Looking to buy a rack and panniers for Cannondale Topstone. Not planning on going around the world or anything, so nothing crazy. Ideally a setup for pretty light touring with scope to bring a tent. Bike has all the mounts for racks etc.
Not looking to spend a shed load either. Any recommendations would be grateful.
Thanks.
Absolutely no expert in this area but have done a few times so:
As far as panniers go, you won't go wrong with Ortleib. There are any number of other brands but Ortleib seem to be the "go to" for most - they won't be the cheapest but they will last you for years. I have a pair of their "city roller" ones:
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/ORTLIEB/City-Roller-Rear-Pannier-Set/LQQZ?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&co=GBR&cu=GBP&glCountry=GB&id=1014447&ds_eid=3823279037&ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=&ds_cid=20157694724&ds_ag=&ds_agid=&ds_k=&ds_kid=&ds_kids=&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7uqEjZqphwMVQJlQBh0GgQihEAQYAyABEgIOSvD_BwE Slightly smaller capacity than others in their range but they have done well for me for trips of a week to 10 days.
There are lots of options for racks (I have a Top Peak one) but I think they are all essentially the same design*.
Unless you strap it across your handlebars, your tent can sit longways on the top of the rack (bungeed on). Last time I did this (Hebrides in May this year), I did spend a lot of the time wishing that I had got some front panniers as opposed to only rear ones so that I could spread the weight more evenly across the bike as it can get very unwieldy with the two panniers, tent, sleeping bags etc all over the rear wheel. If I were to do a triip with camping gear again, I would definitely look into getting a front pannier rack.
I hope that's useful
Thanks - Have been looking at the Ortlieb pannier all right - Seem to be the best recommended and longest lasting - so maybe worth the investment ...
I've gone for a tailfin myself, but I had no rack mounts - on my partners Liv I have fitten an Ortlieb quick rack, a comparative bargain at ~£80, and super quick to remove/fit when you need it.
Tredz have it for £82, but there's the £5 off code they publish often:
Plus you can go through TCB.
Can only echo the ortlieb pannier comments, we have 4 back roller classics, and my bro who properly 1000s of km cycle tours across the world, uses them as well, and rates them highly.
Ortlieb panners are nice, but they're very expensive, and you said you didn't want to spend a shed load of money.
On the budget end of the scale the best I could find were the Elops 27L Waterproof Bike Bag 900 for just 39.99 euros each. You can read more about it here: 27L Waterproof Bike Bag 900 - Yellow ELOPS | Decathlon
Racks you have to be careful about, get cheap ones and they can break welds, they may say they're rated for 45 pounds, but that doesn't include the that the weight is amplified every time the load bounces up and down. I would go with the Topeak Super Tourist DX; while it says it has a 57-pound limit, but I wouldn't exceed 45 pounds, which means 20 pounds per pannier, leaving 5 pounds to put a tent on the back. These cost around 60.
Whatever bag you decide on, do not trust what they say about being waterproof, I don't care if you get the Ortliebs, don't trust their waterproof claims either. What you will need to do is to line all your bags with white (so you can see better into the bag) trash compactor bags, these bags are far more durable than the strongest garden bag. Then put the bag inside the pannier and load the bag, leave just enough room so you can roll the trash compactor bag shut so you can close the pannier lid. You can do the same thing with a handlebar bag as well, just cut it just long enough so you have enough bag left over that you can roll it shut.
I also put a lot of stuff inside zip lock bags, why? because you want to guarantee that something won't get wet, and/or if you have something that might leak you don't want the crud getting on your other stuff and making a huge mess inside the pannier. Any packaging could burst, so putting it inside a zip lock bag adds an extra layer of protection.
Touring gear usually goes on sale from now through October.
