Hello all- When it comes to panniers, I can't recommend highly enough the Super C panniers form Carradice. They're made of stout cotton canvas, are totally waterproof, and have the best mounting hardware I've ever encountered. I've toured thousands of miles with them and I've had them on my bike, daily, through five crappy, wet, icy, salty, slushy Boston winters (working on number six) and don't have a single complaint. My stuff has *never* gotten wet. I have a set of Ortliebs for the front when I go on extended tours and really prefer the Super Cs. My major issue with the Ortliebs is that they keep water *in* as well as they keep it *out.* When you're on the road for days or weeks in rainy weather this leads to constantly damp and soggy gear. The Carradices seem to "breathe" a bit so the gear doesn't tend to stay as soggy.
Also, they've taken on a really nice patina (beausage?) The last photo here was taken three years ago: <http://www.cyclofiend.com/cc/2007/cc360-michaelsmith0807.html> Happy New Year guys and gals! Cheers- Mike On Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 6:24 PM, William Henderson <[email protected]> wrote: > > Thanks for the link to Lemolo Joel. Those bags look quite a bit more > capable, and are actually $25 less than the Brooks! Has anyone here > used them? There's also a dearth of info of them on the web. > Wondering about water? > > These Brooks bags are truly beautiful (more so than even the Lemolos, > IMHO) and will be hard to give up, but I do agree that they are > probably not cut out for touring. FWIW though, the material appears > to be very durable, thick canvas stock. Easily as thick and durable > as the old baggins panniers Riv. used to make (on that note, I've been > told they will be making some again 'soon', so I may wait and see what > they come up with). The straps are also quite thick and solid > looking, however the way they are sewn into the bag is slightly less > solid and could be a potential point of failure. Also, there are only > straps for the top of the bag (none on the bottom), so the bags will > probably flop a bit, putting more stress on the aforementioned top > straps. All that being said, they are overall pretty solid looking. > I'd easily trust them for long day rides, and probably even on my 2-3 > weekend trips. I'm seriously considering keeping them for just that > (and all my day-to-day around-town trafficking, obviously) and then > buying some Ortliebs or whatever whenever I plan a longer trip. It's > just that nagging conscience about owning two sets of panniers (one of > them a $300 set) that is keeping me from doing this... > > Here's to hoping someone (Rivendell, say) will simply take this exact > Brooks design and slightly enlarge them, add proper mounts, and > improve the flap design. According to Brook's catalog, they are also > working on a 'touring' pannier set (coming 'soon', again) but I can > pretty much guarantee they will be unaffordable. > > wc. > > On Dec 26, 8:52 am, JoelMatthews <[email protected]> wrote: >> If you are talking about these: >> >> http://www.wallbike.com/brooks/bags/bricklanepanniers/brick.html >> >> definitely not meant for long distance. This is a thoughtful - and >> welcome re-make of classic panniers from pre-car days. They are meant >> for hauling groceries, picnics, and other modest cargo in the rainy >> climate on the British isles. >> >> You don't need internal bracing for a good touring pannier - Ortlieb >> roll up panniers are among the best long distance panniers made and do >> not have internal bracing. But you do need something made rugged. >> Brick Lane panniers are not designed for long distance touring. As >> you point out, they do not really seal shut. And the mounting >> hardware is built to look good while remaining easy to use, not to >> clamp onto your rack for hours long hauls over washboard pavement. >> Doesn't make them bad. In fact, I am seriously considering them for >> around town use. >> >> If you are looking for panniers for touring but still smart enough for >> around town use, check out this nice design from a one person outfit >> in Portland called Lemolo: >> >> http://lemolobags.wordpress.com/2008/10/09/pannier-pictures/#comment-262 >> >> The bags appears to be a great design. Arkel mounting hardware is up >> there with Ortlieb as among the most adaptable and durable. In my >> opinion the bags look great. >> >> On Dec 26, 10:24 am, William Henderson <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >> >> >> > I just got a set of Brooks panniers as a gift yesterday. I've >> > inspected them a bit and they appear to be quite well made, handsome, >> > and quite capacious. I'm out of town and so haven't had a chance to >> > see how they might fit on the back of my bike. Anyway, I was hoping >> > to solicit the opinions of anyone that might have used these bags? >> > Not sure if it's because they are new or so expensive, but there isn't >> > much info about them online. Certainly not a thorough review. Just >> > looking at them, they seem to be primarily designed as commuters or >> > grocery haulers. The flaps, for example, don't seem like they'd do a >> > great job keeping out water. Also, I'm not sure how they'll ride when >> > full since they have no stiffener. What I'm really looking for is >> > some panniers that are stylish enough for everyday use but also >> > perform adequately on longer rides and tours. Are these it? > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
