Which rear rack and pannier's are best?

[Truepurple]

I'm looking for a rear rack and panniers for bringing home groceries.

My bike is 26'' front suspension. I want rack and pannier's that will be able to hold alot of weight. Like say a 21 pound cat food bag and a 25 pound cat litter bag. And panniers big enough to carry such items. Plus the rack needs to have spaced suspension and enough secure points for items not to get jostled around.

Something with shoulder straps or otherwise can be easily carried in with me is a definite plus.

Can anyone recommend panniers and rear rack for my need + a good store to buy said item for a good price? Details on large front rack and pannier would be also be appreciated.

Is there a good source/website for bike part price comparisons? Ive been using search egines but I keep on getting repeat sites and/or items not relevant to my search like racks to carry bikes and i'm not sure what words to use to screen out such results, anyone know?

What else should I look for in my panniers and rear reack?

Does this rack look good to you guys? http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.cfm?PageID=49&SKU=RK6600

As good as a Jandd Expedition Rack? They say they carry the same weight but the jandd costs twice as much.

 

[Truepurple]

Anyone ever make there own pannier?

What do you guys think of this?
http://www.twowheelfetish.com/Ezine4/diypanniers.html

Perhaps someone knows of another site that can guide one to make there own pannier?

 

[Truepurple]

Come now, someone must have some rack and pannier experience that they could share.

 

[daveornee]

Originally posted by Truepurple
Come now, someone must have some rack and pannier experience that they could share.

http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?category=66&subcategory=1004&storetype=&estoreid=&init=y
Townie bags are $20 and good for bulk stuff. I suggest nylon webbing to tie it down and stabilize you load. If you want the webbing to clip on you can sew on some nylon snaps or use climbers 'beeners. Your load will extend above the "townies" so another protective canvas or other "slip-in" bag would be good to protect the paper bags that those items come in.
Look at the re-usable shopping bags that some stores sell for this purpose.
I don't like stretchable "bungie" cords for tie downs just becasue that stretch and can shift when the load bounces.
Racks you have mentioned are OK.
Tubus and Bruce Gordon make tubular steel racks that are stronger and more duable, but cost more than twice as much.
There is a rec.bicycle.toruing group that can add more responses.
Also check Peter White Cycles and Rivendell for more rack and pack ideas.

 

[Truepurple]

Thank you very much for the link.

Do you know how some of those packs on that site compare in quality to say a jandd pack. Do you know if they are all double reenforced stitched and so forth?

 

[rlmarr]

As often it is referred back to, once again http://www.kenkifer.com
comes to mind. There is a whole section on how to make your own panniers. Hope it helps.

 

[Truepurple]

Where on that site does it tell you how to make your own panniers?

And the racks I mentioned, do you think they are of equal quality to one another despite the price difference?

 

[Truepurple]

*bump*

 

[Truepurple]

?

 

[rlmarr]

http://kenkifer.com/bikepages/touring/index.htm

There is a lot of information on touring. And that would be the place to look. I wish you the best.

Ray

 

[Truepurple]

the racks I mentioned, do you think they are of equal quality to one another despite the price difference?

 

[msrw]

For the rack:

The best reasonably priced rack is the Tubus Cargo. It is more rigid, fits better, lasts longer etc. than any aluminum rack. They're distributed by Ortlieb in the U.S. The best dealer I know is www.wallbike.com.

For the panniers:

For shopping, it's much easier to use ONE European shopping pannier, than to use two touring panniers. There are two really outstanding shopping panniers.

The first is by Carradice, and called the Shopper. www.wallbike.com carries them. I have one of these, it has huge capacity, is easy to use, rugged etc.

The second is Ortlieb's shopping pannier. My wife has one and loves it. www.ortliebusa.com

In my experience, there is nothing on the market that begins to approach the quality, good design and utility of the above equipment.