jefnvk

In another cheapskate buy, I snatched up an Ortlieb handlebar bag on coseout for $60. I wanted one with a common mount I can equip all my bikes with, to replace my black (matches everything) Blackburn with a proprietary mount that is a PITA to move from bike to bike. In exchange with getting it nearly half off retail, I get to deal with a wonderful denim blue color

I'm now left with orange panniers on the back (also bought on closeout), red on the front (hand me downs), and the blue handlebar bag. Generally when I see people posting pics of bikes, the panniers have at least a semblance of commonality. Do such things matter to you, and if so was it a willful move that may have cost you more to keep colors the same, or was it something simpler like they were all ordered as a set?

indyfabz

Mismatched panniers would bug me, but that's just me. (I'm also anal about my socks going with my jersey and my "kit" looking o.k. with the panniers.) My panniers have always matched because the two sets I have ever owned were bought as sets. If I used a handlebar bag I don't think it would bother me if it were a different color than my panniers as long as it wasn't ugly and did not clash with the panniers.

phughes

As long as they work, I wouldn't mind a bit. It is nice when everything matches, but a deal is a deal, and function trumps form.

winston63 

I admit that I do use mismatched panniers, and it doesn't bother me a bit.

I've often got some orangey-red Ortlieb rear panniers and a pair of Arkel front panniers which are a different red that almost clashes with the Ortliebs. I don't give it a second thought as both products are very well made and incredibly functional and that's my priority.

PedalingWalrus

on my last tour I almost wished I had panniers of different color to remember which pannier was with camping stuff and which pannier with clothing and which with food and ... etc ... I would almost alway open the wrong pannier first when I was looking for something :-)

ironwood

Too bad there aren't any white panniers that you could put on the rear instead of the orange ones, then you'd be all set for the Fourth of July.

seeker333

Ortlieb has sold white rear panniers since at least 2011:

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting...-panniers.html

https://www.modernbike.com/ortlieb-b...ir-white-black

jefnvk

Glad to see I'm not the only one! The orange and red actually worked well on my Iceland bike, which was orange and red, and the biggest justification for the blue being OK is it actually complements the bike it'll normally reside on. These three are going on a forest green bike this time, which clashes even more The only saving grace is I may not bother with front panniers this go around, reducing one color!



It'd also be perfect for Bastille Day in France, coincidentally the day I land!

Leebo

Let's see, black, green canvas, tan canvas, blue, white tyvek. Yup all match. And a grey one for the bar bag.

Tourist in MSN

The handlebar bag that I usually use for touring has green side pockets, some black and some white. Use that with my yellow Ortlieb panniers.

Your mix of colors might make it a bit more theft proof. I usually think that thieves are opportunists and I assume their eyes are drawn to something that looks nice. That is why I never clean my bike on a tour. I assume something that looks less attractive is more theft proof.

If you have enough steerer tube to fit a second stem, you might want to consider that as an option for your new bar bag. It lowers the bag and brings it a bit closer to the steering axis if you use a really short stem. But it since you take a smaller size frame than I do, your bars are closer to your wheel than mine so I am not sure if it would be as much of an advantage for you as for me. Some photos of some of my bikes showing the second stem at this link:
https://www.bikeforums.net/19930025-post28.html

Rob_E

I was actually considering this when I was shopping for my panniers. Then I ended up having to buy a new set in a hurry, so I bought the set that was in stock at my LBS and didn't get to follow through with the multi-color plan.

Aubergine 

stardognine

What, you worry about the fronts matching the rears? I can't even make both rears match. 😋 They used to match, until one fell off & took major damage. I kept using it, but within a week, I found a like new one (different brand and color), for $4, so decided I didn't care if they matched. 😁

Tourist in MSN

You have to get them in the right order to look like a rainbow. Like red, orange, yellow, green and blue.

Marcus_Ti

Yup mismatched bags. Helps me remember where I put what. Granted part of it was a fluke of sales pricing.


Doesn't bother me....except for Blackburn bag mounts are a PITA compared to Ortlieb.

skidder

I gotta ask: What color is your bar tape/handlebar grips, and what's the saddle color?

FWIW: Blue/green panniers and a DIY yellow handlebar bag (made it from a 'fugly' insulated cordura lunch bag my employer was trying to give out as a promo item - it failed miserably!). Bar tape is red/black splash tape or Blue/black splash.Saddle is black.

jefnvk

Fairly boring (cheap?) In that regard. Black tape, slightly different shades of brownish-black vintage Avocet Touring saddles on everything. The only splash is instead of using black electric tape to tie it off, I use a splash of colored hockey friction tape.

I guess if you take it a step further and mismatch right-left, its not a half bad idea!

Haven't used Blackburn panniers, but their handlebar mount works well. Just can't buy additional mounts :/. My front panniers are old Schwinns from the late 70s/80s, theyre just hook and bungee hook, which I retrofitted a locking hook to. Work good for tools and spares and cooking stuff and pther stuff that can get moist.

DanBell

Doesn't bother me. My original panniers were black front rollers, then I bought red rear panniers because I felt like it, then when those disintegrated I bought blue rear ones, and somewhere in there I purchased a red handlebar bag. Honestly I'd be happy to have a rainbow set. I thought about trying to find three other people interested in the same thing willing to do a group order from Wayne at the touring store, and having him mix up the four colors of the bags for each person before shipping.

PedalingWalrus

ok. so does anyone have a blue ortlieb backpacker plus to swap with a green backpacker plus? :-) (rear panniers)

same with blue sport packer plus to swap with a green sport packer plus ? (front panniers)

saddlesores

buy a couple meters of waterproof material and some elastic band, spend an evening making a set of matching rain covers.

fietsbob

no but as offered before ...when I got my 4 same color panniers (Beckman)
they each got a different color zipper pull tab.

DanBell

That's a clever idea.

jefnvk

Well, that pretty much makes the whole point of buying waterproof Ortliebs pointless

saddlesores

not true! matching raincovers provide suchly benefits:

1. onlookers will assume the underlying bags also match.

2. your expensive ortliebs won't suffer from uv fade.

4. your bags will stay clean and shiny.

3. your mild OCD will stay in remission.

jefnvk

Well, all good point. Minus the OCD, the way I live my life would downright kill someone with even mild OCD!

If I were OCD though, I'd probably just accent my bar tape to match the panniers, orange back by the bar end shifters, blue up front by the bag. Sadly, I only have orange and pink hockey tape right now, so we can toss that out the window