Ortlieb panniers

I’d ideally like the ortlieb classic roller but concerned that with the bags full my feet will hit the pannier

I had those, they're bomb-proof, and there's loads of adjustability to the attachment system that you can move them into the best position for you.

I have size 10 1/2 feet, used clipless and had no problems once I'd got the position sorted.

They are heavy, more of a commuter or touring suitable product than bikepacking though. Also with both of them full, cycling into a headwind feels a bit like dragging a parachute.

No experience of the smaller gravel ones, but I think that the fabric is the same as on my rack pack, which is a lighter cordura type rather than the rubberised stuff that their normal panniers are made out of. It seems pretty durable to me, but I'm still on less than a year of use, which isn't a long time in Ortlieb terms. The attachment system is the standard Ortlieb one which works really well and has plenty of adjustability.

I've got the Gravel panniers, perfect size in my opinion and like all Ortlieb stuff very well made (in Germany).

I believe they're exactly the same size as the regular front rollers, but they come with two stabilising hooks per pannier, rather than one and they are a lighter fabric.

The only downside is they are relatively fixed in volume, as the side clips don't have any adjustment like they do on other Ortlieb panniers

I have a set of front ortliebs with side clips rather than a roll top, they're less flexible and hard to close when full. There are more upmarket front Ortliebs with lighter fabric and tool free adjustment, I've used those on the back for credit card touring and they work a treat.

I have big feet (12), no problems with hitting my gravel panniers. They're small enough that you can shift them on your rack a little bit to keep them out of the way.

I've done some 2 week road/gravel summer tours with just them and a small handlebar bag - capacity-wise I reckon that was about the same as a bikepacking set up, but much simpler to pack/unpack. No problems with durability of the lighter material either.

As above only real downside is that they won't expand  if you need to stock up on food or whatnot. Also in the grand scheme of things they're not *that* much lighter than the full-fat 20L Ortlieb back rollers which offer a lot more flexibility space-wise

Whether your heels hit the panniers or not depends on a few things; size of panniers, length of chainstays, size of rack, rear geo etc etc. A lot of people have gone over to bikepacking bags due to all this plus they don't stick out either side to get caught on stuff, they don't wobble as much and they're more aero... (ha!).

I've been using panniers (Ortlieb and others) for years and years but now prefer bikepacking bags for offroad as above. Having written that, it also depends how much you're going to carry. The last few on and off road tours I've done have been superlight credit card/fair weather(ish) tours carrying less than 3kg. I can just about squeeze multi day camping tour kit into bike packing bags but it's a lot easier
to pack panniers.

I've got the gravel panniers.  I use them on a rear rack for my version of bikepacking - very much a hybrid of bikepacking bags and racks.
They're solid.  The material is very robust but lighter than the normal ortlieb coated fabric.  The mounting system is superb with two lugs on the bottom instead of the normal one making them much more stable when off road.

Much easier to pack than typical bikepacking bags.  The space is far more usable.  But as has been said, they stick out either side of the bike.  Can't say its ever bothered me but if I was going to encounter headwinds I'd change my plans and go the other direction 🙂

How fast do they dismount - I struggle a bit with my front rollers on my off road commute - the bottom clip can bounce off the rack rails, so I use a bungie to hold it together

If you're going to use pannier bags then I'd recommend using as narrow a rack as you can, this helps tuck your bags in decreasing their drag. Also as others have said, Ortlieb roll tops are very adjustable.

I used a pair of gravel panniers on the rear to bikepack across Europe in September- no problems, worked well, completely waterproof, didn’t hit my size 12 feet. Good way of expanding usual slim line bikepacking set up for more food etc. Much easier to get on and off than strapped on bikepacking bags. I used them on an Ortlieb quick rack hung from the top horizontal rod because I couldn’t bring myself to spend £150 on changing my Tailfin rack support so I could put panniers on it. The gravel packs and an Alpkit Big Papa made a great rear storage solution.

So my chainstay length is 450mm and it’s a small frame which is the reason why I’m concerned about hitting the bags with my feet. I’m not overly concerned about the bags sticking out. 

I've got the front rollers, which are great, roll closure, waterproof, durable, ace.  I think the only difference is the gravel panniers have an extra hook at the bottom.  So I bought one as a spare part and fitted it.  Adds a nice bit of stability.  No issues with heel strikes.  Also picked up the quick release rack recently - very impressed by that.

Only issue is I bought the turquoise ones and everybody in the office is constantly asking if I'm Uber eats.

@fossy - you can buy extra bottom rail hooks from Ortlieb, so you have two on each pannier which makes them way more secure on rough ground.

The gravel panniers are pretty much City Roller panniers, add a second clip and your good to go.

So silly question I guess the front bags will fit the back and visa Versa ?

Yes, same mounting hardware

Bookmarking as I like the look of this setup

I too am looking at changing my set up from two large rear panniers to a frame bag and smaller panniers/drybags. A hybrid bikepacking and panniers set up.

I do need to have the one big pannier still for commuting duties or trips with both of us.

I have ortleib front panniers and also some carradice ones.   They work well on the back for smallish loads and I have used them in conjunction with a frame bag for touring.

the ortleib whilst very good are ruddy heavy.  Tend to rattle a bit but I love the easy on and off mechanism.  Carradice ones are fiddly to put on and off but do not rattle and a bit lighter so ortleib if you want to take the on and off the bike a lot, Carradice if you just leave them on for the whole tour.  Ortleib are slightly bigger

Starting to read about more people moving to a single top mounted rack bag - possibly inspired by the tailfin rack set up - instead of seatpack or rear panniers.
Might be worth considering?
Helps with the aero issues with panniers but does move the weight a bit higher up.

I used Ortlieb panniers for commuting, the traditional roller ones. Agree with the above, the only potential issue is that whilst the click-on system is great - pull the handle and go, then drop them back on the bike to re-attach - it comes with a selection of diameter reducers that you need to change for different diameters of rack tube, which is a mild annoyance - I've no idea where the spares for mine are if I ever want to fit them to a different rack.

Gravel ones may be different. It may be a price worth paying given how secure and easy the mounting is. That said, it does rattle a lot.

I have to say I look at that set-up above with lots of little, hard-to-access bags attached to every conceivable part of the frameset, and think that kind of touring is probably better served by four conventional panniers that equate to the same volume. Or even, God help me, a trailer (on second thoughts, nah).

The point of 'bikepacking' as distinct to touring is to carry less stuff, enabling you to ride terrain you probably wouldn't with a bigger load. Removing bolted rack type fixings that break goes along with that approach.
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Having used (and destroyed) Ortliebs in the past, I'm currently commuting with a small set of Carradry Universals on the rear that stay on, don't rattle at all and clear the heels of my size 14 feet. Quite like them.

So silly question I guess the front bags will fit the back and visa Versa ?

I used the 20L front (City?) rollers on the rear of my CAADX for a couple of years. No problems fitting the rack, or with heel strikes.

Very durable, 100% waterproof.

I was riding a mix of on and off road routes, camping and cooking all the way - I needed to carry food for a couple of days occasionally but still wanted to be able to push my bike easily on the hike a bike sections. This is the perfect arrangement for this kind of travelling. Anyone who says you can make do with less hasn't really done it for any length of time, or is staying in hotels or something.

I do carry a lot of camera equipment though (it's my job), so that doesn't help.

Or even, God help me, a trailer (on second thoughts, nah).

I have toured on and off road with bikepacking kit, panniers and a trailer - for a load over 5 or 6 kgs the trailer is IMO / IME the best option

I carried less than supernova in my trailer for a 4 month tour.  Better handling and better aero than that sort of weight on the bike.  Even for hikabike Its better IMO / IME.  Very low COG and best for aero.  The weight penalty for a bob over 2 s ortleib panniers is 2 or 3kg.  4 ortleibs and you are at the same weight as the bob

Most folk associate trailers with huge loads.  But a bob with 9kgs in it (as I had  IIRC) you don't notice and I doubt I will ever tour with panniers again.

Get your load down to 5kgs and the swing moves to bikepacking kit being better

Maybe not relevant but the thing I miss on my ortlieb classic roller compared to the altura I had before is the lack of external valuable pocket for easy access phone/keys/lock etc