers were a disaster for me & I can’t recommend a purchase by anyone. Here is a detailed background. The panniers were purchased in November 2015 from my LBS. In the case of the right pannier, the cam on the lock slowly but steadily became very unreliable. It didn't snap into place to lock onto the rail of my bike rack. In November 2016 I took it to the LBS & they weren't able to fix it. In January 2017, I stopped using the panniers for an extended period & was generally off the bicycle for reasons unrelated to the panniers. For fall 2017 I've resumed riding.

However, the worsening failure of the right pannier's lock to engage securely continued to be a problem and ultimately resulted in an accident on my bicycle. On my last ride with these panniers, the right pannier wouldn't lock and kept sliding around on my rack. I tried unsuccessfully to secure the pannier from sliding & bouncing on the rails. It slid loose and the hook and bungee cord built into the pannier wrapped themselves around my bicycle's spokes and cassette. The bike stopped short & I was tossed off the bike in city traffic. The spokes of the wheel were damaged. I went to a LBS for repair to have the hook removed from the cassette and the spokes trued. I was told by the LBS that I'll need to replace my rear wheel at a cost of $120 for an equivalent wheel. The wheel had been in good condition & I had just paid to true the wheel the previous month.

I wish to emphasize that the locking mechanism problem was unique to the right pannier. The left pannier locked down well enough so this appears to be a problem of manufacturing quality control not design. It also tells me the problem is the pannier not the rack.

In addition, the stitching on the bottom of the right bag is beginning to come apart. This is surprising given how new the bag is. The left pannier is having major problems with the stitching on the bottom of the pannier. The bag doesn't appear trustworthy for holding my laptop or clothing for work.

I'm really disappointed by the performance of these bags, especially relative to the cost. I bought them new about 2 years ago. I've used them exclusively for bike commuting. I had expected that by buying heavy-duty touring bags I would get many years of trouble-free use from the bags for going to work. I had purchased a pair of T-28s in early 2012 & they remain reliable to this day. I’m guessing the quality of manufacture has dropped off since 2012.

Arkel has a lifetime warranty on the bags. To utilize the warranty, I mailed the bags at a cost of $60~ out-of-pocket via US Mail to Canada. Because I now commute to work by bike daily, I had to purchase a new set of panniers from a different maker to hold me over while the panniers are repaired. Candidly, I don’t expect that the repairs will be done properly by Arkel & don’t expect to ever use the panniers again even when repaired. I wouldn’t feel comfortable unloading them on CraiglsList, etc., either as I don’t see the product as safe. In sum, if these bags can't handle holding my work clothes, lunch, & laptop, I can't imagine taking them on tour. I recommend avoiding.

That's a real bummer. You definitely had the worst possible experience. I have an Arkel Tailrider bag and it's great. Very high quality item. It sucks that you had such a bad experience with your panniers. I assume as part of your warranty process you told Arkel all about the failures. I'm really interested to hear how they respond.

Thanks for your sympathy. When the process of dealing with Arkel is over, I'll post an update. That said, I won't use the panniers again & couldn't even give them away in good conscience.

If you knew the cam-lock was not functioning properly, and continued to use the pannier it seems like you are responsible for the outcome. Why didn't you just buy a new cam lock for $25, and replace the faulty one? I'm glad that you were not injured.

https://www.arkel-od.com/en/cam-lock-hook-kit.html

The poor stitching is a quality item. That is why I've been using Ortlieb panniers for the last 10 years.

Then why did you spend $60 to send them for repairs?

I have a number of Arkel bags and racks and they've all been top notch. I've also had them be more than responsive when I've needed something done or something needed to be changed.

I guess I don't understand why you didn't change out the cam mechanism on the pannier when you saw you were having a problem. I don't know for sure, but I'd bet Arkel would have sent you one right away as long as you agreed to send the failing one back. They are simple to change out and have a good reputation.

J.

So you knowingly continue using a faulty product until catastrophic ensues, and its Arkel's fault? You didn't even contact them before hand. Had you, I would be willing to bet that they would have at least started by sending you a new camlock system for free.

There is no cure for...

well I guess I will play nice, but seriously, what a ridiculous post.

I have a set of Arkel GT-54s that I got in 2013? and I love them and have had no issues. They are top notch and aside from weight are some of the best panniers on the market, ATMO. I haven't had any issues with their cam-lock and find it to be super secure.

Things can happen but when you notice an issue and continue allowing that issue to get worse that is on you. If I had an issue I would have sent an email to Arkel explaining the situation and seeing what to do next and stopped using them right away. I don't like the idea of using something I know has an issue.

Too many people think that a problem with a bike or component will magically vanish with some further riding on it and that is never the case. If you notice anything wrong with any part of your bicycle take it to a shop right away and get it fixed and keep up with normal maintenance of your bike. A bike needs care and work and money put into it every so often to keep it functioning. Instead of being like some of my commuter customers "let me run my bike into the ground and then be extremely appalled when it will cost a lot to get it working again" one should be bring their bikes in regularly for maintenance replace parts when needed and do some stuff on their own. It will save you money in the end and you will have a better functioning bike.

I have to agree with some of the others. If the part was gradually failing and you continued to use it rather than replace it, that's not Arkel's fault. On the advice of an experienced tourist, on my extended tour last summer (with Arkel panniers) I took along a spare pair of cam locks because "sometimes they break."

Well, if the OP really is never going to use the repaired panniers then he could just have them shipped to my home instead of having to bury them in a closet.

Bummer. I have a pair of Arkel Dolphin panniers, and their large bar bag. I've touring lots on them and they've been great.

I have Arkel Dolphin 32s and 48s, plus the large bar bag. Flawless performance.

I also have a set of Cannondale Overland panniers, bought new, that developed a hole in one bottom corner from the internal plastic frame rubbing on the bag fabric. But that happened after 35 years of use, so I let it slide.

We've had T-42s since 2009 in constant use for commuting and touring. No problems.