[Betzgi's cycle tours]: Equipment panniers

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Saturday, 4. February 2012

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My cycle tours

My Asian Odyssey

Kailash! ...a pilgrimage

These are the requirements for carring my baggage:

The panniers should hold well on the bike, even on very rugged roads, but it should be possible to dismount them easily in the evening.
They should influence the riding behaviour of the bike as little as possible. You can reach that best, if the weight is placed close to the hubs.
The panniers should be water proof, robust but also functional.
Often used things should be accessable as quick as possible.

The following system has prooved best for me:

Back panniers
Front panniers ( I try to put as much weight as possible in here, to release the back wheel)
Handlebar bag (for everything that I need often, mainly the camera)
Dry bag on the back racket. Can also be a rucksack, if you often need one.

Panniers

Ortlieb panniers have almost become a standard. They really are water proof and robust. The only weak part, are the rivets. They often break but can easily be replaced by screws. Unfortunately they are not very functional. They are simply big bags, where you have no chance to organise anything. Waterproofness has not only advatages: anything damp inside will never get dry...

Because of that reason I have choosen a combination of Ortlieb front panniers and Bach back panniers. They are stiched (hence not completely water proof) of very strong Cordura. Things like the tent, stove, tools... that don't need to be packed completely water proof, I put here.

Handlebar bag

Until today, I have not found a handlebar bag that even holds on very bad roads. But the Ortlieb bag comes close. Of couse it is waterproof.

Somehow Handlebar bags are a contradiction in terms: there is no place on the bike as bad as this to place weight! Never put to much weight here, otherwise the riding behaviour of your bike will get worse. But of course you don't want to miss the practical side of these bags: have the most often used items near by. The map on top of the bag is also indispensable.

For me, the most used item is mainly the camera. To protect it, I made a piece of foam, that fills up the whole bag and only holds the camera. The good side effect is, that I can not put anymore weight in the bag, because it is full this way.

Dry bag

The dry bag I use for all items, that are light and have to be kept dry, such as the sleeping bag and cloth.

You can of course also use a rucksack to put on the back racket, that you can use for walks also. But this will not be water proof. I carry a very littel rucksack (400gr) with me, that I use for walks.