The German maker of Ortlieb Panniers is a well known and highly regarded bicycle pannier maker. The company also makes motorcycle dry bags and panniers, horse panniers, drybags, messenger bags and rucksacks, water containers, protection bags for electronics and documents, coffee filter holders and , my personal favorite accessory, a waterproof, toilet paper holder/dispenser.
The Ortlieb catalog points out that sustainability of their production is due in part to how long the products are expected to last and the fact that they are easily repairable if damage occurs. To that end they offer replacement parts and patch kits and back up durability claims with a 5 year warranty.
The Back Roller and Front Roller panniers are no frills bags made from pvc coated polyester fabric with welded seams rendering them waterproof. The roll top closure system keeps out dust and water. There are no external pockets on these panniers and only one side pocket inside.
Ortlieb's QL1 mounting system. The hooks on the top rail adjust side to side and the lower arm pivots as well as slides.From the top rail of the rack to the bottom of the bag measures 34 cm.
These panniers fit fine on the MT-Campee rack with the bottom edge trailing only slightly below the rack, but not so low as to interfere with the rear derailleur cable. Made to fit on almost any rack such as, besides this one, the Tubus Cosmo, Tubus Logo, both sizes of the Tubus Cargo and the Racktime TourIt.
In the next post I want to try the Racktime TravelIt pannier and then I should be ready to announce the winner of this little comparison and the lucky bag which will be traveling with us on the Olympic Peninsula the first week of August.
Preparing for our upcoming 3 day tour on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, I did a dry fitting of a few different panniers on Sky King’s bike.
First, a word about the bike and the rack. The bike is a Rivendell Bleriot with 650b wheels and I selected the Nitto MT-Campee rear rack which is made for 26″ wheels but which also fits nicely over the fendered 650b tires. I wanted a rack that mounted with the top platform close to the top of the wheel, for a low center of gravity, and that had side rails for pannier support.
The Lone Peak P-500 Mt Superior pannier
First up is the Lone Peak Mount Superior pannier. Lone Peak is based in Salt Lake City, Utah and their products are made in the USA. The company has been around since 1979. The website is very minimalistic and it’s short on specific information about the bags they make….information like mounting systems and materials.
With a nominal capacity of 3200 cubic inches or 52 liters per pair the P-500 Mount Superior panniers are the most capacious panniers in our store. With zippered pockets on the face, trailing edge and top, there should be plenty of room for items which need to be readily accessible. The zippered mesh pocket on the face of each pannier is perfect for carrying damp clothes while they dry out. There is no claim to waterproofness of the cordura fabric which forms the body of these bags but rain covers are sold separately.
Two composite hooks are bolted onto the back outside of the bag through the plastic stiffener inside the bag. The hooks go over the rack rail and are held in place with a pivoting thumb lock.
Two of these composite hooks hold the bag on the top rack rail. They are held in place with the little pivoting thumb lock.
The horizontal compression strap can be adjusted to keep the load from shifting and can even be wrapped around the rack frame to keep the panniers hard against the rack. On the bottom portion of the back is bolted an elastic cord, strung through a metal s-hook which is meant to hook to a bottom rail or clip on the rack, keeping the bottom of the bag secure.
The Lone Peak attachment system. The compression straps can be routed around a rack rail for a super solid system.
With the upper hooks hanging on the Nitto MT-Campee I discover that there is no place to hook the lower s-bolt and pull the elastic cord taught. From the top, inside, of the composite hooks, where they rest on the rack rail, to to the s-hook, the part that will hook on a bottom rail, with the elastic cord being flaccid, measures 295 mm. and to the very bottom of the bag measures about 320 mm.
The elastic cord needs to be tighter than this!
I hooked the bags on some other racks to see how they fit:
-The 26″ Tubus Cargo rack is a perfect fit and I’m sure the 28″ cargo would work as well.
-The Tubus Logo and Cosmo racks work as long as the bags are attached to the upper rail, which sort of defeats the purpose of the lower rail on these racks.
When full the panniers extend well above the carrying rail. A rack with a secondary, lower rail might be preferable.
Racktime Travel-It rear pannierRacktime Travel-It front pannier
(NOTE 10/31/2016: Racktime no longer has a distributor in the USA)
(NOTE 11/12/14: Since this review, Sky King has used these panniers a several trips and the performance was most excellent.)
This is not really a review- I have not had a chance to actually use the Racktime Travel-It panniers yet- more like my impressions.
Racktime is an offshoot of Ortlieb/Tubus, the go to brands for many bike tourists. The products are distributed in the USA by Ortlieb-USA so my confidence in the products and service is high.
The first thing that attracts me to these bags is the external pockets. The rear pannier boasts two pockets on the top cover, one large mesh pocket on the side and a zippered, bellows type pocket on the trailing edge. In my experience, external pockets make it easier to find whatever one might be looking for…easier than with panniers which only have one large compartment.
The aggressive elastic binding the top cover should make sure the contents are secure, especially since there is a nylon shroud with a drawstring inside the main compartment. but it also interferes with the lid opening completely, making accessing the main compartment a tad fussy.
Racktime Travel-It rear pannier main compartment. Notice the nylon shroud with drawstring.Front mesh pocket on Racktime Travel-ItFront pannier top pocketThe attached rain cover goes in this pocket with room left over for gloves and a capThe large rear bellows type pocket on the Travel-It rear pannierQL1 mounting system on front Travel-It. Rack is the Tara from Tubus
The mounting system is the tried and true QL1 system from Ortlieb. This is one of the most secure and simple to use designs I have seen. When the pannier is lifted by the handle, the two hooks on the reverse side are opened. Then the pannier can be hooked into the rack. Once you let go of the handle, the two hooks close around the rack tube.
The Ortlieb QL1 mounting system
Fixation of the lower section of the pannier is just as important as mounting in the top section in order to prevent the pannier from sliding and pivoting. The lower fixing hook serves for this purpose; it fixes the pannier to a vertical tube of the rack and secures it in the lower pannier area. The hooks may be adjusted easily to the distance required and tightened in position with allen key size 3
The QL1 hook system is adjustable using various inserts allowing compatible mounting on standard racks with an outside diameter of 8 -16 mm. The upper QL1 hooks can be reduced in size by inserting reduction parts into the hooks for 8mm or 11mm. The hook then closes perfectly around the rack tube and securely holds the pannier in its position.
Reduction spacers can be clipped into the top hooks of the Ortlieb QL1 mounting system to adapt to different rack tube diameters.
My Surly Cross Check doesn’t have chainstays as long as those on most touring bikes, but even so when mounted on the Racktime Tour-It rack these panniers had adequate heel clearance.
Overall I’m quite impressed with the design and construction of these bags and they look like a great value. The rear panniers should fit on almost any rear rack including Racktime’s. Racktime doesn’t have a low rider rack currently for the front panniers but they fit nicely as shown on the Tubus low rider racks.
We just received the Tour-It rack and the Travel-It front and Travel-It rear panniers from Racktime for the Bike Touring News Store. Ortlieb, Tubus and Racktime all come from the same company with the Racktime products intended for those who don’t want to pay Ortlieb and Tubus prices.
Racktime Tour-It rear rack
Naturally, as with any new gear, I had to fiddle around with it and I mounted the rack on Norm, my Surly Cross Check bike and installed one of the rear panniers. I wanted to see what the hardware was like and how well the bags mounted and also I was eager to see how the bags differ from the Ortieb back and front rollers.
The Racktime racks are made of aluminum as opposed to the tubular chrome moly or stainless steel of the Tubus offerings. This rack actually weighed a few ounces more than the Tubus Cosmo stainless steel rack even though the two have nearly identical configurations. Overall the mounting of the rack was simple and straight forward. Screws attach through a hole in the welded plate on the bottom of either side of the rack and into the dropout eyelets on the bike. The spacing was perfect for the 135mm rear blades on the Surly and I didn’t need any shims and there was no prying or spreading of the rack legs either.
The braces which secure the upper platform to the bike are meant to be attached to eyelets on the seat stays, but could be attached to clamps if no eyelets are provided. The other end of the braces then thread through an eyebolt which in turn is bolted to the rack platform. Even though this is a versatile setup, if I was going to make this a permanent attachment I would bend the struts in order to achieve a better alignment. Or else I would cut them shorter. As it was, the vertical sides of the rack interfered and I was unable to tighten things down completely.
All the hardware needed for the Racktime Tour-It rear rack. Standard bolts, eyebolts, and two stays.The stays or braces bolt to the seat stays and thread through the eyebolts. For a permanent installation, I would either cut them shorter of bend them so they didn't hit the vertical leg of the rack.
I like theminimal hardware on this rack since the fewer pieces and bolts to come loose the better when on the road. The top platform is wide enough to actually be used to carry a sleeping bag or tent and the lower set of rails allow for the attachment of panniers in such a way that they won’t interfere with a load on the top platform. The little pump pegs on the left leg of the rack are a cool idea, but I am unaware of any pumps that will fit on them. I was told that this rack is made as original equipment on some bikes for the European market, and they have their own proprietary pumps. The rack also will work with the Racktime SNAPit components. The rack is rated to carry up to 30 kilograms and the suggested retail is about $65.00.
There are dozens of videos out there about changing a flat tire. None with background music by Sonny Stitt. Here’s one!
A couple of things. Notice that I just lay the bike on it’s side with the derailleur up. That’s an easy way to do it when you’re on the side of the road. Also, I shift the chain into the smallest cog. When I put the tire back on it’s easy to remember what cog to put the chain over so that the wheel will be centered.
This is what I carry on the bike to change a flat:
Pump. I use a Zefal HPX frame fit pump. This pump is all aluminum and the barrel is long enough to push a decent amount of air, so the tire is up to pressure relatively quickly. Plus, unlike CO2 pumps, it has never failed or frozen. It mounts to the underside of the top tube
on bikes that have a pump peg.
Or it can be mounted in front of the seat tube, but this precludes the use of a water bottle there.
Spare tube, tire levers and patch kit. The simplestand quickest way to fix a flat is to change the tube. But I only want to carry one spare and if I get another flat I need to be able to patch one of the flat tubes.
Seat bag. For shorter day rides I use a Zimbale leather saddle bag to carry these items plus a multi tool.
