BIKE: Bike rack bags

[Dennis Abbott]

Patrick, I have the Ortliebs and they are my 4th pair of panniers to own in 
as many years.  I'll never own another bag.  Its like having a dry bag on 
your bike.  some might not like the lack of pockets or the price( I paid 
~$150) but I'll never own another brand or type, they are the best.  I got 
mine from REI in Austin after I destroyed an REI branded set in about 4 
months.  They let me trade in the REI bags for the Ortleibs plus the 
balance.  I now live in Green Bay Wisconsin and the weather is very rough to 
say the least, these bags hold up through all of it.  No pesky rain covers 
needed, just roll and snap.  I use mine daily and I'm pretty rough with my 
equipment and the Ortliebs almost look brand new after 1+ years.  They are 
very adjustable as well and work on either side, I can even adjust it to fit 
on my Dahon Boardwalk and I get OK heel clearance(which is saying something 
on a folding bike).

.
From: Patrick Goetz <pgoetz>
To: forum-bicycleaustin.info
Subject: Re: BIKE: Bike rack bags
Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 11:51:47 -0500

Michael Zakes wrote:
>I'll vouch for the Jandd stuff as well, I have a commuter pack with 10+ 
>years of use
>and it's still running great. the only one I've ever seen come back for 
>warranty was
>owned by the most destructive forces in the world, a 14 yr old boy

It sounds like Jandd is the consensus; I have 5 Jandd bags, one which I've 
been using every day for around 7 years, and have yet to have one break.  
Allegedly they come with a lifetime warranty, but I've heard there are 
problems getting them to honor this.  All saddle bags seem to be kind of 
expensive; Jandd is no exception.

The one thing that is not convenient about Jandd bags is that they're not 
particulary waterproof.  If it's raining hard, all your stuff will get wet.  
I've taken to carrying plastic shopping bags in my Jandd bag all the time 
and wrapping everything up in plastic bags when it starts to rain.

Last time I was in Germany/Austria I noticed that everyone was using 
saddlebags that included a nifty raincoat attachment that covered the 
outside of the bag.  After a good deal of research, I figured out that they 
were probably made by this company:

      http://www.ortlieb.de/

These bags truly appear to be the top of the line in bicycle saddlebags, but 
they also cost $$$, and I'm not sure you can buy them at any bike shop in 
town.

Finally, for commuting, these 3 would be my top choices.  (The top one -- 
Jandd -- is the one I've been using every day for 7 years; if I ever have 
opportunity to get a new one I'll probably splurge and get the last in this 
list, the Ortlieb.)

   http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FCP
   http://www.panniers.com/index.asp
   http://www.ortlieb.de/_prod.php?lang=en&produkt=officebag
_______________________________________________
Get on or off this list here:  
http://lists.bicycleaustin.info/listinfo.cgi/forum-bicycleaustin.info
Dennis Abbott
De Pere, WI
speckled_trout

_________________________________________________________________
FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar – get it now! 
http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/