OrtliebBack-Roller Classic Pannier Set(Return to Product Page)

I waited until the color (petrol and black) was available and actually waited as they were on backorder. I bike every day to work, about 17 miles round trip, so these get me through all weather and keep my items dry and protected as described. I bring a laptop every day in a carrying case as well as smoothies, and clothing (I'm a teacher). The two bags definitely are roomy enough to pack all my needs. Obviously this adds weight to your bike but the panniers are top of the line. I would always recommend these to anyone who commutes to work.

Ortliebs are large, durable, reflective, and waterproof. That's the good.

The less good...

With no outside pockets, you have to open and dig in your big bag to find even the small oft-needed items. The bag is so deep and dark that it's hard to find them. (And the small items go to the bottom.) There are two internal pockets at the bottom but I haven't yet found them useful.

This inconvenience is compounded by the roll up and clip closure method. Like a dry bag, works great for waterproof-ness (as long as you do it right and don't overfill) but with the shoulder strap also needing to be unsecured on the clip at the bottom outside of the bag, just opening and closing takes a while. So, overall, getting & stowing things quickly is not a strength of this no-outside-pockets design! Use some other bag for oft-needed items.

Rubberized waterproof-ness is a double edged sword. Great for keeping water out while it's closed but... What about when you have to open it (open side up) in the rain or when your stuff is already wet from camping in rain? You're just gonna' hold all that moisture inside for good! Indeed, this happened on my first tour with these.

I recommend setting the adjustable rack clips as wide apart as your rack will allow. My friend had hers narrowly set and, with the weight, the black bar with the clips bent and the edges of the bag started drooping outward.

Haven't really gotten the point with the shoulder straps yet... Most of the time, it just seems to be in the way and make it harder to open and close. But, without them to hold the outsides ends of the top-roll down, I'm not sure I can safely lose 'em. I want to carry them by the handles - but they don't seem strong enough for a heavy full bag. Are they just meant to unlatch the rack clips?

Commuting daily in the Pacific Northwest, there are Ortlieb panniers as far as the eye can see, and for good reason. These are simply the best in terms of durability and design. I have used these panniers for my commute, bikepacking trips, grocery runs, and have yet to find a purpose in which they fail. Setting them up does require some thought and patience since not all rear racks are created equal (I had to invert the adjustable rail to fit my Blackburn rack), but once installed, they are a breeze to get on and off. If you are looking for a quality pannier with an amazing warranty (5years), look no further. These are more than a worthy investment.

Biking across America so they get lots of use and some abuse.

This is my first set of panniers, purchased and installed on my road bike for a multi-day ride. They had plenty of room, and a nice interior pocket that was great for stowing a standing mini-pump. Sealed up tight from road-dust, which wiped off easily. Did not encounter any rain, so can't vouch for weather-proofing. Also toted these via handles/straps on a train-ride to ride start, and found them easy to handle as carry-on for stowing when off bike. Initially installed without the snap-inserts to make them snug against the rack, which worked but caused the rack paint to wear off. On third day popped in the right inserts for my rack, and bags were more solidly in place (required a little jiggling to get them to "lock"), so can recommend using those.

I'll often use just one bag but adding the second one is beneficial for balance. These bags are so easy to put on and take off, seal contents completely and carry a lot of stuff! Here in Michigan, I will pick up deposit cans & bottles while cycling secondary roads (10 cents each) and use one bag for such while clothing & tools occupy the other bag. I just turned in 240 cans at the grocery store. Not a bad return for cycling the countryside, while enjoying the scenery and the healthy exercise.

Have used several times now. First use was on a multi-day mountain bike-packing trip. Wet, rough trail with a lot of brush overgrowth. Lots of bike pushing due to poor trail conditions. But, through all the overgrowth hitting these panniers and the very wet, rainy conditions, I never once had a problem with these panniers. They stayed put on my rack until I wanted to remove them, and the contents stayed dry inside. No complaints. Worth the price.

You can feel the quality immediately. Easy to install. Nice little zip pocket inside each bag. Holds a ton of gear. Very impressed!

Not much beats these panniers.

Really, that's all that needs to be said. Easy to use, keeps things dry & also looks awesome!

This is the standard for panniers, so far as I'm concerned. Glad to see BikeTires Direct had them on sale.

It's hard to beat these rugged, waterproof bags. The lower latch really gives tremendous flexibility, I've mounted these to four different racksbikes without any problems. Having started with the old straphook system twenty years ago, the mounting system is well worth the price. But I can't say I'm thrilled with the hook inserts - kinda of a pain to install, and I suspect that over the years they'll disappear. As someone else suggested, I did one ride leaving the inserts off and because I strapped a tent on top of the rack anyway, the bags didn't rattle and were still secure. Highly recommended.

This product is easy to work with. Completely water-tight and is customizable enough to fit several of my racks. Depending on how far you are going, these bags provide plenty of room and are up to the task at hand. I've used cheaper bags and wasted time and money. Don't do that!!

These are high quality bags I'm going to have for a long time. If there's any down side it's a lack of outside pockets

I use these to commute to work. They are well designed and work well. Exactly what is expected from Ortlieb. I bought these on sale for less than what a backpack would have cost.

Ortlieb brand was highly recommended by my local bike shop. After several months of using these I am in complete agreement. I commute to work almost every day. Bags are easy to install and remove from my rack. Lots of room inside. I have been caught in the rain and everything inside stayed nice and dry. The carrying strap makes it easy to carry a bag over the shoulder.

I have used Front Rollers in the past and just acquired the Back Rollers for this year's journey. Completely watertight when rolled correctly, easy to mountun-mount, and huge capacity ... mine are visible yellow.

Used them the first week I got them. Went on a 200 mile self-contained camping trip. They worked perfectly.

Roomy ,rugged, increased visibility, easy one handed removal, best price I found,

Arrived exactly as planned. Used this product for multi day trip. easily fitted what I wanted. Was less of a hassle than I though to gain access throughout the day. Never moved from installed location. Have not had yet the opportunity to try in heavy rain but I am confident ! Since some colleagues bought the same !