Bicycle Panniers for Extended Touring
- Thread starter articulate
- Start date
Bob trailer (stock photo):
That photo is the "off rod" version. Ours does not have a shock.
My wife used ours to tour Nova Scotia for 3 weeks with a friend. She generally liked it, very easy to pack and unpack. Much easier than panniers to get to your stuff. It encourages you to take more. Handling is changed a little. She found that the bike was a little squirrelly above 30 mph.
That photo is the "off rod" version. Ours does not have a shock.
My wife used ours to tour Nova Scotia for 3 weeks with a friend. She generally liked it, very easy to pack and unpack. Much easier than panniers to get to your stuff. It encourages you to take more. Handling is changed a little. She found that the bike was a little squirrelly above 30 mph.
Rallyroo
Expedition Leader
articulate said:
$145-$180 is for a PAIR, not each.
Check out www.thetouringstore.com. Wayne is a great guy to deal with.
You can get the Backroller Classic (PAIR) for $145 shipped. http://www.thetouringstore.com/ORTLIEB/Ort PANNIERS/BRC/BRC PAGE.htm
29er
Observer
762X39 said:
A B.O.B. may be for you, but don't be so quick to assume that you will freeze or otherwise be uncomfortable if you go lighter, because it just isn't the case. Great advances have been made in 'ultralight' backpacking gear over the past 15 years, with prices dropping by 50% or more on most pieces of gear over the past 5 years.
10 years ago, ultralight down sleeping bag = $600
Today, same bag, improved even = $200
Frankly, other than a person needing to carry large amounts of water to do, say, Kokopelli's Trail, I don't understand how racks-n-panniers tourists need 60 lbs of gear. To me, that sounds uncomfortable.
nickw
Adventurer
Panniers and racks
My personal preference for racks are Tubus, pretty much considered the standard for quality. Not cheap at $100+, but you can get some that are rated to I believe 60+ pounds.
I use an Ortlieb Pannier for my commutes to work, everyday, rain or shine and none of my stuff has ever gotten wet and they still look new. The mounting system they use is super easy to use, adjust and makes for really quick detachments. I would not hesitate to spend the money on a full set of panniers if need be.
While I looked at the REI ones, and they did look decent, you see ALOT of riders around the Portland area with Ortlieb which really sold me.
My personal preference for racks are Tubus, pretty much considered the standard for quality. Not cheap at $100+, but you can get some that are rated to I believe 60+ pounds.
I use an Ortlieb Pannier for my commutes to work, everyday, rain or shine and none of my stuff has ever gotten wet and they still look new. The mounting system they use is super easy to use, adjust and makes for really quick detachments. I would not hesitate to spend the money on a full set of panniers if need be.
While I looked at the REI ones, and they did look decent, you see ALOT of riders around the Portland area with Ortlieb which really sold me.
Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
I was Greg's (29er's) partner on that 100 mile ride and our kit of 40lbs shared was extremely easy to tote. I had 3 pounds on the bars 4 pounds under my seat and maybe 4-5 pounds in the frame bag. That left roughly 10 pounds on my back depending on how much water we had at the time.
On the bike, we were able to ride like we normally do which means getting some air, carving swift turns and ripping singletrack like usual. Off the bike, we still had warm meals, 3" sleeping pads and slept in a mountaineering tent. I had more gear than needed. That kit could have easily allowed for up to 5 days of travel. If on non-techincal terrain, it would have been far quicker than a fully loaded bike.
Beyond five days, we would have probably had to add rear panniers. Beyond 10 days, maybe front panniers. By then, riding would be a slog, not my idea of fun. Been there.
I've done several long tours with fully loaded panniers and one with a BOB. You have to like touring for what it is to ride with a full load. I get bored with a full load. You can't go fast, you can't carve turns, you just sit and rotate the cranks. For that reason and that reason alone, I won't do the fully loaded touring thing again unless I'm crossing some extremely rugged and remote expanse of land.
As for good panniers and racks, I'll vote for Old Man Mountain Racks and Vaude panniers with my second choice going to Ortlieb or Pacific Outdoor Equipment. I saw their new panniers at Interbike last month and was very impressed.
On the bike, we were able to ride like we normally do which means getting some air, carving swift turns and ripping singletrack like usual. Off the bike, we still had warm meals, 3" sleeping pads and slept in a mountaineering tent. I had more gear than needed. That kit could have easily allowed for up to 5 days of travel. If on non-techincal terrain, it would have been far quicker than a fully loaded bike.
Beyond five days, we would have probably had to add rear panniers. Beyond 10 days, maybe front panniers. By then, riding would be a slog, not my idea of fun. Been there.
I've done several long tours with fully loaded panniers and one with a BOB. You have to like touring for what it is to ride with a full load. I get bored with a full load. You can't go fast, you can't carve turns, you just sit and rotate the cranks. For that reason and that reason alone, I won't do the fully loaded touring thing again unless I'm crossing some extremely rugged and remote expanse of land.
As for good panniers and racks, I'll vote for Old Man Mountain Racks and Vaude panniers with my second choice going to Ortlieb or Pacific Outdoor Equipment. I saw their new panniers at Interbike last month and was very impressed.
spressomon
Expedition Leader
I have done a fair amount of on and off-road self contained touring. I have used trailers and I have also utilized panniers. Back in the day I finally had Ross Shafer (Salsa Cycles) build me a custom on/off road touring frame/fork based on 26". It was not something that was fun to ride without 25+ lbs of gear: In other words it was designed to handle properly whilst carrying the additional weight of racks, panniers and cargo. Having said that if you are serious about touring with panniers, especially off-road where proper handling is as or more important than road touring, and want the best handling with a load you should opt for, at the minimum, a very rigid frame.
Secondly, again back in the day, I purchased Bruce Gordon racks and Bob Beckman "Needleworks" panniers. You just have to see and use the set-up to fully appreciate the additional investment. They are without peer in the world of racks and panniers. I think Bob Beckman now makes racks himself to be utilized with his panniers.
And I have toured on/off road with trailers. For all but tight/twisty/rocky single track trailers have IMO several advantages: Don't generally impart negative handling characteristics to the bike itself. Generally less expensive. Trail more or less in your slipstream...wouldn't say trailers are aero just more so than panniers. Nice to have all your gear in one bag/compartment. And if you set up camp and want to go out and explore you just unhook and go...
Secondly, again back in the day, I purchased Bruce Gordon racks and Bob Beckman "Needleworks" panniers. You just have to see and use the set-up to fully appreciate the additional investment. They are without peer in the world of racks and panniers. I think Bob Beckman now makes racks himself to be utilized with his panniers.
And I have toured on/off road with trailers. For all but tight/twisty/rocky single track trailers have IMO several advantages: Don't generally impart negative handling characteristics to the bike itself. Generally less expensive. Trail more or less in your slipstream...wouldn't say trailers are aero just more so than panniers. Nice to have all your gear in one bag/compartment. And if you set up camp and want to go out and explore you just unhook and go...
29er
Observer
spressomon said:
That was exactly why I always planned to tour with a B.O.B. I just don't like the idea of a long bicycle tour without any really enjoyable (unladen) riding along the way. Being able to unhook the trailer seems like a huge plus.
However, last week I picked up a nice Trek trail-a-bike to take our boy to school and pulling something behind my bike feels really awkward, bordering on unsafe. Maybe I'll get used to it after another week or two, but the herky-jerky feeling (fore and aft) is discomforting even without our 6 year old on the trail-a-bike.
Just how many ways are there to skin this particular cat? :sombrero:
spressomon
Expedition Leader
29er said:
As many as there are opinions
. The good thing: We have many choices. The bad thing: We have many choices. :coffeedrink:
articulate
Expedition Leader
29er said:
After the cat's skinned, we'll move over to the dead horse and pound on it for awhile.
unk03: You punks really took this one off the deep end. No worries.
I'm not all that opposed to towing a trailer on mild dirt. In that photo, my cargo is a little more precious than a tent and a freeze dried bag-o-mush. She had fun for a while . . . But I'm sure one trailing wheel and inanimate payload are much different to tow. I wasn't interested in getting a workout on that particular ride.
Because of that kid trailer, though, I'd only be interested in a cargo trailer that used the same kind of attachment hardware. I really like the way you guys attached all your kit to the bike without panniers.
29er
Observer
articulate said:
You punks really took this one off the deep end. No worries.
I don't believe in keeping forum threads "on-topic"... I believe discussions on forums should evolve organically just the way a discussion around a dinner table does!
I wanted to post a pic (that Flounder took; hope he doesn't mind) of my most recent ultralight touring set-up. Believe me... it's as comfy and nimble as it looks (even though I was walking in this particular photo in a vain attempt at keeping my feet and chamois dry).
Attachments
Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
Greg and I have toyed around with the weight distribution and found that there's a fine line between not feeling these loads at all and having them get awkward. Three pounds on my bars doesn't change a thing. Four pounds on my bars and I notice my front wheel takes a bit more umph to get off the ground. The load under the seat can creep up to five pounds before it feels out of ballance. My frame bag is where the real magic happens as even a seven pound load simply vanishes.Sloan said:
The load on my back is more critical. Anything over 12 pounds is less like a monkey on my back and more like a gorilla.
The beauty of this has revolves around how much you can do with just 25 pounds of kit. These days, 25 pounds can put you in a nice tent, comfy pad, solid stove, filter, etc.