Panniers: Brooks, Ortleib?
12-19-10, 03:04 PM
#26
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I have both Carradice Super C's and Ortliebs and I prefer the former. People say they're not waterproof, but I've ridden for hours through pouring rain and nary a drop of water has ever gotten inside. They're tough, breathable and can be repaired if you do manage to tear them.
12-24-10, 06:28 AM
#27
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I know a lot of people really, really, really like the Ortliebs, but I'm not overly impressed. Yes, the waterproofness is nice in some ways, but I don't like the fact that I can't put anything in them that is even a little bit wet - or everything in there ends up damp. Plus, I don't like the one big bag so I can't organize my gear and the mounting system rattles around to much. I've written a review of our panniers here; https://familyonbikes.org/blog/?p=1576
For a short tour, you tend to be fairly disorganized anyway since you don't really remember where you stashed stuff, but on a longer tour it's really nice to have plenty of pockets so you can keep stuff organized and readily accessible. Besides that - how often do you ride in the rain?? Is the waterproofness really necessary?
We've now been on the road for 2.5 years on this trip. We had a few days of rain up in Alaska and Canada, but it did threaten to rain for a couple of months. We kept our stuff in plastic bags during that time. Then we got to southern USA and had no rain at all for many months through Mexico and most of Central America - no plastic bags and our panniers were breathable. We got to Costa Rica and Panama in time for rainy season so went back to plastic bags for a few months. Then nothing for 4 months or so. Now, we are in Argentina and haven't had to bag our gear since way up in Ecuador.
If you plan to ride for extended periods in areas where it rains a lot, the waterproof bags would be nice. Most of the time, however, it's not needed at all.
For a short tour, you tend to be fairly disorganized anyway since you don't really remember where you stashed stuff, but on a longer tour it's really nice to have plenty of pockets so you can keep stuff organized and readily accessible. Besides that - how often do you ride in the rain?? Is the waterproofness really necessary?
We've now been on the road for 2.5 years on this trip. We had a few days of rain up in Alaska and Canada, but it did threaten to rain for a couple of months. We kept our stuff in plastic bags during that time. Then we got to southern USA and had no rain at all for many months through Mexico and most of Central America - no plastic bags and our panniers were breathable. We got to Costa Rica and Panama in time for rainy season so went back to plastic bags for a few months. Then nothing for 4 months or so. Now, we are in Argentina and haven't had to bag our gear since way up in Ecuador.
If you plan to ride for extended periods in areas where it rains a lot, the waterproof bags would be nice. Most of the time, however, it's not needed at all.
Right now it's 5*C and pouring on Vancouver Island and all I want to do is be out on the bike. And if it dips below freezing, it would be terrible to have wet gear.
If I were to line up 10 of my best experiences on a bike, wether it be x-country, downhilling, bmx, road, or touring, I would say 7 of them have come when it's been pouring. Riding in the rain is a blast, and as long as my gear is dry at the end of the day, I'm as happy as a pig in the dinner he ate last night.
I guess my idea with a kit is to have something that doesn't inhibit me. I can live with the sacrifice of less organization, or not being able to put damp things in my bags. What I can't live with is weather (dangerous weather aside) deciding when and where I go. And up until this point, I really haven't considered non-waterproof bags.
12-24-10, 01:11 PM
#28
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I'm not as experienced as most. But I commute 4 days a week and ride 40 to 50 mile trips on weekends, an occasional KATY Trail ride. The Ortlieb Racktime rear panniers have done well. I miss very few days commuting. This is my fourth winter for commuting and the Racktime bags are the best I have used yet. I am NOW using the Trek interchange waterproof rear rack bag. It has a rolltop and I can see the utility of roll tops. I may go to the Ortlieb Roller types as I can afford them. https://bicycletouringshop.com/ is a good place to look and learn for a newby as is this website.
