Underseat panniers for Tour Easy

Hi folks,

My husband is looking to get a set of panniers and an underseat rack for
his Tour Easy, to be used for long day rides, and probably some 2-3 day
touring.

So far, the only ones we've heard anything about is the EasyReacher rack
and the E.R.R.C. underseat panniers (both standard and lloonngg.) Are
these a good way to go, or what other options are even available?

We've recently seen that Orlieb and Arkel have introduced recumbent
panniers. Does any have any experience with these?

Thanks,
Beth L.

Beth,

Regarding the underseat panniers from ERRC, I evaluate the Lloonngg
version on my cross-country Web site:

http://SoTier2003.crazyguyonabike.com.

Shorthand? There are plusses and minuses.

Steve

Beth wrote:

Hi folks,

My husband is looking to get a set of panniers and an underseat rack for
his Tour Easy, to be used for long day rides, and probably some 2-3 day
touring.

So far, the only ones we've heard anything about is the EasyReacher rack
and the E.R.R.C. underseat panniers (both standard and lloonngg.) Are
these a good way to go, or what other options are even available?

We've recently seen that Orlieb and Arkel have introduced recumbent
panniers. Does any have any experience with these?

Thanks,
Beth L.



--
Steve Fox
McKinleyville, CA
http://Steve2004.crazyguyonabike.com
O
\ _____,%)
(*)-'------------(*)

In article ,
says...
Hi folks,

My husband is looking to get a set of panniers and an underseat rack for
his Tour Easy, to be used for long day rides, and probably some 2-3 day
touring.

So far, the only ones we've heard anything about is the EasyReacher rack
and the E.R.R.C. underseat panniers (both standard and lloonngg.) Are
these a good way to go, or what other options are even available?

We've recently seen that Orlieb and Arkel have introduced recumbent
panniers. Does any have any experience with these?

AFAIK Ortlieb does not make a Recumbent Specific Pannier. I have used
Ortlieb Front Rollers and Back Rollers on my Midship racks. Only the
Smaller (25L) Front Rollers would work on my RANS Stratus without
dragging on high lean turns.

I recently purchased the new Arkel RT-60s which are specifically
designed for recumbents. The are designed to fit best on a rear rack
nesting inside the curve of the seat back. They also work fine on my
Bacchetta Giro but have to be adjusted to not protrude into the leg
area when stopped. This is quite easy to manage since Arkel in 2004 has
introduced a new mounting system similar to the Ortlieb QR-2.

Here are some photos I took yesterday of my RT-60 bags on my two
'bents.

http://www.clee.org/Cycling/Arkel/

I've only had the panniers for a week, so I have not manage to try them
on a loaded tour.
--
Cletus D. Lee
Bacchetta Giro
Lightning Voyager
http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

Beth wrote:
Hi folks,

My husband is looking to get a set of panniers and an underseat rack for
his Tour Easy, to be used for long day rides, and probably some 2-3 day
touring.

So far, the only ones we've heard anything about is the EasyReacher rack
and the E.R.R.C. underseat panniers (both standard and lloonngg.) Are
these a good way to go, or what other options are even available?

We've recently seen that Orlieb and Arkel have introduced recumbent
panniers. Does any have any experience with these?

Thanks,
Beth L.

I've used the ERRC underseat racks with the standard panniers, and
they work great. I especially like the mesh pockets front and rear so
that I can put stuff to keep it handy, have four extra water bottles,
etc. I haven't tried the long version.
I'm testing the Arkel RT-60's for 'bentrider online, and they are
really large and excellent quality. While they do fit the ERRC underseat
rack on my TE, I would think they would be overkill for a day ride. But
for a multi-day tour, you can certainly put a lot of stuff in them!

--
Larry Varney
Cold Spring, KY
http://home.fuse.net/larryvarney

On Sun, 21 Mar 2004 07:46:04 -0600, Cletus D. Lee wrote:

AFAIK Ortlieb does not make a Recumbent Specific Pannier. I have used
Ortlieb Front Rollers and Back Rollers on my Midship racks. Only the
Smaller (25L) Front Rollers would work on my RANS Stratus without
dragging on high lean turns.

I recently purchased the new Arkel RT-60s which are specifically
designed for recumbents. The are designed to fit best on a rear rack
nesting inside the curve of the seat back. They also work fine on my
Bacchetta Giro but have to be adjusted to not protrude into the leg
area when stopped. This is quite easy to manage since Arkel in 2004 has
introduced a new mounting system similar to the Ortlieb QR-2.

Here are some photos I took yesterday of my RT-60 bags on my two
'bents.

http://www.clee.org/Cycling/Arkel/

I've only had the panniers for a week, so I have not manage to try them
on a loaded tour.

Beautiful pictures! Those bags sure look nice enough - though I'd like to
find out from someone how they work on tour, and on a Tour Easy. Do you
find there is any handling problems having the weight behind you instead
of using a mid-rack? And speaking of mid-racks, where did you get that
mid-rack you are using on the Giro? Anyone know if it would work on a Tour
Easy (it would be nice to have a choice of more than 1 rack).

Thx,
Beth L.

On Sat, 20 Mar 2004 21:35:12 -0800, Steve Fox wrote:

Beth,

Regarding the underseat panniers from ERRC, I evaluate the Lloonngg
version on my cross-country Web site:

http://SoTier2003.crazyguyonabike.com.

Shorthand? There are plusses and minuses.

Steve

Steve,

I see what you mean. Do you know if ERRC has made any upgrades or mods
since then, to address the issues you had? If you were buying again, would
you stick with these?

Has anyone tried the standard ERRC bags? Do they carry enough for a short
tour?

Thx,
Beth

I used the standard ERRC bags on my TE when riding GOBA a couple of
years ago. It's a supported tour, so all I needed to carry was rain
gear, camera, etc., so I had lots more capacity than what I really
needed - but as you know, nature abhors a vacuum, so I wound up carrying
far more than necessary - the bike, with loaded panniers and a rack
back, with two water bottles in front and four more in the mesh pockets
of the panniers (it was a hot day), wound up weighing over 60 pounds!
I would say they would be more than ample for a short tour, so long as
you don't want to shove a large tent into them!

Beth wrote:
On Sat, 20 Mar 2004 21:35:12 -0800, Steve Fox wrote:


Beth,

Regarding the underseat panniers from ERRC, I evaluate the Lloonngg
version on my cross-country Web site:

http://SoTier2003.crazyguyonabike.com.

Shorthand? There are plusses and minuses.

Steve


Steve,

I see what you mean. Do you know if ERRC has made any upgrades or mods
since then, to address the issues you had? If you were buying again, would
you stick with these?

Has anyone tried the standard ERRC bags? Do they carry enough for a short
tour?

Thx,
Beth


--
Larry Varney
Cold Spring, KY
http://home.fuse.net/larryvarney

In article ,
says...
On Sun, 21 Mar 2004 07:46:04 -0600, Cletus D. Lee wrote:

AFAIK Ortlieb does not make a Recumbent Specific Pannier. I have used
Ortlieb Front Rollers and Back Rollers on my Midship racks. Only the
Smaller (25L) Front Rollers would work on my RANS Stratus without
dragging on high lean turns.

I recently purchased the new Arkel RT-60s which are specifically
designed for recumbents. The are designed to fit best on a rear rack
nesting inside the curve of the seat back. They also work fine on my
Bacchetta Giro but have to be adjusted to not protrude into the leg
area when stopped. This is quite easy to manage since Arkel in 2004 has
introduced a new mounting system similar to the Ortlieb QR-2.

Here are some photos I took yesterday of my RT-60 bags on my two
'bents.

http://www.clee.org/Cycling/Arkel/

I've only had the panniers for a week, so I have not manage to try them
on a loaded tour.

Beautiful pictures! Those bags sure look nice enough - though I'd like to
find out from someone how they work on tour, and on a Tour Easy. Do you
find there is any handling problems having the weight behind you instead
of using a mid-rack? And speaking of mid-racks, where did you get that
mid-rack you are using on the Giro? Anyone know if it would work on a Tour
Easy (it would be nice to have a choice of more than 1 rack).

Since the Arkel RT-60s have only been in production for about a month,
it is extremely unlikely that you will find any on tour experience. I
have toured on my Voyager with about 40 lbs of gear in my Ortliebs on
the rear of the Voyager I do not have any problems with handling. I
don't expect any with the Arkels either. They should handle even
better since I am able to get more of the load closer to the back of
the seat and in front of the rear wheel.

I did my first recumbent tour on a RANS Stratus and using a Jandd
Extreme rear rack that extended beyond the rear axle about 6". Having
all my load weight high and behind me did make the handling a little
squirrely on descents. That is a major reason I added the Midship to
the Stratus so that I could better distribute the load.

The rack is a Bacchetta Midship. It only fits Bacchetta recurve seats
with the built-in mounting tabs.

I have only carried groceries on the rear of my Giro. (And still not
with the RT-60s). That bike is a very stable platform even with
commuting clothes underneath and ~60lb. of groceries.

--
Cletus D. Lee
Bacchetta Giro
Lightning Voyager
http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

Beth,

I'm sticking with the Lloonngg jobs for my upcoming tour, again across
the US. I'm going to try some new techniques for attaching them, but
not sure how I'll ever overcome the shock cord resistance on mine.

I offered my opinion about the problems I had to ERRC. Turns out
everything was my fault. ;-)

Steve

Beth wrote:

On Sat, 20 Mar 2004 21:35:12 -0800, Steve Fox wrote:



Beth,

Regarding the underseat panniers from ERRC, I evaluate the Lloonngg
version on my cross-country Web site:

http://SoTier2003.crazyguyonabike.com.

Shorthand? There are plusses and minuses.

Steve



Steve,

I see what you mean. Do you know if ERRC has made any upgrades or mods
since then, to address the issues you had? If you were buying again, would
you stick with these?

Has anyone tried the standard ERRC bags? Do they carry enough for a short
tour?

Thx,
Beth



--
Steve Fox
McKinleyville, CA
http://Steve2004.crazyguyonabike.com
O
\ _____,%)
(*)-'------------(*)

In article , says...
Cletus, thank the great pictures. Few questions: are RT-60 water
proof? Do they come with RT-60 covers?

If you don't mind, I'd like to take a look at your panniers. I live
close to you in SW Houston. Please contact me off line for a
convenient for you time.
Thank you,
Victor


Like all panniers with zippers, they are not waterproof. Arkel also sells RT-60 rain covers I
purchased the raincovers and some waterproof bags for use inside the panniers
--

Cletus D. Lee
Bacchetta Giro
Lightning Voyager
http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -