Review by Michelle Dodd, December, 2007

Dave Snowberg and Michelle Dodd bicycle the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route > Our Bicycles

(Click for larger picture, my bike is on the right.)

Specs:
Front-Roller Classic, pair: 1526 cu. in. volume, 47.3 oz.
Back-Roller Classic, pair: 2441 cu. in. volume, 57.5 oz.
Ultimate 5 Plus Medium Handlebar Bag, 427 cu. in. volume, 24 oz.
Waterproof map case (snaps to top of handlebar bag)

Pros:

  • Completely waterproof
  • large, very visible reflectors
  • easy on & off attachment to rack
  • secure even on very bumpy roads and trails
  • strong and durable bag material
  • no extra material in pockets or unnecessary extras

Cons:

  • You have to be organized since they have only one inside pocket (front bags only)
  • You must be creative to dry stuff during the day’s ride

Recommendation:
Definitely the bags to have for expeditions or even shorter tours where durability and reliability are key, and also great for commuting and shopping, where the waterproofness is important as well.

Review:
I used the Back-Roller Classic bags for four years for my weekly grocery and other shopping while living car-free. They can hold 2-3 shopping bags of groceries in each, more if you get good at packing. After four years they still looked brand new. I then added the Front-Roller Classic bags and the Ultimate 5 Plus Medium handlebar bag for our 57-day Great Divide MTB tour on everything from rough dirt roads and trails to pavement.

The handlebar bag has snaps to hold the waterproof map case in place for easy reference throughout the day. The inside has a zippered pocket. It’s a great place for small items you want to have handy, like lip balm, sunscreen, camera, snack, notebook, etc. The Back-Rollers are basically one big bag, so you need to figure out an organizational system that will work for you. Dave and I both used lightweight stuff sacks, grouping things together into bags, such as the dinner bag, lunch bag, clothes bag, ditty bag, etc. (Read our Great Divide Gear List to see how we organized ourselves.) The Front-Rollers have only one mesh pocket against the mounted side, but they are smaller so you could just use them with loose items if you wanted.

All the bags were completely waterproof in heavy rain storms on successive days. You do have to make sure you roll the top tightly at least twice over to make each bag waterproof—it works much like a dry bag. I found them to be easy to take on and off the bike with the quick-release handle, though I didn’t use the quick release when shopping or commuting because I didn’t want to make it easy for someone to run off with them.

Even after laying the bike down on rough trail sections of the Divide and a fairly high-speed crash on sand, the bags held up well (you could say I’m a bit of a klutz, but the bags are very forgiving). The only damage from the final crash was to the handlebar bag, which detached on one side a bit from the mounting frame. Ortlieb fixed that for free. I would highly recommend these Ortlieb bags to anyone.

Ortlieb Front Roller Panniers

Ortlieb Front Roller Panniers

With special 3D welding, these bicycle panniers are absolutely waterproof. Size makes them great for front rack mounting, small bag rear rack mounting or children’s bikes. Roll-over style closures keep water out and are able to expand with your load.

Find out more at REI.com

 

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