LexRides

[FecalFoot]

There comes a point in some peoples lives, when they want to branch out. Maybe hit the open road and do some site seeing. What better way then on a bike?

This brings about the question of what to bring.... Has anyone had any experience with Panniers? Are Ortliebs the best bet? Should I spring for Arkel? What about racks? I saw a surly and they seemed very impressive. I've also read a bit about Old Man Mountain and there is always topeak, well I mean....

[brokebike]

Arkels are very nice, and pricey, but I like the fact that all Ortlieb stuff is waterproof. No need to have to worry about getting out a separate rain cover. That said, I have an Arkel handlebar bag and Trunk bag, and they are both pretty amazing.

I have a set of Sport Packer Plus panniers, which are fine if you are a very minimalist / ultra-light packer. But, I'm saving up to purchase some Bike Packer Plus bags. I prefer the top cover feature of the Packer series over the Roller series.

The other thing that sells me on Ortlieb is their attachment hook system... the QL-1 and QL-2 series hooks are spring loaded and lock on so that they won't bounce off the rails of your rack (I've had this happen to me with other bags while riding on a bumpy road, and it sucks). To remove them, you simply lift up on the handle and the spring retracts. Super easy. I don't care for the simple hooks and bungee or spring attachments that other bags have. You almost always have to secure them with extra fasteners at some point.

This website has the absolute best prices on Ortlieb gear. Guy's name is Wayne, and he's super cool: http://www.thetouringstore.com
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[brokebike]

As for racks, my favorites are Tubus and Axiom. I've had both, but Sara and I both have Tubus racks on our Surly Truckers.

Ortlieb bags work incredibly well with Tubus, but they also have their own line of lighter-duty racks under the name, Racktime.

Old Man Mountain racks are burly as hell, but they don't have many features... to me they seem like they are made more for bikes that aren't really equipped for racks, like suspension mountain bikes, 29ers, etc.

Surly Nice Racks are, well, nice... but I think they are a little too big and heavy... and a bit on the ugly side. The one good thing about them is that they are made of Cro-Mo, so you can easily repair them should something break.
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[iridetoobs]

Is that it?

[brokebike]

what do you mean?
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[mattypichu]

Axiom racks and panniers have my vote for being inexpensive, Typhoon and Monsoon H20 proof bags are around $120 a pair, w/ a lifetime warranty. Their racks are also cheap and light. I've been using this stuff for years now w/out a problem. Have fun with your tours no matter what you use. If you want to geek out on tour ideas PM me, I've got a few planned for this spring and summer. I'm also down for any short 24hr campouts/shakedown rides.
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[brokebike]

Axiom racks are such a good deal... most of them are less than $50 unless you get into the super-fancy touring models. One of the best racks I've ever owned was an Axiom Streamliner that was made for a 700c road bike, but I used it on both 700c and 26" wheeled bikes.

They also seem to be built really well, and the fit and finish is excellent. I can't figure out how they can sell them for such a low price, actually.
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[FecalFoot]

Is axiom's quality that good? I've found the Typhoon bags for $75. That's a 1/3+ cheaper than most Ortlieb. What about the axiom's waterproofing, the site leaves a lot to be desired in the details department, is it equaled to the Ortlieb bags?

Brian you also mentioned the Ortlieb spring mount, assuming that's their design, is Axiom's hook system as notable?

Also, is the typhoon one large pocket/compartment or are there several?

Thanks for all the help!

[mattypichu]

The material and construction of the Axiom bags is the same as Ortlieb. Ortlieb has a slightly slicker attachment system, but Axiom's set up is also very solid, the way that they attach makes it impossible for the bag to bounce off. +1 on Axiom is that they come with spare hardware, not that you are likely to need it.

The Axiom bags are more or less one big pocket. The flap that comes over the roll top closure has one low volume pocket that has a water resistant zipper on the outside, and one larger mesh zipper pocket on the inside.

My wife has Ortlieb bags, I've got the Axiom. For double the cost, the Ortlieb bags have not proven to be any nicer IMO.
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[brokebike]

I wavered a lot between the Axiom Typhoons and the Ortliebs that I ended up getting. I *almost went with the Axioms but there were just a few little details that I really liked about the Ortliebs that won me over. Namely, those details were:

- the QL2 hook system that I mentioned (also includes inserts to adapt to rack rails that are 8mm-11mm wide). Many other panniers only have metal hooks that you have to bend or deform to get them to fit properly, depending on the rail width of your rack.

- the infinitely adjustable lower retainer clip (where most panniers have a bungee or spring hook) that will adapt to a number of different rack configurations for a more secure fitting.

Most Ortlieb panniers only have one main compartment, and some have a small inside zippered mesh pouch.

Both the Typhoon and Monsoon panniers by Axiom have one main compartment, a zippered mesh inner, and the outer flap has a zippered pouch on it. Unless they have updated their hook system, I believe the Axioms have rubber coated metal hooks that are 8mm wide. I have a few friends who have the Axiom panniers and they've never said anything about water getting in, so I assume they are just as H2O proof as they claim.

For price and value alone, I would not hesitate to recommend the Axioms. As I said, Axiom makes some really quality stuff.
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