Cheap and good panniers?
10-22-18, 01:06 PM
#26
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A friend of mine has both the high end Arkels and also a set of Ortliebs. He usually uses his Arkels, however there have been a few times when a front pannier fell off the bike. Not sure if he hit a bump or if he did not get the bag on the rack right. His panniers are red, that color fades badly in the sun..
10-22-18, 03:32 PM
#27
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Weird. I would guess his bags came off due to user error or maybe for some reason not fitting the rack well? It sounds like the Orlieb and Arkel systems work basically the same. Arkel also releases the under rack latch when you lift the handle, and lock it on when you release the handle. They’re rock solid on the rack. In over 1,000mi, including some rough gravel roads, I’ve never experienced one coming off. It seems like the main consideration for Arkel vs. Orieb is whether you want to spend a little more to save some weight with the Arkels. They seem to me like the two go-to options for really tough, 100% waterproof bags that won’t let you down.
10-24-18, 09:17 AM
#28
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The best cheap panniers are free, right. Go to your local dump and pick up a couple of used kitty liter buckets. Add the hooks to fit on the rack and you have yourself some free panniers. I used them on an 8500 miles trip back in 2015 and still use them today when I'm riding on that particular bike that has a standard rack on it. Be sure to grab the lid to go with the buckets and you have waterproof panniers, they can't be beat by anything you pay money for.
10-24-18, 02:22 PM
#29
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I didn't reinforce anything and I got 8500 miles on mine during my 2015 bike trip. I continued using the same buckets until late spring the following year and replaced one of the buckets for security/safety. They are tough as nails and hold up extremely well. I can't imagine the standard panniers would hold up as well. The nice thing is I can remove them quickly and easily and they stand up on their own since they are made from solid material, not fabric, no plopping/flopping over when I take them off to change a flat tire or do any kind of rear wheel work. They make the bike less desirable to steal so that is an added plus. I try to do anything I can to make the bike look less desirable...call it safety in appearance.
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