Bought myself a Genesis Day01 and fancy a spot of light touring. To do this I need some panniers.

I know nothing about panniers.

I have a Topeak Super Tourist rack and want about 40/50 litres of storage.

Any recommendations?

Ortlieb Rear Roller Classics. Lightweight, waterproof, quick to put on and off the bike.

ortlieb, all others are imitators

(he says while owning carradice and being jealous of others who did it properly)

Ortlieb all the way.

+3 ortlieb

Got 2 sets of altura orkneys 5 years ago.

Used them for a 6 month tour of nz and daily commuting.

They have marks but are still solid and waterproof. How ever at rrp ortlieb would be a better buy …. I couldnt get discount om them at the time.

So I want a pair of Ortlieb Back Roller Classics, yes?

Any deals on them at the minute?

Ortlieb +4.

I got a pair a few months back and the cheapest I found was Spa Cycles. Delivered pretty quickly.

As above, I got some Ortliebs from Spa Cycles. They were cheapest when I was looking and arrived ultra quick. Thumbs up all round

Carradice had mine for at least 10 years look brand new and always have at least one on my bike at all times. Apart from the last 6 months (been ill) I use one of my bikes virtualy every day. I have super C on the rear although a quick look at the site shows super Cs with very large pockets now a bit different from the ones I have. They are made out of black cotton duck a naturally waterproof material which never ever lets water in. Even when I was in a storm so severe it blew my tent away (despite being tied to a tree) they never let a drop in. I have front ones as well which go on mountain bikes with out needing a rack. Also have a briliant one which attaches to seat post and is very large. The latter can be turned into a rucksack although I rarely bother. Although they are 100% waterproof I occasionly spray them with a waterproofer as the outsides do get wet and I assume this adds weight. Brilliant gear went to the manufactures in Nelson to buy them excellent customer service always negotiate a price reduction over the phone. http://www.carradice.co.uk/

I tried others but they just wore out. I use them for shopping and foraging and of course touring so they get proper use with very heavy loads. Filled to the top with Apples, Sloes etc sometime even firewood. Put my chainsaws and the tools in them (Work for Nature trust part time).
http://www.carradice.co.uk/

Carradice for longevity,vfm, ortlieb if you prefer their synthetic approach

Ortleib back rollers + more! Excellent, mine are 9 years old, still in daily use and are great.

Just to help make the point. Ortlieb

I had Ortleib ones stolen and replaced them with these OVERBOARDReally cant fault them.

Lots of options, but most aren’t cheap

Ortlieb, very common for a reason, very good quality, but expensive (use a pair of Sport Packer Classics lots)
Vaude very similar and just as good as Ortleib, similar price (have use a pair of Aqua Back for several years, very good)
Arkel hard to get in the UK, very expensive (never used)
Carridice, traditional, still expensive (never used)
Altura, cheaper (never used)
Edinburgh bike do some in their Revolution series, Wiggle DHB used to have the same ones; used the DHB ones, were good for the money, but cost half what Edinburgh now want.

If you want to do light touring you don’t need anything bigger than a Carradice Camper Longflap saddlebag.
Get the SQR block.

My saddlebag has been used every day for 15 years and is going strong.

Panniers are for Germans.

Edinburgh Bike Co-Op ones are made by Vau De and are excellent.

I’ve got Ortliebs which are good, but then so are the above, which the daughter has been using for years without issue.

Panniers are for Germans.

Deserved quoting.

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What rack?

The Ortliebs are good but IMO (and as an owner of a pair) the rollers are a contrivance – the bike-packers are more practical and more than waterproof enough for biking needs. The rollers closure design is for canoeing. Call me paranoid but I put all the important stuff in waterproof liners anyway. Based on that I’d save your money and get a pair of Altura’s.

Unless you’re going round the world for months on end you don’t need anything as tough as the Ortlieb’s. IMO a secure rack mounting is more important than the waterproofness

Rob – I use Tortec super light. Unless you’re carrying heavy stuff over sustained rough terrain you don’t need anything more

Ha, I could have written this post, I won a Day 01 on ebay last night, picking it up tomorrow! Looking to commuter it up and maybe tour in the future. Will be reading with interest the responses!

Some nice panniers up above, but Aldi or was it Lidl? just had some for about £15 about a week or two ago.

I’m sure you’ll find them in store somewhere if you’re on a budget or if it’s dry or if you don’t plan to use it too much

I had a set of Lidl panniers. Decent quality and waterproof. Crap attatchment system compared to Ortliebs though.

Racks? Tubus if you want the best. The Tubus Cargo for example is lighter than the Topeak Supertourist but is rated for 40kg against the Topeak’s 25kg. If the budget is tight and loads light most racks will do the job but on long tours the less chance of component failure the better.

The lidl ones are ace, 5 years of class sets of exercise books on an 11 mile wet Cornish commute. Totally waterproof. The fitting ain’t that bad either

been using a topeak supertourist DX rack and those ortlieb panniers above that I borrowed from a friend for a bit and they were great. I bought a madison rack for £17 here.. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290720195263?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_740wt_1392

got it in 2 days, weighs about the same, 25kg load and not too dissimilar to the topeak for half the price.