mdilthey

I got mine used, and have been beating them for two more years, and they look new. From user error, I let a little mildew grow in one over a month in the basement and it cleaned up perfect with Windex. I haven't broken a mount yet, but I have spare parts on hand if I do because everything is available.

The Ortliebs remind me of the bicycle they're on. Functional, maintainable, long-lived, and simple to the max.

robert schlatte

I agree with most of what has been said about Ortlieb. I will chime in about great durability. I have used one front roller everyday for my commute to work for the last five years. I rotate between the two and I try to not to abuse them- ie no dragging, scuffing, or throwing around. Other than breaking a plastic buckle twice (which Ortlieb replace both time for free), the bags show no discernible signs of wear. I have also used them on at least ten multi-day tours. They function as good as new.

MileHighMark

They really do hold their value. I sold a pair years ago and they fetched a very fair price.

arnaguedes

I love mine, rear and front roller classics, and the cheaper ones the city are fine too.
Ortlieb quality amazing

Doug64

All of the above. Ortlieb products are well made, durable, and replacement parts, if needed, are readily available. On a tour four years ago I lost one of the little rack sizing clips on the mounting hook. I was still able to mount the panniers without it, and just replaced it at the first opportunity. I carry an extra clip in my tool kit now. My wife and I both use Ortlieb gear. She swears by the Packer Plus, and I prefer the Roller Classics. Our panniers have seen some rough use in the 8 years we've been using them.

I'm biased


This is the result of a high speed encounter with a tall curb. The bag, Front Roller Classic, is still waterproof.


Easy to clean, even when loaded.


As others have stated, there are also other good options.

spectastic

you race?

Hugh Morris

I mean, they are so wonderfully burly. Love the 'classic' material; have two back roller classics.

The most demanding thing I do (too regularly) with mine is stuff a trombone in vertically (open at the top, of course) and wrap the strap tightly around the bone case above the handle. It's definitely a stupid-demanding task of any pannier, and only a 'temporary' solution, but i mean... It's holding up after at least 20-30 rides to rehearsals/gigs so I'm not in a rush to find another solution just yet. (weight distribution be damned, I whip through the city with that weight high, far behind and to the left of me, and don't mind it)

spectastic

how are the shoulder straps on the classics? I see they're only attached through the small patches that was designed to close the top, not necessarily designed for a fully loaded pannier pulling down on them. can you be walking around the city with the shoulder strap supporting 30 lbs?

also how's the durability on the plus versions of the back rollers?

Doug64

I've heard this a lot, but I've never experienced it. I have stored wet tents and partially dried clothes in my Ortlieb panniers without a problem. I have also left my open pannier sitting on a picnic table during a thunderstorm, and everything in the pannier was wet or damp. The weather was not conducive to drying anything, and it was a couple of days before I could really dry things out--no problems.

If non-waterproof panniers actually do breathe, which I don't buy, they would leak like a sieve. The non-waterproof bags are constructed from coated codura and packcloth which are very water resistant. If the seams are sealed properly they come close to being waterproof. I think if there is going to be a odor/mildew problem, it will occur regardless of the material used in the pannier construction.

Doug64

The shoulder straps work just as advertized. I have toted my Classic Rollers around a lot using the shoulder straps during the 8 years that I've used them. I really appreciate the shoulder straps when staying at a hotel without an elevator.

IMO they are pretty durable.

Doug64

I did, but that was a long time ago.

Tourist in MSN

I was only repeating what I have heard several others say.

I try to only put dry clothing in mine. Tents, yeah I put a wet tent in it and have not had a problem but tents rarely have mildew problems anywhere near as fast as dirty wet clothing.

There was a family that rode from Alaska to Central America and had many posts on this forum, I think they made those comments on Ortliebs being a bit too air tight.

fietsbob

Each bag has its own strap , so 4 bags there are 4 straps ( a pairing together would be Nice)

they are using the side release Buckles on the ends of the Roll top closure ,
The strap over the top will keep it rolled closed , and the male and female ends will snap to each other or the strap ends .

there is the City-Shopper line there the F side is bonded into the ends of the bag the M ends are both on the roll closure

simpler no inside organizer pouch along the back basic type1 hardware.

US Brands just want to be Managers , export the fabrication jobs, Germany still makes things
and the balance of trade figures are in their direction.

djb

Re mildew, I haven't had any issues but figure common sense comes into play. I haven't spent months and months on trips, but I do recall leaving the bag sort of open the few times for some reason I had damp stuff. In general Ive always left damp stuff on top of panniers, but the times I had damp things and it was raining, I put the damp stuff in a plastic bag until it stopped raining and then put them on the bike somewhere.
Traveling in a rainy season in a hot country would be a drag, but then your stuff is pretty much going to be kept dry with any dry bag style pannier, and keeping wet stuff out of a pannier is a pretty basic solution.

Doug64

I think you are right about the tents. Heck, my dirty clothes usually have an odor before they go into the panniers so they have a head start I didn't mean to imply that putting wet things in my panniers was the norm. I try to follow the same precautions with wet things as you use.

I follow a similar regime for handling wet things. I try to carry 2-3 plastic grocery bags for wrapping up the wet rainfly and other wet things that go into the panniers.

79pmooney

Fully waterproof, weatherproof, near indestructible and easy on and off. I replaced my first pair at 11 years, still in full working condition and I still use them as rear panniers when I go to the farmer's market. I've replaced the hardware once. The fabric is fully repairable. I stuck a very sharp knife through it and did a standard rafting repair on it. Good as new. Those old ones still hold water. (Yes they are that waterproof. You could cross a desert and use them to carry your water.) I've been careless about getting the hooks full on the racks a few times and had them fall off, sometimes at speed. They don't care. But no, after 16 years of abuse, they do not look new!

Any gear I bought in 1999, used hundreds of times (thousands?) and still works like new is OK in my book.

Ben

Tourist in MSN

My last tour, tent body (without poles), a light pair of flip flops and air mattress went into the front right pannier, nothing else. If the tent body got the air mattress a little wet, not that big of a problem because the air mattress was rolled up in the bag it came with. If the tent body got the flip flops wet, they would feel right at home. My dry clothing was in my other front pannier along with a few other dry items. Since there virtually was always morning dew, the right front always had damp stuff in it.

I usually strap my rain gear on the outside of one front roller and damp clothing on top of the other. In the photo, damp stuff in a mesh bag on left, the rain gear just barely visible on right side, the red of the red jacket is visible. If it starts raining, the damp stuff obviously would go inside a bag somewhere to keep it from getting damper.



Keeping the rain gear out handy came in really handy a few times when I did not have to take the time to open up a pannier.

Brennan

Personally, I don't think they are ideal for dry climates. I live in California, so not much need for waterproofing. Also, I use my panniers on an almost daily basis for basic transportation, so I prefer the convenience of zippers over roll tops, and outer pockets over just one big bag. One thing that I really like about the Ortliebs, though, is the mounting system. Again, since I use my panniers around town, I have to attach and reattach frequently, and Ortlieb's quick-release mounts can't be beat on that measure, which is why I bought the mounting parts and attached them to my Jandd panniers. I love my hacked panniers!

erig007

Have you tried Louis garneau panniers before saying that Ortlieb can't be beat? I can put and remove my bags with one hand.

djb

I'm really impressed with the quality panniers available nowadays by various brands, it's great with the options out there. Given that lots of people commute by bike, a good quality panniers system is worth it for years of use.

wahoonc

Just as a side note... I have other panniers than the Ortliebs, but the Ortliebs are some of the best I have had over the years. They are honest to god waterproof. Many years ago I used stitched nylon ones that were of decent quality, but they weren't totally waterproof, I still had to put things in a plastic bag to keep them totally dry.

I have a set of canvas panniers (Basil Karavans) on my city bike that stay on there year round. They are fairly waterproof, but will leak if the rain is heavy enough. That bike doesn't get ridden in the rain that often. Best use I have found for my Ortliebs so far was for a family get together. Packed them full of ice and beer, rode to the gathering. Everyone was suitably impressed.

Aaron

Brennan

I have not.

Cool!

Jim from Boston

Well said; I forgot to mention the lack of organization. I use mine for commuting, mostly bulky rainwear, and bag things up to organize.

antokelly

Doug can i ask.your cannondale buddy of mins has one but when he came back from france few years back the top tube was damaged exactly where you snack bag is, more or less a creese as if it was hit by an axe no paint damage .do you reckon its safe to ride.

cyccommute 

I've used both. I've had many of the hook and bungee panniers run alongside me as I'm going down the road which isn't as nice as you'd think The Ortieb mount is good enough that I've even retrofitted it to other bags before I decided that to switch entirely. The clamp around the bars of the rack is solid and never lets loose...no matter how rough the road or trail is.

As for leaving them on the bike, I much prefer to take my bags off in camp. It's easier than trying to get items into and out of the bag while packing or cooking.



Same here. I've had bags with pockets and found them to be mostly useless. Items are either too small and get lost in the pockets along with lots of other small items or they are too big and won't fit in the pockets. Mostly the pockets go unused because they are mostly useless.