Panniers for the radrover 2019

[patrickz]

Hello everyone, I have been mountain biking for over 30 years and have always wanted to get an bike but just recently got my first and got the radrover 2019. My son also has the radrover 2019 and we are currently fitting them to take a camping trip with them. We bought the rear racks that rad power bikes sells on their website and I was wondering which panniers would fit on that rack since the panniers rad sells are quite overpriced and aren't even fully waterproof. Im a bit worried since the official radrover rear racks are kinda thick and Im worried that third party panniers won't fit So if anyone has any experience with the radrover and its racks/panniers I would greatly appreciate any advice. thanks

 

[AZOldTech]

Hello everyone, I have been mountain biking for over 30 years and have always wanted to get an bike but just recently got my first and got the radrover 2019. My son also has the radrover 2019 and we are currently fitting them to take a camping trip with them. We bought the rear racks that rad power bikes sells on their website and I was wondering which panniers would fit on that rack since the panniers rad sells are quite overpriced and aren't even fully waterproof. Im a bit worried since the official radrover rear racks are kinda thick and Im worried that third party panniers won't fit So if anyone has any experience with the radrover and its racks/panniers I would greatly appreciate any advice. thanks

What's the diameter of the rack bar where the panniers will go?

 

[mrgold35]

I have a 2016 Radrover and went with Topeak Uni Super tourist fat tire rack with the Topeak MTX Trunkbag DXP with QuickTrack and 22.6L of capacity. I work commute and it is nice to have the fold out panniers and pop-up top for extra capacity.

There are two types of DXP Trunkbag: One with the MTX QuickTrack AND one with Velcro straps only to secure to rack. Either bag will work with the Topeak Super Uni rack; but, the MTX QuickTrack Trunkbag will only work with the Topeak QuickTrack racks (I have the Velcro version on the wife's RadCity Step-Thru).

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Arkel Dry-Lites don't use hooks and just use velcro to attach to the rack.

They are very lightweight so I wouldn't put a bunch of heavy stuff in them. But they do work on a lot of racks where nothing else will and are reasonably priced at $89.99 USD.

 

[patrickz]

What's the diameter of the rack bar where the panniers will go?

Just under 2.5 inches.

 

[AZOldTech]

Just under 2.5 inches.

That can't be right... I'm talking diameter, and I never seen pannier bars diameter larger than 0.5 to 0.75 inches...

 

[patrickz]

Sorry I measured the circumference I measured from one side of the bar to the other and it is around 0.65 inches

 

[patrickz]

I have a 2016 Radrover and went with Topeak Uni Super tourist fat tire rack with the Topeak MTX Trunkbag DXP with QuickTrack and 22.6L of capacity. I work commute and it is nice to have the fold out panniers and pop-up top for extra capacity.

There are two types of DXP Trunkbag: One with the MTX QuickTrack AND one with Velcro straps only to secure to rack. Either bag will work with the Topeak Super Uni rack; but, the MTX QuickTrack Trunkbag will only work with the Topeak QuickTrack racks (I have the Velcro version on the wife's RadCity Step-Thru).

Do you know how big the largest inner space of those trunk bags? I want to get a trunk bag that can fit an extra 2019 battery which is 14x4 inches and I can only find the outer dimensions listed.

 

[mrgold35]

The top is not long enough to hold the new +18 14ah Radrover battery. The top section is larger enough for the older 2015-2017 11.6ah battery. The newer 14 ah battery does fit in either side of the topeak panniers with room for other items:

 

[AZOldTech]

Sorry I measured the circumference I measured from one side of the bar to the other and it is around 0.65 inches

The Ortlieb back roller classic panniers are the best panniers in the business. They come with add-on bar clips for 8mm, 10mm and 12mm bars or can be mounted without the add-on bar clips to a 16mm bar. In your case, assuming your bar is 16mm or 0.63in, you will mount them without the add-on bar clips. Here is a link to the mounting instructions. IMO, you will not find a stronger better waterproof pannier bags (40-liter gear capacity; 20 liters each) than the Ortlieb back roller classic, and they come in different colors to match your bike. Read the reviews and you will see. BTW, be aware that the adjustable bottom bracket can also be reversed 180degrees if you need to so that you can get that perfect fit for your bike rack.
https://www.ortlieb.com/downloads/anleitung/roller_ql21.pdf
https://www.rei.com/product/885299/ortlieb-back-roller-classic-panniers-pair

 

[Motomem]

Same bike for me (exactly) and I have been shopping panniers. If I don't find something that stands out I may get a pair of those collapsible wire baskets. Seems I could put anything in them, leave them on all the time, fold them out of the way and when I fall on my old self they would provide some protection for the bike.
Standby plan depending on if I can find a top rack bag I really like. I am attracted to one of those solid plastic trunk boxes like seen on scooters.
Anyway I am also interested in replies to your question. Looking forward to replies too!

 

[Mr. Coffee]

The Ortlieb back roller classic panniers are the best panniers in the business...

There are a lot of great companies out there making great panniers. Yes, Ortlieb has a lock on the dealer network but panniers from Arkel and Swift Industries are just as good and sometimes better for a given application. Ortlieb uses all-plastic mounting hardware which generally works fine but can and does fail catastrophically when you carry heavy or ride rough roads. I know personally of one person who had an Ortlieb pannier failing in Tierra Del Fuego and another who lost one in Tajikistan on the Silk Road. You can only imagine how badly that sucked.

Arkel and Swift use more metal and less (sometimes none at all) plastic on their mounting hardware and are therefore much more durable and survivable.

Arkel Dolphins or Swift Junior Ranger panniers are every bit as well-made as any Ortlieb offering and have more durable mounting hardware as a bonus. Arkel in particular has made some really innovative and outside-the-box bike bags that are worth a look.

 

[AZOldTech]

There are a lot of great companies out there making great panniers. Yes, Ortlieb has a lock on the dealer network but panniers from Arkel and Swift Industries are just as good and sometimes better for a given application. Ortlieb uses all-plastic mounting hardware which generally works fine but can and does fail catastrophically when you carry heavy or ride rough roads. I know personally of one person who had an Ortlieb pannier failing in Tierra Del Fuego and another who lost one in Tajikistan on the Silk Road. You can only imagine how badly that sucked.

Arkel and Swift use more metal and less (sometimes none at all) plastic on their mounting hardware and are therefore much more durable and survivable.

Arkel Dolphins or Swift Junior Ranger panniers are every bit as well-made as any Ortlieb offering and have more durable mounting hardware as a bonus. Arkel in particular has made some really innovative and outside-the-box bike bags that are worth a look.

One of our group members had Arkel panniers (don't know anyone with Swift so I can't say anything about them) and during a 200 mile trip that we took, his panniers ended up in the trash so to speak after the attachment hardware broke and we had to split his stuff amongst the other people. I've had my Ortlieb for 7 years and never had the slightest issue. And even if I ever do, since I got them from REI they come with a lifetime no questions asked replacement warranty. So I would not be talking about how good they are if I didn't abuse them for 7 years and they are still as good as new. I'm also sure Arkel makes good bags but everyone's hardware breaks. So we can only go with our own experiences.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

One of our group members had Arkel panniers (don't know anyone with Swift so I can't say anything about them) and during a 200 mile trip that we took, his panniers ended up in the trash so to speak after the attachment hardware broke and we had to split his stuff amongst the other people. I've had my Ortlieb for 7 years and never had the slightest issue. And even if I ever do, since I got them from REI they come with a lifetime no questions asked replacement warranty. So I would not be talking about how good they are if I didn't abuse them for 7 years and they are still as good as new. I'm also sure Arkel makes good bags but everyone's hardware breaks. So we can only go with our own experiences.

That sounds like an unfortunate situation. I don't know anything about what happened there. But I do know a few other things:

1. I put over 2000 miles on a pair of Arkel XM-45's carrying too much stuff, mostly in awful conditions in eastern Oregon, southern Idaho, and northern Nevada and they are basically indestructible.
2. I have several friends who are hard-core long-haul bike tourists (they are typically on the road 6+ months per year) and their consensus is that the Arkel bags are very high quality. Their major issue with them in general is that most of their bags are heavier than other options.
3. Swift Industries offers their panniers with the Arkel hardware as an option. Given that Swift is a small company that takes its reputation seriously and personally I can't really see them doing that if there was a quality problem with the Arkel hardware.
4. If you search around for reviews you will find both good and bad reviews both for Arkel and Ortlieb.

 

[KenS]

I just checked the diameter of the top bar on my rear rack on my step-thru with a Mitutoyo digital caliper at 3 different locations: 16.4x mm.

Assuming that they use the same tubing on your rack then it should be about 16 mm.

 

[Bluzrif]

I just put a set of rollback classics (ortlieb) on my RRST. standard Rad rack and Standard ( no spacer) bag mount ... looks and fits great.. the bottom rack hook is made to invert and depending on what bar you hook to you may find that 5 minute process helpful

 

[Pay Jota]

One of our group members had Arkel panniers (don't know anyone with Swift so I can't say anything about them) and during a 200 mile trip that we took, his panniers ended up in the trash so to speak after the attachment hardware broke and we had to split his stuff amongst the other people. I've had my Ortlieb for 7 years and never had the slightest issue. And even if I ever do, since I got them from REI they come with a lifetime no questions asked replacement warranty. So I would not be talking about how good they are if I didn't abuse them for 7 years and they are still as good as new. I'm also sure Arkel makes good bags but everyone's hardware breaks. So we can only go with our own experiences.

Are you sure about that REI lifetime warranty? I would double-check that.

I have been a member since the 70s. About two years ago, I took back a Thermarest pad that had failed; knowing about the lifetime warranty on all their products. No receipt after all that time, of course, but they did find my purchase in their computer. It took a while to find. After a lengthy delay in deciding whether to replace it, they told me that because I purchased it so long ago, my lifetime warranty was GRANDFATHERED in, and that they have discontinued the vaunted lifetime warranty at some point in the past. The store manager said that it was just being abused too much and it was costing the company too much. I dont know when, but you might ask about that. But maybe your pannier was not under the store-wide lifetime warranty that they used to have. Maybe it was a paid-for lifetime warranty that was an add-on or could have been built into the purchase price.

 

[6zfshdb]

A .65" diameter rack tube is a bit too large for the clamps on many panniers. In order to use my Arkel's on my .65" rack, I made this adapter from a piece of 1/2" aluminum tubing and some insulated cable clamps:



Costs about $10 from parts available at most home stores.

 

[Old Skeptic]

This is exactly why I didn't get the rad rear rack. None of my 3 sets of panniers fit. Easier to get a rack with standard rail size than it is to get panniers for extra thick rails. Blackburn Outpost Fat.

 

[Bluzrif]

Rad Rack sizes