Panniers + Road Bike

fergyorbea

Can you fit panniers to a normal road bike which does not have eyelets for a rack?

Also, are panniers and racks specific or not?

Any help would be much appreciated as I am planning my first tour.

alfablue

Most panniers fit most racks

You can, there are a few options:

P=clips - not the sturdiest fixings but can work, protect the paint or use rubber lined ones (some good ones are available from www.stagonset.co.uk )

M-Part seatpost clamp with built in rack mount - this solves the upper rack mounting, sturdy, cheap at about £5.

Tubus quick-release axle rack mount - replaces the quick release skewer on rear wheel with a longer one plus a rack mount. Very secure, neat solution to lower rack mounting, drawbacks are it is £20+, only fits Tubus racks (the best, but expensive), and you have to remove the skewer if removing the rear wheel (minor extra hassle).

Things to watch out for are that the rear triangle may be fairly compact and your heels may hit panniers - all depends on bike geometry, which rack and panniers you have, and how they are mounted (another advantage of the tubus QR is that it moves the rack rearward). Another thing to watch for is flex in the rear triangle if heavily loaded (most likely on a skinny tubed steel bike that isn't designed as a tourer - rare), and instability at the front.

What bike do you have?

fergyorbea

many thanks for your comprehensive response.

I have an orbea larrau/asphalt alluminium road bike, will it work with this - i think it's an 05/06 model

alfablue

Its hard to say, the rear triangle does look very compact so heel rub may be an issue. My g/f has a Trek 1.2 (which has mounts) and her setup with a Tortec Ultralight rack and Ortlieb Back Roller Classic panniers and she has no heel rub, so it may work, however her foot size and frame size and geometry may well be sufficiently different to yours.

amaferanga

I'd be more worried about whether or not the rear wheel is strong enough.

fergyorbea

regarding wheels, would fulcrum racing 5's be strong enough or do i need the likes of a mavic open pro?

alfablue

Its really to do with the number of spokes and the quality of the build. A cheap wheelset, if well built (or fettled by a wheelbuilder) with 32 spokes would probably be fine, for very heavy loads a 36 hole rear is best. How much load do you expect to carry?

cakewalk

http://carradice.co.uk/sqr-saddlepacks/index.html

Highly rated.

fergyorbea

i am hoping to carry enough for about a week's touring, but staying in hostels so i will just be carrying clothes, tools, food etc. Roughly 10-15KG. I'm not sure if a large saddlebag will be enough.

cakewalk

fergyorbea wrote:

i am hoping to carry enough for about a week's touring, but staying in hostels so i will just be carrying clothes, tools, food etc. Roughly 10-15KG. I'm not sure if a large saddlebag will be enough.

They do bags for the handle bars as well http://carradice.co.uk/handlebar-bags/index.html.

fergyorbea

do you think a handlebar bag and a saddlebag will be enough for a week's touring?

I do have shimano gears so won't that be a problem with the bar bag?

kaiserpc

I'm planning my 1st tour next year on a road bike without eyelets (in france staying at B&B's carrying the minimum). I'm intending to use the following seatpost rack and the following panniers;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Raleigh-Alloy-Seat-Post-Carrier/dp/B000RW774S

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Topeak_RX_Trunk_Bag_Ex_With_Side_Panniers/5360012456/

fergyorbea

thanks for all your replies. i also have a mountain bike which has the eyelets but will this be a better bet than my road bike as i will need to change the tyes etc.?

deal

kaiserpc wrote:

I'm planning my 1st tour next year on a road bike without eyelets (in france staying at B&B's carrying the minimum). I'm intending to use the following seatpost rack and the following panniers;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Raleigh-Alloy-Seat-Post-Carrier/dp/B000RW774S

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Topeak_RX_Trunk_Bag_Ex_With_Side_Panniers/5360012456/

that seems to have a very small capacity, around 9 litres.... arent most panniers around 40-60 litres per pair ? Looks like you would struggle to fit more than a few items of clothing in there!

andymiller

alfablue wrote:

M-Part seatpost clamp with built in rack mount - this solves the upper rack mounting, sturdy, cheap at about £5.

Chain Reaction also have the same thing but branded Electra. they do a 28.6mm one as well as 31.9 still doesn't seem to be anyone doing them in 34.9 or 30mm.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=37703

Wooliferkins

fergyorbea wrote:

i am hoping to carry enough for about a week's touring, but staying in hostels so i will just be carrying clothes, tools, food etc. Roughly 10-15KG. I'm not sure if a large saddlebag will be enough.

If you cant get it in the 16ltr Carradice SQR then dont take it. Multi function clothing helps, one on one off one in the wash. The bigger your capacity the more you will carry. I took two 48l panniers to NZ stuffed to the gunwhalls, lots of stuff never saw the light of day. An old boy went away with a Camper Longflap, wash kit a change of clothes and his baccy pouch and pipe. I know who found the month easier.

andymiller

kaiserpc wrote:

I'm planning my 1st tour next year on a road bike without eyelets (in france staying at B&B's carrying the minimum). I'm intending to use the following seatpost rack and the following panniers;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Raleigh-Alloy-Seat-Post-Carrier/dp/B000RW774S

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Topeak_RX_Trunk_Bag_Ex_With_Side_Panniers/5360012456/

The seatpost rack has a weight limit of 11 kilos - enough for a lightweight tour. Personally I'd go down the route of using p-clips - cheaper and more capacity for future longer tours. Chances are you'll end up eBaying the seatpost racks and micro-panniers.

fergyorbea wrote:

thanks for all your replies. i also have a mountain bike which has the eyelets but will this be a better bet than my road bike as i will need to change the tyes etc.?

Depends on how much you're planning to carry. If you're not camping then the road bike would be fine. If you're camping then the MTB could be the better bet. 10-15 kg is really quite a lot - if you're not carrying a tent or sleeping bag you should be able to stay below 10kgs. If you do end up carrying 15 kgs then I'd go with the MTB or get a stronger back wheel for the road bike.

BE1

I'm just back from a 5 day hostel/hotel tour and fitted everything into a barbag and carradura saddle bag with SQR fitting.

Everything being a change of cycle clothing, two changes of t-shirt and undies, spare socks, fleece, trousers, spare shoes, tools, first aid kit, wash kit, sun lotion, waterproof jacket, netbook and lead and that's about it.

Of course if the seatpost is carbon then the SQR is probably not a good idea.

pimptovimto

I have an MTB which only had threaded holes at the bottom near the rear hub. I went to Halfords and bought a longer quick release clamp for my seatpost cost about 3 quid. I used this to clamp the upper stays for the pannier rack which were solid(not bendy ones) fittng was simply and once the clamp is locked up the rack is absolutely solid. I have not come across anyone else on this forum that has used this method but it worked a treat for me.

PV

nicktheluddite

I agree with the posters above - a bar bag and a saddle-bag is enough for 1 week of staying in B&B/hostels. The cheaper option than a saddlebag is to buy a drybag and just bungee it onto your rack.
You mention carrying tools, clothes & food - what tools are you planning on taking? Unless you're going to deepest rural Scotland I wouldn't waste effort lugging many tools around - just tyre levers, spare inner tubes, multitool & pump.

fergyorbea

i think i will get two rear panniers which shouldhave plenty room for all my needs. I was thinking ortlieb but these seem a bit expensive.

So would you not recommned taking any tools nicktheluddite, I agree it is unlikely that I will need them but I like being prepared!

Also, pimptovimto do have disc brakes and if so, did the pannier rack interfere in anyway?

Thanks

alfablue

Ortlieb Back Roller Classic's are well worth the extra expense, will last for years (5 year warranty), used by expedition cyclists the world over. The fitting system is the easiest to use. Available for £79 a pair Here.

nicktheluddite

What you choose to take is a compromise between excess weight and things being useful. I wouldn't go touring without the basics I listed. It's worth considering what the alternatives are if something breaks and you don't have the tool. I've never broken a spoke or chain while touring. I've onlv had to walk home once, commuting back from a meeting when I got a flat tire, but didn't have anything useful with me. Lesson learnt.
If you're in the UK you're never that far from a bike shop (except for NW Scotland) - phone and taxi is the last resort which will fix everything.
I still think two panniers is too much for B&B touring, but I'm sure you'll have a great time whatever you do.
(Disc brake mounts can get in the way of pannier racks)

Tim Farr

I agree with nicktheluddite. Two panniers - unless they are small - is too much capacity for youth hostelling or b&b ing. One thing to watch out for - which has been mentioned but it may have escaped you - is what someone calls 'heel rub' ie. catching your heels on the pannier. Clearly if you have shoe size 12 there's greater possibility of a problem than if you're a size 5!!