Ortlieb Panniers availability

[landscapecadmonkey]

Just checking, but are ortliebs now on the banned import (from wiggle and the like) list ? I see they are on special with Cell, and at not a bad price so may end up there

[RonK]

Just checking, but are ortliebs now on the banned import (from wiggle and the like) list ? I see they are on special with Cell, and at not a bad price so may end up there

Yes, apparently Ortlieb has banned Wiggle from selling into Australia.

Also try The Touring Store - Wayne has a reputation for providing excellent service.

[trailgumby]

Apparently so.

When I set my cart to show Australian dollars and ship to UK, it says 10+ available at close to the usual price of $165 for most colour combnations of the Back Roller Classic. Change to ship to Oz, and it says "product discontinued, no longer available"

I would encourage you to NOT buy Ortlieb, but get something else.

[Chef]

Available from Evans http://www.evanscycles.com/products/ortlieb/back-roller-pannier-pair-ec005536

Extra 10% off


Cheers

[il padrone]

Can be bought at very good prices from bike24 or unterwegs from Germany, the home of Ortlieb.

+1 for the service and great products at The Touring Store.

[landscapecadmonkey]

great stuff guys.. ive always either wiggled or CRCed, so i need to branch out a little.

setting up the tourer for the Syd-Bris tour im overdue for from the start of the year.

[boyracer]

Got mine from pro bike kit a few months ago.....runout prices too!

[il padrone]

great stuff guys.. ive always either wiggled or CRCed, so i need to branch out a little.

setting up the tourer for the Syd-Bris tour im overdue for from the start of the year.

The best on-line shop around for touring gear (and a real bricks & mortar shop) is StJohn Street Cycles IMHO. Just have a look at the huge range of gear they have, and the wonderful range of small bits & pieces for repair/replacement work.

[RonK]

I have left feedback on the Ortlieb web site, registering my objection that they have blocked sales to Australia. Perhaps a few more would get their attention. I have informed them that I will be buying Vaude instead.

[GregLR]

The best on-line shop around for touring gear (and a real bricks & mortar shop) is StJohn Street Cycles

Having used SJS since 1998 I have a lot of sympathy with this comment but I have a qualification re the "bricks & mortar" aspect. See the last three paragraphs & the photos below them on our blog post during a British 'end to end' last year:
http://www.gandte2e.blogspot.com.au/201 ... y-way.html

In essence, SJS are so focussed on the on-line business they don't open the shop on weekends and, from peeking through the front window, they don't appear to have much stock on the floor of the shop.

Greg

[polishbiker]

Ortlieb - good product

Support - not so good, in short, emailed them about a faulty item and asked what can be done, someone emailed back saying no probs, they would send the replacement, 1 month nothing happened, emailed the person again, no response, left feedback on ortlieb website referring to my previous request, noone ever got back to me so i just left it.

[RonK]

For balance I will point out that my recent dealings with StJohn Street Cycles and Robin Thorn in particular were most unsatisfactory, and it's very unlikely I'll be doing business with them again.

[J Quinton]

Have purchased all of my Ortlieb from Evans. Wait for a code and special and they are at reasonable prices in my opinion. Good strong stuff.

As an aside: I wouldn't mind getting some extra lower tabs that hook over your pannier rack. Anyone know where to get Ortlieb accessories online in AUS? Ortlieb appear thin on the ground in Perth. Thanks

[Meditator]

Not everyone is a fan of ortleib. They have a reputation for jumping off the racks. You might want to check out the thread about them on thorntree.lonelyplanet. see the bike branch. the thread is near the top of the page.

However, i think this problem can be reduced if you add on some clip thickeners though i don't know what that thing is really called.

I've got ortliebs myself and i am fairly happy with them. they are big so you can put a ton of stuff in them. I have also enjoyed their waterproofness when pushing through creeks. But if there are others which are waterproof you might want to consider them.

I used Deuter for a few trips and found them also to be very good though they are not waterproof but have raincoats and cost about as much as ortliebs. I liked they way they fitted so snug on the rack.

[Baalzamon]

Not everyone is a fan of ortleib. They have a reputation for jumping off the racks. You might want to check out the thread about them on thorntree.lonelyplanet. see the bike branch. the thread is near the top of the page.

However, i think this problem can be reduced if you add on some clip thickeners though i don't know what that thing is really called.

Cavebear2 has experienced this on the front. He was stopping every 2km to put them back on. I didn't have a problem.
The difference.
The oval loop Perry had his in a different spot to me. I made sure when setting up the panniers that they wouldn't jump off. I gave them quite a fairly solid shake and rattle and they stayed firm as my tour prooved as well.

[John Lewis]

Google Ortlieb Panniers and Ebay. Plenty there.

John

[il padrone]

Not everyone is a fan of ortleib. They have a reputation for jumping off the racks.

The only times mine have jumped off the rack have been:

1. I had not checked that the clips were fully closed and some obstructon was holding one open, or they had been located on the rack bar with the clip closed (thus not hooked on but they can sit there for a while.... until the first bump). User-error. On one occasion this was very disturbing for me as a pannier with laptop and important documents bounced off 8kms back , but thanks to a helpful fellow cyclist, all was good in the end. I know to check the hooks are closed now.

2. The front panniers have slipped back and off the Tara or Duo racks when the sizing clip had fallen out. The hooks without any sizing clips will fit over the rack end stop - only ever happens when climbing steep, bumpy roads. I do need to get new rack hook assemblies as mine have distorted due to heavy loads over time and one of the clips does not stay in place.

Note: at least all of Ortlieb's small items of mounting hardware can be obtained for replacement/modification. Not the case with some other brands.


I would never rely on Deuter rain covers. Friends of mine have found that all they do is collect the water to leave your pannier sitting in a puddle and all your valuable contents wet I found the same experience with my old Vaude handlebar bag. They're OK bags for the budget-minded, if you only tour in dry weather or as a commuter/shopping bag.

Carradice, Vaude and Tioga make similar waterproof drybag-style panniers. The Tioga ones are OK, with much more rudimentary mounting fittings. I haven't closely examined the Vaude or Carradice versions but I'm sure their quality would be very high.

[il padrone]

However, i think this problem can be reduced if you add on some clip thickeners though i don't know what that thing is really called.

The clips in the middle of this diagram, called 'inserts for QL system top hooks'. You choose a size to match your rack's bar diameter and fit them into the rack upper hooks. They have a notch on them to hold them in place, but as I said, one of my front hooks has spread out so the notch does not hold - need to get a new top hook set.

[Mike Ayling]

I wonder if this is driven by Ortlieb or Wiggle? You can still get Ortlieb from other British sites as Pete and others have pointed out.

AFAICR Wiggle had an IPO a little while ago and as a listed entity they may now have a few corporate governance issues when asked to respond to a request by the Oz cycling sales industry.

Mike

[WestcoastPete]

2. The front panniers have slipped back and off the Tara or Duo racks when the sizing clip had fallen out. The hooks without any sizing clips will fit over the rack end stop - only ever happens when climbing steep, bumpy roads.

Although my front rollers fit quite well on my Tara, I've wrapped some insulation tape next to where the panniers clip on as a barrier to stop them sliding back. Some hose and a hose clamp would probably do a better and more permanent job I reckon. This is with the sizing clips fitted and is to stop the panniers sliding along the rack only.

[Aushiker]

I have brought my last three sets of Ortlieb panniers from Evans Cycles. Best delivered price on offer at the time. Wiggle has been too expensive for sometime.

On the subject of the Tubus Tara Lowrider and Ortlieb panniers, my Sport-Plus panniers fit nice and tight now that the rack is fitted correctly ... no issues so far.





Andrew

[il padrone]

Andrew, have you got the 10mm hook inserts in those top mounting hooks? If not it is possible for the bags to ride back, rear-wards, on a steep rocky climb and the large hook with no insert can bounce over the stop at the back of the rack bar. This is what I was referring to in my earlier post - not a big issue as there is rarely any speed involved, just a tad annoying when your pannier is swinging about held by just one hook.

[Tim]

Is there a correct way to fit Ortleibs to a rack like Andrew's? I scratched my head for a long time and fitted mine the same as Andrew on the top mount, but pointed the lower hook in the opposite direction to his on the bottom. My reasoning was that the top stay on the fork stopped forward movement and the hook facing the other direction on the bottom stopped rearwards movement. I don't know. It has all stayed put on short 5-10 km trial runs on some fairly rough and corrugated roads but might not be any good on a long run. Any ideas?

[il padrone]

There is no right or wrong, just what works for you. On the Tubus Tara for a long time with the narrower lower hooks I did as you describe. But then when I got the wider 16mm lower hooks (designed for the Tara/Duo's wide main bar) I found that when placed facing backwards the bag would bounce or flex forwards on descents and braking, and the hook would disengage, allowing the bags to flap out. This happened no matter how closely I placed the hooks. Then when I placed the hook opening forwards as Andrew has shown in his picture, the bags stayed securely in place.

I've mounted all the family's front panniers this way ever since and they say put very well over all sorts of rough roads.

[Tim]

Thanks IP, I might try and get some of the wider fitting lower hooks. I've not been overly happy with the standard hook on the Duo bar. It doesn't sit snugly up against the bar and bends if I try to push it up tight. I suppose SJS cycles is the go for the wider hook? I need a few other bits and pieces, in particular one of those axle/skewer mounted cassette removal tools. I think I saw one on their site.