panniers on a road bike..
panniers on a road bike..
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Discussion

princeperch

Original Poster:

8,267 posts

276 months

Monday 11th October 2010
quotequote all
...so on my old road bike which I sold to a pal - he wants to put some panniers on it to do some light touring.

There are no "fixing" points on the frame so a normal pannier rack is out as it would obviously have nothing to lock down to.

I've seen these though:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sport-DirectTM-Bicycle-Car...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Savage-Double-Pannier-Bag/...

which would probably do the job. He only wants to put a few T shirts/shorts etc in each one, so hopefully weight wont be an issue as he'll carry the heavy stuff in a rucksack. I am wondering if the bags themselves will be bouncing up and down off the frame though - I presume that the panniers themselves should have some kind of fixing point on the reverse which you can bungy cord to the frame? I dont know much about this sort of thing, although he wants to do it on a shoestring..

alfa pint

3,856 posts

240 months

Tuesday 12th October 2010
quotequote all
He wants to get the weight on the bike and not on his back for a start!

What's it for? What sort of mileage? What sort of routes - road / mixed / long trails?

princeperch

Original Poster:

8,267 posts

276 months

Tuesday 12th October 2010
quotequote all
gentle touring - about 30/40 miles a day - maybe a bit more.

I think that rear cycle rack can only take about 9kgs tops - which will prob be ok just for clothes - but it doesnt look that tough to me..

DrMekon

2,493 posts

245 months

Tuesday 12th October 2010
quotequote all
For light touring, get a Carradice Bagman expedition qr saddlebag mount and a Nelson longflap. Much more elegant solution.

Old Git

102 posts

244 months

Tuesday 12th October 2010
quotequote all
I have an aluminium framed road bike without any lugs for a rack so I attached one using P-clips (supplied by the bike shop). If you wrap some insulating tape around the frame it will protect the paint under the clips, also, if the P clips are a little loose as mine were the tape also served to thicken up the seat stays sufficiently to make them a good tight fit. I have toured with two panniers weighing about twenty five pounds total and had no problems at all. You definitely don't want to carry a rucksack.

sjg

7,673 posts

294 months

Tuesday 12th October 2010
quotequote all
Saddlebag is a good option with a bar bag if you need more.

Like this: http://pompinos.blogspot.com/index.html#1146128519...

Most clamp-on racks have low weight limits - I know the Topeak ones (which are pricier) have a 15lb limit, which is less than 7kg. They're really meant for small rack-top bags rather than a big double pannier set. And it rather defeats the point if only a few bits will go in there and the remainder in a rucksack (which you really want to avoid when touring).

princeperch

Original Poster:

8,267 posts

276 months

Tuesday 12th October 2010
quotequote all
P clips looks like the answer!

neilski

2,563 posts

264 months

Tuesday 12th October 2010
quotequote all
I'd steer clear of both of those Amazon options if I was your mate.

The seatpost type racks are really meant for rack top bags aren't suited to carrying panniers because there's no side supports to keep the bags out of the wheels and cheaper panniers are far worse for swaying that top end ones. Racks with a dogleg would be even better for keeping bags out of the wheels.

I'd also get a pair of individual panniers that clip on to the rack rather than a connected pair that hang over the top like the ones shown because if he ever wants to strap anything to the top of the rack e.g. a tent he's going to struggle to find somewhere to attach bungee cords to.

These would be far better options.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tor-tec-tour-alloy-rear...

plus

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/blackburn-blackburn-sx-...

and

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/sjsc-black-hook-on-rear...

princeperch

Original Poster:

8,267 posts

276 months

Tuesday 12th October 2010
quotequote all
many thanks for that NS - I'll let him know