zacster

I've been looking for bags other than the Ortliebs for a 500 mile tour and came up with the Ibera pannier and rack system. I like the aesthetic more than the Ortliebs, which always look so utilitarian to me, and I'm not fond of the roll top either. The rack accommodates a snap on trunk also so it can be expanded to an extent. None of it seems terribly expensive either. I know you generally get what you pay for but these seem like a good compromise between price and quality. They are not waterproof but come with a rain cover and Amazon reviews say they are resistant enough without the cover for a moderate rain. I would also want to try them on my existing rack, an older Blackburn, before I buy the Ibera rack and if the panniers fit I'd have to consider whether I need the other rack and the trunk bag. These would be my first touring bags, the bag I used for commuting being too small to be useful on a tour.

Does anybody here have any experience with them?

Kelly I

I tried a similar rack/pack system (Axiom?) where the pack slid into grooves on the rack. I could only use the pack on the bike with the matching rack, as the plastic bottom of the pack would rattle annoyingly on a standard rack. This was an expandable pannier system, which I think is the style you are looking at?

It seems people fall into two camps with panniers. There's the one big compartment type (Ortlieb), and then there's the many compartments/zippers style (Arkel).

zacster

If the Arkel wasn't so expensive I'd look at those. They are even more than the Ortliebs.

Maybe I'll just order the Ibera and see how they look, or better still find a store that has them. REI does not have them but they do have the Ortlieb.

Edit: It doesn't look like they Ibera are available in stores except Walmart! We have kept NYC Walmart free and I'm not going to NJ to find one. I'll order from the big A.

veganbikes

There are two touring panniers to consider Ortlieb or Arkel, they are both super durable, reliable and have a good solid mounting system. I probably wouldn't throw money at the cheaper stuff. My Arkels are 10-11 years old and could probably pass for new if I cleaned them up a touch and we have seen a lot of pictures of Ortliebs such as Doug64 's? picture after he had to hose his bike down at a checkpoint in some other country and those panniers are still going. I wouldn't hesitate to buy Arkels again (if I ever needed to) or to buy Ortliebs but I wouldn't waste the money on other stuff unless I really knew these were low usage short usage items. If I really wanted QR stuff I would look at MIK or Racktime as it is a good quality reliable system but for long distance touring Arkel or Ortlieb every time.

zacster

I just don't see the need to get panniers that will last me 10 years at my age! At 67 this is my first tour and while I hope it isn't my last I'm not expecting to do it very often. I can afford the better bags, it would be one fewer bottles of wine a week for a month or two. I just don't see the need.

I saw a video review of the Ibera vs the Arkel and while she thought the Arkel was far better, she didn't think the Ibera bags were bad.

And as for quality, I'm always a little skeptical. A few years back I bought an Osprey convertible backpack each for myself, wife and 2 kids, and went on a trip through Denmark and Norway. One of them is now almost unusuable and the one I bought for myself is not comfortable. Osprey was supposed to be the good brand.

indyfabz

The Ortlieb Packers don’t have roll tops. I’ve had mine for 12 years. Still going strong despite lots of touring/commuting/transportation riding.

Sorry, but it sounds like you are looking for validation of a choice to spend less. It’s ok to spend less if that’s what you want to do, but don’t take issue with a trusted brand that has proven itself time and time again, especially when you have no experience with the brand.

Tourist in MSN

There are several other brands of panniers, Axiom is one. Check them out too, they usually sell for a bit less. My first panniers were an off brand that I later donated to charity. I then bought some Nashbars, used once or twice, still have them but not sure if I will ever use them. Then bought Ortliebs.

A friend of mine bought some that were the Performance Bike brand, maybe the name was Transit? I think he used them twice before he bought Ortliebs.

The better brands, not only are they more durable, but they have better attachments to the racks.

If you are balking at the Ortlieb price, Ortlieb City models cost less with fewer bells and whistles.

I bought some Carradry rear panniers about seven years ago, I was happy with my Ortliebs but the Carradry were much bigger and I bought them for a specific trip where I needed more volume. That trip got canceled, but every trip after, I considered trying them since I already had them. My last tour, I brought the Carradry for rear and some Axiom ones that I got at a garage sale for front. The Carradry did well, I probably will use the Carradry again if I need the larger capacity, but the Ortliebs will certainly be used again. I had some all day rains on my last tour, everything in the Axiom panniers got wet. But I suspected that may happen so the stuff I packed up front (tent, cooking gear) was stuff that I could get wet without any problems. I had some water leakage in my Carradry ones too, but I think that was all from an unsealed seam that I have since sealed when I got home.

If you are looking for a rack top bag, instead of the pricy ones by companies like Ortlieb, you can get cheaper generic dry bags that lack the cycle specific straps. With an elastic net or a few straps you can strap that on top of a rear rack, the panniers on each side help hold the dry bag centered on the rack that way, but without panniers that is not as good an option.

Don't scrimp on the racks either, you want a good rack that won't fail.

With the supply chains being messed up, prices are up and there are lots of shortages, so this is not the best time to buy. That is unfortunate, but there is nothing you can do to fix that.

Some people are harder on gear than others. If you found your Osprey pack to be fragile, maybe you need to buy the Ortliebs to get the durability. I have never used an Osprey backpack, but the backpackers I have met on backpacking trips that had them were very happy with them.

staehpj1

Yeah, and two very different packing strategies. Personally having tried both I found that for me the multiple pockets made it harder to find stuff. I find that I prefer to organise with ultrasil stuff sacks within one big envelope. Color coding of the sacks makes it easy to find stuff. Pockets sounded like they keep things organized, but it seemed like things were always in the last pocket I checked. Also as supplies of things went up or down or balance of clean vs dirty changed, the size of the pockets was always wrong. They'd be either empty or overstuffed if I tryed to keep them to dedicated usage.

The waterproofness of either can be dealt with, but I liked the rolltop waterproof better. Just keep wet stuff out or well sealed in a ziplock or other waterproof bag if in the same pannier with dry stuff. Best to keep really wet stuff out (like tent on top of rear rack).

FWIW, I have been pretty happy with inexpensive house brand bags from Nashbar or Performance (Transit). They are quite inexpensive and mine have held up well. You may not like the roll top closure though (they do have a flap over the roll top if that helps). In recent times I have been packing ultralight so I haven't used them lately, but if carrying more I would.

fishboat

For a lower cost option the Axiom panniers will work plenty well for your needs. They are water resistant(they do have a water proof model for more money). If you need water-proof, get some white trash compacter bags and put your stuff in them inside the panniers. They have a Rixen & Kaul rack-lock on each bag that works well. The bags won't bounce off your rack.

With respect to the Ibera rack..this one

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

is nice as it has the racks to hang panniers are a bit lower than the upper rack surface. This makes the bags easier to hang with gear on the top rack and it's easier to secure something on the top rack without the panniers getting in the way. My girlfriend has used this rack on several tours and it works perfectly. Stout tubing and good welds. I have a Blackburn that is nearly the same as the Ibera. Same size tubing, same weld appearance, cost 3x more.

The Ibera rack/Axiom panniers combo is all you'll ever need. If you had more extensive use in mind..then the Ortlieb route is probably a good investment.

sloppy12

I have the ibera trunk bag with expanding panniers. Its fine, quality is good. only real downside I see is they are heavy. The racks are decent I haven't had any issues lots of miles on them. I dont really use the trunk bag anymore but its not because of quality or ease of use its more I like a basket better on a commuter.

zacster

I ordered the Ibera Panniers. They arrive Thursday, today is Tuesday. I'll report back with impressions. Of course first impressions are meaningless because they need to survive a real ride. If I hate them I'll send them back but I doubt they'll be poor enough quality to do that. My guess is I'll be getting what I paid for, nothing more and nothing less. All they need to do is survive a 10 day trip and they are certainly good enough for that.

veganbikes

Having used Arkel for years it is well worth it. Knowing many people who have used Ortleib I would highly recommend them as well. They are well regarded and honestly the Ortlieb back rollers are not that much more than the sort of Ortlieb clones they sell at probably an inflated price for what they are worth. Plus if you say hey I won't need them in ten years you could easily resell them.

As far as unusable bags, I would have reached out to Osprey if there is an issue. For the comfort thing I would find a good local outfitter and see if they can help you fit the bag assuming it is even the correct size. Osprey would probably support their product pretty well as they have in the past but I haven't worked at an Osprey retailer in a while.

zacster

I was going to bring it up with Osprey. I was in REI a week or two ago and I looked at the tags on their bags for the warranty info and they do say lifetime warranty. For myself, I have to also take into account my age. Getting up from a chair is also uncomfortable.

veganbikes

Then yeah it could be you but I would see if they can do a fitting with you. They might be able to schedule it or something just ask them and they can also help with warranty or at least should help especially if purchased there. If it is the bag maybe it just wasn't the right bag for you and if it is just you then yeah it might be tough but there might be some exercises that could help?

Tourist in MSN

I mentioned in my previous post that I have never used an Osprey backpack. But I did buy one at REI, I just have not done a trip yet that needs that size of pack. They even heated up the hip belt in an oven and then I wore it around in the store for a while for it to develop memory for the shape of my waist. They try to make sure that packs fit well.

zacster

One thing I realized yesterday when I installed my new grips on my bike is that my old Knog bag is in tatters at this point. It was a messenger bag with an attachment system for the rack that I used for commuting for over 10 years (I checked my email to see when I bought it, it was in 2010!) It was good quality material but the attachment system was weak, and without a laptop in it had no stiffening so it would flop around. And not only was it on the bike when I rode to work, I'd also use it when I took the subway instead. It would be under my office desk too and I'd have my feet on it all day. It served its purpose pretty well but it is going in the trash. These Ibera bags won't be getting that kind of abuse.

Tony Marley

If you want them, get them. You can put your stuff inside zip-loc bags inside the panniers to deal with them not being waterproof.

zacster

The big A dropped them off about a half hour ago and they are now mounted on the bike. First impression is that they'll be fine for my needs. They are pretty well made, have a shape with the side stiffeners put in and attach to my existing Blackburn rack easily on one side and with an issue on the other. The issue was my Magnic light is attached to the rack on that side as well with a mount that I made myself. I have the bottom clip turned horizontal as that is the only way it'll clip to this rack and that is an intended use. The left side goes on and off really easy, and the right is just harder. I had to raise the light bracket up half an inch. The light itself has to stay where it is because it works off the rotating rim's eddy current. You have to see it to understand. It isn't actually touching the rim, but it does require that the wheel is true as it is closer than a brake pad.

I think the 30L size will be sufficient as I'll have a handlebar bag and either a trunk (I'd need a different rack) or a frame bag. I could get the Ibera trunk and rack and have the whole system. I'll be traveling light and maybe not need it all.

One thing I wish is that they were mirror images of each other and were a R/L pair. They are both the same so they face opposite ways. NBD.

They come with a rain cover too and I'll test out how waterproof that is. It may be sufficient as I don't plan on riding in the rain, but of course you can always get stuck in it and in fact one of the worst drives I ever did was along that same part of NY State. It was raining so hard that you couldn't see the road, and it followed us at about the same speed we were driving.

My plan was to load them up and ride tomorrow since I wasn't expecting them to arrive so early in the day today, but I'll put some things in them and give it a try in the park. My biggest problem is my knee is hurting for some reason today and I'd rather not make it worse.

Are they as good as the others mentioned here? Probably not. Are they worth the price? Definitely. I'll probably never see how well they hold up unless my kids decide to do this as well someday. If my experience is any guide, they never will. As much as I love cycling my vacation time was always too valuable to spend on pushing miles on a bike. Maybe a European trip for a few days through wine country but not cross country in the US. On my last Euro trip we rented bikes everywhere we went but didn't attempt to travel by bike. That was enough. I've biked the fjords in Norway, the canals of Amsterdam, the Italian Alps, the streets of Copenhagen, Milan and Paris, the Atlantic coast of France, and always returned to the hotels and restaurants and never had to deal with shipping a bike.






The gatorskins aren't staying on this, I'm putting Schwalbe Marathons on it that I have. And that saddle will likely become a Brooks. So far I've spent $20 in cash. The rest were credits on Amazon and Paypal that I had. The Brooks will be the biggest expenditure.