Panniers

Looks like I'm going down the West Coast in 3 weeks for a solo trip.

Any opinions on pannier racks for disc brakes? (steel on-one hardtail)
Also panniers..I like the look of the axiom typhoons, or the MEC ones

Tires?? I have hookworm 1.95, duro 1.5 semi slicks (weighty)..suggestions on a new pair?

Any ideas, even gear to sell?

Ta

Looks like I'm going down the West Coast in 3 weeks for a solo trip.

Any opinions on pannier racks for disc brakes? (steel on-one hardtail)
Also panniers..I like the look of the axiom typhoons, or the MEC ones

Tires?? I have hookworm 1.95, duro 1.5 semi slicks (weighty)..suggestions on a new pair?

Any ideas, even gear to sell?

Ta

Tubus is the king of racks, though they have no distributor in Canada.
try www.thetouringstore.com or other online place for em.

Arkel makes nice panniers
http://www.arkel.ca/ca_e/all-categories/touring-bike-bag/dolphin-32-touring-gear.html

If you have time check this. I have the seat and frame bags. I feel it's better than panniers for mtbing trails.

i thought you could get tubus through lambert no? for racks my personal favorite is the old man mountain stuff, i'm sure they have a disk-specific model or two. arkel is quality but sooooo ugly. i've beaten on a single ortlieb roll top for 7 years and haven't a single complaint - will buy another the moment this one gives up the ghost

course, used to be that you wanted quality stuff (ortlieb, blackburn, etc.) but these days it seems like most stuff out there is based on the same concept and/or design, and it's all backed by crazy warranties, so

edit: if you're not going to be commuting or touring in the future, might be worth asking around to borrow someone's setup. good quality stuff isn't cheap, but it's nice to have, so if you're not sure you'll be using it much or that touring is for you, borrowing could be an option

I second the Revelate Designs stuff for use with a mountain bike. If your frame was not designed to work specifically with rear racks and discs together, OMM (Old Man Mountain) racks are surely your best bet for running conventional panniers.

Axiom and MEC panniers are good value but if you're serious about touring you'll want better in no time flat.

The revelate stuff looks good for fast/light mtb trailwork, but I'm thinking more of regular panniers/racks to allow maximum flexibility in packing.
I'll be going straight down the coast road, no trails planned

The revelate stuff looks good for fast/light mtb trailwork, but I'm thinking more of regular panniers/racks to allow maximum flexibility in packing.
I'll be going straight down the coast road, no trails planned

Volume is definitely the down side (although you'll be surprised how much you can put in them) but the stuff is bomb proof.

If you don't have one yet, here is packing list we used when we used to do 5 day self supported off road touring:

http://outridingmybike.blogspot.ca/2011/03/mountain-bike-touring-packing-list.html

(It is a little dated and needs an update but it a good place to start)

Panniers always end up jumping off in the rough stuff. Get a BOB trailer and forget about panniers. I've taken my BOB down the craziest singletrack, and though the tire has hit me in the back of the head a few times, the trailer has done great!

Oh, let's get nerdy!

In a stunning blaze of irony, while Tubus racks must be ordered through the Ortlieb USA distributor and are frequently backordered, Ortlieb panniers must be ordered through NRG Distribution. Both Tubus and Ortlieb are the pinnacle of quality touring gear, with Surly Nice Racks running a distant second due to their sheer overkill factor. The Nice Racks also pale in comparison to Tubus when it comes to ease of installation. Nitto stuff is quite pretty, but often even harder to source than Tubus unless you order direct from Rivendell, and Nitto Big Racks have half the load rating of Tubus. Tubus hardware is second to none.

Regardless of manufacturer, remember that in the field, it's far easier to find someone who can repair chromoly racks than aluminum ones, and aluminum can and will break at the most inopportune moment.

In the shop, we consider Ortliebs to be the only truly Wet Coast-proof panniers on the market. Fully seam-welded, no zippers to leak, massive capacity, and you've really got to be beating on them to get even the lower mount to budge on the rack. Carradice bags are lovely indeed, but I'd be hesitant to subject waxed cotton duck to a 10-hour rainfest.

I've toured with both BOB's and a TubLieb setup, and will never, ever use the former again. I found that on Sunshine Coast and Gulf Islands rolling terrain, the BOB acts like a massive pendulum out back that prevents you from ever standing up on the bike, and the resultant speed wobbles prevent you from gaining any momentum on downhills. With all the weight low on the bike itself via racks and panniers, you can really open it up on downhill sections.

Touring tires? My girlfriend and I are loving our Schwalbe Marathons. There seems to be a recurring theme here: Germans make awesome touring stuff. I really like the natural rubber compounds that Schwalbe and Continental use. The Marathon Plus carries a huge weight penalty, though, and seems to be overkill. Don't let anyone sell you on any Rivendellesque Panaracer-made tire for touring - they ride very well, but that's due to near-translucent sidewalls that are more randonneur/pass hunter-oriented and are nowhere near rugged enough for real touring.

That Ortliebstuff is real ice it's basically a pannier made like a dry bag but it's fucking expensive, the mec panniers and some dry bags are probably yer best deal also I don,t think the design they holds as much volume as cordura mec bags

In france we used Tioga city slickers but they pave evrywhere, unless you are 100 % sure there will be NO gravel roads a 1.95 is good those cheap 9$ tires at mec with the center rib will work fine or something with closely spaced blocks that is not heavy

Thanks for the input.
I think I'm going nearest to XXX_er's ideas..
MEC rack and panniers I linked to above.
I'm heading to Broadway tomorrow to test fit/purchase. Then test ride it all on the Slow Food Cycle in Pemberton on Sunday.

Go date is confirmed as 7th September.
Starting from Seattle, heading down to Monterey.
Somewhere around 3 weeks is the plan..then back up for a moto tour somewhere for another 3-4 weeks.

I meant to say garbage bags cuz dry bags are heavy/bulky

Sent from the cook's iPad which sucks

I've toured with both BOB's and a TubLieb setup, and will never, ever use the former again. I found that on Sunshine Coast and Gulf Islands rolling terrain, the BOB acts like a massive pendulum out back that prevents you from ever standing up on the bike, and the resultant speed wobbles prevent you from gaining any momentum on downhills. With all the weight low on the bike itself via racks and panniers, you can really open it up on downhill sections.

Bullshit, learn how to ride a bike!