Panniers and bike bags make bike commuting, touring and bikepacking effortless - when you take the weight of the backpack off your back, you feel a lot easier and your shirt can breathe better. By investing in waterproof side bags, you also protect your equipment from rain.
Ortlieb panniers and other bags are completely waterproof without the need for separate rain covers, and they always have a five-year warranty. Ortlieb is a sure-fire choice! This manufacturer has also invested in the development of fasteners in an exemplary manner. Ortlieb bags stay in place very well and the parts used in the suspension last for a long time. The brackets also have good adjustments: it's quite an achievement to find a bike rack that doesn't work with Ortlieb bags.
Front panniers are a good way to balance a loaded bike: while piling all the load on the rear rack is possible, it rarely makes sense. By transferring a part of the load to e.g. bags attached to a Tubus Tara front rack, the bike becomes substantially steadier and its handling even in parking lot situations becomes easier. Four quality bags are a better option than a vague pile of bags on your rear rack.
When you're on a bike trip with Ortlieb panniers, you soon learn to appreciate their small details: for example, the shoulder straps are a very valuable feature when you want to move four panniers and a handlebar bag from the bike to the accommodation in one walk. The high-quality buckles and zippers, and welded seams convince any user these bags are the real deal. The pockets for small items on the inside seem unnecessarily minimalist at first, but they turn out to be just right in use.
A handlebar bag is convenient for many uses. Sometimes it's the only bag you need - in addition to a phone and spare tire, a mini pump, keys and even a light shell jacket are easy to carry along in a handlebar bag. Some handlebar bags can also be equipped with a map case. On a bike tour, you can leave the other bags attached to the bike and take only the most important one, i.e. the handlebar bag, with you: use it to carry the most critical equipment.
Another small bag type is one mounted on top of the rear rack. Such a bag is always directly on the center line of the bike and, for example, Ortlieb's Trunk Bag is also waterproof. A rack bag is a good way to keep the most important equipment at hand quickly and it also works for commuters. The bag is convenient to grab from the shoulder strap and snaps back into place effortlessly.
A welcome novelty on the bag front are the Hi-Visibility bags, once again in Ortlieb's range. The surface of Hi-Viz bags is completely covered with reflective dots: the reflectivity is woven directly into the fabric and does not wear off. These bags, shine amazingly bright in a car's headlights and bring safety to summer night rides and randonneuring as well as autumn and winter commutes.
Saddlebags are made from very small to quite large. You can fit a spare tire and tire irons in the smallest ones, the medium-sized ones fit a pair of spare tires and a phone and a small tool, and the largest ones you can fit a change of clothes and extra gear for a bicycle tour with ultralight equipment.
The decisive factor in the use of panniers is the luggage rack. We represent Tubus and Ortlieb racks and both of these brands are easy to recommend even for demanding use. The Tubus Cargo is a traditional choice: light but very sturdy and proven over the years. It has a wide platform on top for extra packing if everything doesn't fit in the panniers. Another good choice is Logo (stylized from the words low go), which brings the center of gravity of the bags a few centimeters lower and also gives a few centimeters more space for your heel because the bags are placed a little further back in this rack. Tubus and Ortlieb racks are manufactured from high-quality materials under German quality control. Invest in Tubus or Ortlieb: you won't regret it!
Read more... 
