Hi,

In real world use, do you carry your Ortlieb panniers with the release handles? Do you bother to take the shoulder straps along? If you take the shoulder straps do you leave them attached or stow them.

I read reviews from a couple that went around the world for their honeymoon; one had Ortlieb bags the other Lone Peak. The Ortliebs suffered from the little rack adapter failing out every time someone (like a helpful host) picked up the bags using the release handles.

I am sure the reviews are well known here. They have been on crazyguyonabike.com. for more than four years.
https://tinyurl.com/ortlieb-review

I have to admit on our new Orts it is totally intuitive to pick the bag up with the release handle. If I had not come across the review above I would not even consider taking the shoulder strap along.

Thanks,

Lewis

In the more than two years that I have owned my Sport Packer and Back Packer Plus bags and have used them four touring and for errands, I have never used the shoulder straps and have never had one adapter fall out after I had installed them correctly, which can entail more than simply pressing them in gently. They need to snap in to be secure.

We use the shoulder straps on the panniers we carry-on, either plane or train. The handelbar bag ,this last trip to Denmark, I left the shoulder strap on all the ime. So when we stopped it was ready to go with us.

For a little bit of background, I rode a few thousand miles of self-supported tours around the U.S. in the early 80s. My wife is about to go on her first S24O in the next couple of weeks. We're riding Surly Disk Truckers with four Ortlieb Sport Packer Plus bags and four ancient Cannondale bags that I just retrofitted with Lone Peak hooks and bungees.




I love those bags but the original attachment system is not a strength of the design. I took them apart, washed the skins, pitched the attachment hardware, and retrofitted them with the Lone Peak system. I am fond of the simplicity of the LP hardware. Wayne from the Touring Store was very helpful, as was Gary from Lone Peak. For a handle I took a length of two-sided velcro and doubled it back on itself. It seems strong enugh to lift the bag, weighs nothing, and can be used for other things in an emergency.

For the tours we'll be taking in the near future, these bags will do just fine. They previously saw me across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Montana and part of the Canadian Rockies. We are not anticipating any world tours. If everything goes to plan, we hope to tour across New Zealand in three or four years. Between now and then we have plenty of time to settle on bags and attachment systems.

I just don't think of carrying panniers by a shoulder strap the 5 or 10 feet from the bike to other areas of the camp site. Maybe I'm showing my age and just failing to adapt :)

Indyfabz,

I snapped the inserts in and they went click. That seems to be the essence of the directions that came with the bags. Is there more to it?

Tandem Tom,

I can see using shoulder straps to move around an environment where you don't have the bike available. Other than the handlebar bag, your response reads as though you stow the shoulder straps for your panniers when you are not in an airport and use the release handle for carrying the bags short distances. Is that correct?

After a long time, the hooks will stretch out of shape. Then the inserts are less likely to go "click" and more likely to fall out.

Has not happened to me, my Ortliebs don't have anywhere near enough miles yet, I am only commenting on the photos I have seen where it was quite easy to see how the hooks were obviously stretched out.

Yes, we store the shoulder straps in the bottoms of the panniers, Just in case we end up staying somewhere with alot of steps!!

Hi Lewis I carry my Ortlieb panniers with the release handles and because of my setup I use the shoulder strap to hold down the rolled tops using the clip on the side of the pannier at the bottom. I have never had an issue but I do place them on and take them off the rack in a vertical plain while supporting them until there clear then I just grab the QR handle.

Are we talking about the Classic Rollers? The strap helps hold the bag closed; I see nothing positive about removing it.

With the Office, on the other hand, the strap just gets in the way, but I doubt you're talking about that.

Thanks!

Based on responses so far, the Release Handle is strong enough to support the contents of the bag. The downside of using it to carry a bag short distances only becomes a factor when the inserts have stretched due to miles and terrain such that they fall out. Sound about right?

Is it a safe bet that fresh inserts would stay in "like new" for a period of time & miles after the old ones start to fall out?

Pedaleur, the particular bags we bought are Sport Packer Plus panniers. We might choose to use them on the rear instead of the front.

This is just a guess, but I am guessing that since the hook gets bent out of shape with many hours of supporting a load, that the age of the insert is unimportant because the insert does not get bent out of shape like the hooks. But since my Ortliebs do not have that problem yet(?), I am only guessing.

Don't really understand the question, ./. since...

The roller bags integrate the shoulder strap, well enough, to not really need to remove them.

each has one.. there is a cleat for the purpose to hook the strap . .


recently the run a piece of tubing over the webbing for the handle /latch release ..

I use the shoulder straps practically every time I need to carry the bags. Very practical e.g. when shopping with them or when carrying other gear as well.

To avoid problems with loosing the inserts you can attach tubing to your rack (outer diameter should be 16mm, inner diameter should be 10mm for Tubus racks), as shown by Biciclown on Youtube.

+1. I keep the shoulder straps permanently attached to my Classic Rollers. I use the panniers for commuting and I frequently stop for groceries etc on my way home. I prefer carrying them on the shoulder when off bike.

--J

I use the Classic Rollers and use the shoulder straps to keep the bag closed, so they are permanently attached to the panniers. I use the release handles to move the bag over short distances. I use a rack with oversized tubing, so I do not need to use the adaptor clips.

Your guess sounds like an educated one. The review linked to describes constant use over what sounds like rugged terrain. Just about anything willl wear out over time. The fix is to simply replace the worn parts. You don't need to buy a new set of panniers to do that. Replacement parts for the QL-1 and QL-2 mounting systems, including upper hooks with inserts, are readily available for not a lot of money:

https://thetouringstore.com/ORTLIEB/O...IES%20PAGE.htm

I am more concerned with the lower hooks falling off. You should tighten them as much as possible and peridodically check the hold. I did not and had one fall off somewhere.

Losing a clip insert is not a big deal. I lost one on my front pannier on an exteneded tour, and just rode with it that way until I could get to a shop that had Ortlieb replaement parts. The front panniers had more than 6,000 miles on them. I also have a set of Ortlieb rear panniers that have over 12,000 miles of use and the clips are just fine. They are both Ortieb Classic Rollers, and I do carry them by the release strap. My wife has a set of the Packer Plus Series bags, and the rear panniers have a carrying handle built in.

Those hooks carry the entire weight of the bag when they are mounted, so I don't see that carrying the bags by the release handle would do any harm. riding on rough roads is probably harder on them than carrying the bags.

There are about 3 mm of material that carry the weight of the pannier when it is lifted by the release handle. This seems like it would be more than adequate to hold the weight of a loaded pannier. The metal pivot pin is also pretty substantial.


I do carry an extra clip insert in my tool box now, but it is probably one of those things that will never be needed again.

I realize that the reviewers put their panniers through very some extreme conditions, but some of the problems are relatively easy to fix. A little blue locktight on bolts will keep them from loosening. I usually chek the bolts on my racks and panniers evry 3-4 days anyway. It is just part of the preventative maintenance on any extended trip.

I also find Ortlieb's pannier material much more durable than the material used on any of the prevoius panniers I have used. I think the material on the Classic rollers is more durable than the Packer Plus series panniers, but I really don't have much to base that perception on. My wife's pannier material just feels less substatial. Time will tell. She has a pair of the Packer Plus that have 12,000+ touring mile on them, as well as staying on her bike for daily use to the post office, store, and commuting. They have seen some hard use but are still in good shape.

They are a little faded, but are still in good shape. Yes, those are tomato plants in her rack trunk


This high speed encounter with tall curb would probably have shredded a codura nylon bag. This may look bad, but it is only cosmetic damage. It is still waterproof.

I keep one locked to the bike, and keep my shoulder strap attached to the one I remove from the bike when I leave it. I have to thread it under my rack to keep it from flopping around or interfering with my tire, but I don't remove it from the bag. Mine are Ortleib sport packers, the front model.

I dislike carrying things in my hands, so I carry the bag like a messenger bag, almost behind me, and have both hands free.

We use the shoulder strap if we are carrying them far, boarding a train, etc. We often use the handles to tote the bags around when going shorter distances, like carrying around a campsite or into a hotel.

I do carry an extra insert in my parts bag, but have never lost one. I've thought about putting a drop or two of Crazy Glue on each insert to make them more permanent, but sometimes I have to swap out the inserts for different size ones since we have different racks on our bikes (Tubus vs. Blackburn), which have different tubing sizes. If I was using the bags on a single bike 100% of the time, I'd surely glue them in for extra safekeeping.

just wished they were able to snap together in pairs ..

My commuter bike has a Low rider bike friday and I strapped across the rack so they come off together.
just pierced some webbing with the mounting screws. .


If a low rider.. a snap pair could be made in short web pieces..



since I Pull them off a lot, the screw thru the end of the webbing-handle needs retightening occasionally..

Lewis, a few years ago I bought a new pair of Ortliebs, Classics this time. The first ones were Pluses, the ones with the lighter material, and the old ones are just about 20 years old now. In all those years, I always picked them up using the "release" strap, I never thought it was good for the bag material to pick them up by the straps. In any case, 20 yrs on, they are still used my myself or my son, and never had anything go wrong with them, come loose or whatever (I take that back, Ive broken the plastic buckles by shutting them in car doors a few times, but simply bought replacement buckles at an outdoor store)
Because of their longevity, and a REI sale, I decided to stick with Ortliebs and get a new pair, figuring they are pretty darn good value over the long term. There are lots of good pannier companies out there, but I still like the Ortlieb system-I havent had experience losing the little doohickies, but I could see that if in rough rough conditions like the couple you mentioned (the lawyers right?) it would just be easier to make the rack tubes thicker, as mentioned by someone. So far, so good for me in fairly light commuting use with a bit of touring thrown in.

djb, et al,

Thank you for the great information. I'm sure our Ortlieb bags are high quality and will serve us for a long time. At this point I am not concerned about using the release handle for toting the bags short distances.

Soon we will be off on my wife's first overnight trip - a less than epic 4-mile roll from the ferry at Ocracoke Island to the National Park Service campground just out of town. With luck we'll both love the experience and move forward with plans for two or three multi-night trips next year.

I have introduced several people to bike camping with short trips that start at the inland side of the Ocracoke-Swan Quarter ferry. The terrain on Ocracoke Island is flat so the biking is easy, but the 2 1/2 hour ferry ride helps make it feel like you are out there on your own. The trip also illustrates the relative ease of taking the ferry when traveling by bicycle vs automobile.

For this trip we will split up the sets of bags -- each carrying two new Ortlieb front bags and two refurbished Cannondale front bags. When we get to camp I will not worry a bit about moving the Ortliebs wherever they need to go using the release handles. Thanks again!

Have a fun time and all the best with making the new experience as fun as possible, hope the weather is good.