Hi, Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts.
On Apr 6, 10:10 am, Dave Craig <dcr...@prescott.edu> wrote: > Interesting. Have you noted that not single person who replied to your > post recommended the Arkel 54 panniers?? > > Here's why I didn't: > > Tremendously overbuilt and oversized - this results in increased > weight. Compared with the Ortlieb backrollers, this translates to > about 2 pounds extra per pair empty. As you know, if you are flying > anywhere these days, extra weight in your luggage costs money. > > Extra capacity - The Arkels are 54 liters per pair versus 40 liters > per pair for the Ortieb back rollers. Extra capacity might seem like a > good thing, but it encourages over packing. EVERY tourist I've seen on > the road who has the Arkel 54 panniers has been carrying a lot of > unnecessary (for me) stuff and this adds up to even more weight you'll > have to roll up hills. Weight is additive - heavier panniers and more > stuff means you'll need a heavier bike frame, heavier wheels, heavier > tires - I can pack EVERYTHING for a 2 month tour INSIDE my front and > rear roller Ortliebs with no load on top of the racks. Yes, I noticed they looked kind of BIG. However, I wondered if the intent of the design was to allow you to forgo front panniers. Will a bike handle better without front panniers? Or is it better to have some weight on the front too? > Traveling as > light as possible when touring can increase your enjoyment overall. > I'm all for packing light. > I > usually have plenty of energy left at the end of a day to go for > another bike ride (unloaded) or a hike, and I'm not afraid to explore > interesting side roads or go a little extra distance to a campsite > that might be a bit nicer than the one I'd planned. > > On the topic of visibility - The red used on the Arkel panniers isn't > really all that visible. > Yeah, the Arkel panniers look like they are kind of a dull red color. > First, your panniers are down low and present > a minimal profile from the rear. > If you are truly concerned with > visibility on the road, wear a safety yellow or safety orange vest or > jersey. Second, compared with yellow, red isn't all that visible, > especially in low light. The reflective triangles on the back of > Ortieb panniers are stunningly bright when ANY light hits them. > Yes, I understand that, but I don't like the black color on the back of the panniers. They should be hi vis yellow all the way around. Every little bit helps. As far as I can tell, there is no reason for the back of the panniers to be black. I guess I could hang some high vis triangles off the back. > Lastly, I find brightly colored panniers to be a double edged sword. > There are times when I prefer to be less visible so as to avoid > unwanted attention - as when choosing "creative" camping > possibilities. Again, on the road, I wear a highly visible vest and > the back of my bike sports a yellow safety triangle. > > Cost - Ortiebs aren't cheap, but come on, $380.00 for a pair of bags?? > After looking at the Arkel GT-54, the Ortliebs seem downright cheap! Although, if you only need to buy rear panniers with the Arkel's, then it is probably going to be pretty close in price for front and rear Ortliebs. > REI sells the backrollers for $165.00. The way I travel, that extra > $215.00 bucks would allow me to spend an extra week or more on the > road. I am leaning towards the Orlieb Backpacker Plus panniers. Still too big? > > Waterproofness - OK, if you are buying the idea that totally > waterproof bags are not good (I disagree), realize the any decent > pannier will keep your stuff reasonably dry I'm thinking about carrying a mesh bag and strapping that to the top of the rear panniers to dry out anything that is wet. > Realize also that most > tourists don't choose to ride day after day, in day-long downpours. Do > you enjoy riding in the rain now? > I hate riding in the rain. But if I need to get somewhere by a certain date, then I'll have to ride in the rain. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
