Swift Industries vs Ortlieb panniers

Discuss.

No.

[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8X_Ot0k4XJc&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D8X_Ot0k4XJc[/video]

edit - if anyone wants to embed that properly that’d be great (stupid phone)…

[video=youtube_share;8X_Ot0k4XJc]http://youtu.be/8X_Ot0k4XJc[/video]

orlieb are probably better waterproof/weight and design wise but the swift ones are really nicely made and look better imo.

check out Rolling Turns

chris has a full ortlieb setup and indi’s got the swift panniers

(or PM chris about them, username: bspokes)

tubus make the best pannier racks
ortlieb make the best panniers
swift make good handlebar bags & some other stuff.

Just but the one with the most Instagram followers.

Ortlieb panniers have a far superior mounting system and seem easier to handle… Swift have pretty colours(the bright pink is actually really good for visibility)

Both Ortlieb and Swift handlebar bags have their pros and cons and would be interested to see what the new Swift bar mounted bag is like. Could combine the best of both?

IMHO

Bar mounting puts the bag too high up and out (affects steering), doesn’t support it sufficiently, takes up space on the bars…

If you can, rack supported with optional decaleur is where it’s at.

Yeah. I would go rack mounted and am keen to. Just need to work out a better place to mount the Luxos… ?
One of my main problems with the Ortlieb is that although it comes with a divider(that doesn’t do shit) everything just goes everywhere and therefore is harder to find while riding. I haven’t noticed it affecting the steering, though I only have the med and don’t load it that much.
Decaleur is deffenatly needed with the Swift bag. Favourite thing with the Ortlieb is being able to take it on and off with ease. Taking the Velcro off the swift every time you go into a shop gets annoying and my girlfriend has stated to just have all her stuff in a backpack and just takes that out and leaves the handlebar bag on.
On another note… My Luxos U shat itself a little, the remote stated turning the light on and off while the bike isn’t rolling. Worked out a crazy system to be able to kind of charge things still and B&M is thankfully posting a replacement to a spot in France we will be passing through. Still an amazing light though.

I’m unearthing this discussion because I’d like to hear a bit more about Swift Industries bags. I have ortlieb front panniers mounted with a tubus rack which is an excellent combo, but I want to do something different with my new bike, a Kumo rando which I want to use as a light tourer/overnight bike.

I’m thinking of going with a front rack and bag and a large-ish saddle bag. I’ve looked at both the large Ozette and the Zeitgeist, and I reckon they would work great with the general aesthetics of the bike (in short, a ‘modern classic’). Both bags would give me a capacity of 21,5 l which is pretty good (if not overkill) for a comfy self-supported overnighter, and I reckon there might be room to spare in the bags.

From what I can read these bags are super good quality, not fully waterproof but not too bad either. A nice touch is that you can play with the colors which is cool for a custom bike. I’ve looked at Berthoud as well and as a Frenchie I seriously consider them but SI will look better on that bike in my view. A few things seem to be more practical with SI as well (buckles, pockets). I like the Carradice saddle bags too, but I get the same feeling as Berthoud.

So those of you who have used/seen/heard of SI bags, what do you think? Pros and cons? Good stories/bad stories?

Ta

Swift bags are plenty waterproof.

Berthoud re-enacty bags are heavy and spensive.

For me, the aesthetic of those Berthound bags has been ruined by those cheap, crappy looking VO ones. I take it the bike isn’t going to be some sort of reenactment bike doe.

I had an Ozette bag for like 3 years (recently upgraded to a Polaris) - their bags are great quality. Westcoastpete now has mine.

Are you planning on only using an Ozette + saddle bag for an overnighter? What are you looking to take with you? The capacity will fill up fast… With a small Ozette that means a (barely packable) rain jacket + some snacks, plus tools in the front pocket…

Plenty waterproof. 30 mins after purchasing my Polaris from AL9000 my bag fell into the yarra river (lol, don’t ask how) and the contents were perfectly dry. The Ozette experienced 100km of constant rain with everything remaining dry.

Have a look at: http://store.oceanaircycles.com/products/docena-demi-porteur-bag
Everything about this >>> Ozette.

FYI, the new ozettes are using xpac liners, so if you don’t like the swift made docena, the regular ozettes are better than the ones tom and I have. plus you can’t just order a docena at will given the limited batch production.

I would question a large saddlebag if you are heading down the lower trail front load path. they’re a PITA. A smaller cinched tight packed down bag a la viscacha style is better.

Far better the front bag/frame bag for daily/day ride use, and add on lowriders for longer trips.

Blakey has big Swift something I’m pretty sure.

This is all relevant to my current interests. I’m not into the berthoud or copies, too reenactenty for mine.
Considering an Inside Line front rack bag. Roll-top, waterproof, not-rando-looking. Folds down fairly low by the looks of it but expands out to take a decent load. Also I don’t think I need a map window, so there’s that too.

As an aside, I spent far too long on the Guu Watanabe site last night. Some lovely bags there.

Edit: what Blakey said.

If you’re keen to offload the front panniers holla, likewise, if you do a swift industries order, I’m keen to order some front panniers and split postage.

Bit of a thread-jack, but has anyone spent much time riding with Ortlieb back-rollers on the front rack? I’m pretty sure the clearances would be ok on my bike so that isn’t an issue. I’m needing more space with a family of four on two bikes.

You’re welcome to test fit some back rollers if you like.

I can’t speak to the ride, the extra weight could get a bit much, esp on a high trail geo. Less of an issue if it’s mostly bulky.

Get those kids to pull their weight!

Thanks all for the comments. Those Inside Line bags look good, one more to consider. Not sure I need the folding/shoulder carrying functions though. Good to hear that SI bags are plenty waterproof, somebody commented on Prolly that they were not super waterproof. You should always pack those items you really want to remain dry in a waterproof container anyway.

@ Droz, I am not planning on parting with the Ortlieb just yet, the wife is using them atm and I also want to keep them in case of longer trips/more room needed. But I’m keen on splitting postage if I order from Swift, I’ll let you know via PM.

@ Blakey, I have considered the Viscacha style saddlebags too. I went on a ride with a guy who had one and it was moving a lot from side to side, maybe it wasn’t well setup. You reckon those saddle bags (like the Zeitgeist) are not so good for what reason? Too rattly/need support rack/clearance with rear wheel issues or is it a handling problem?

@ Tom, I was thinking large Ozette + large Zeitgeist (combined volume 21.5 L). To hold bivvy + sleeping bag, snacks and dinner, rain jacket and evening clothes, tools & tubes and a few small things. I need to do a bit of a mock-up with my gear and do some volume estimates for sure. Also I still have my ortlieb front panniers to add volume if I need more room.

This is for a tented setup, not bivy, with fairly lightweight/compact but not ultraweenie gear:

panniers/ozetteXL/tangle. Plenty of room for stuff for 1-2 people all on my bike, or load the panniers and keep the barbag emptier for snacks/camera/etc. (The endpoint has a Pika, a jandd framebag and a small ozette

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ozetteXL/viscacha/tangle. just enough room for stuff for 1 person.

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framebags are especially awesome for storing awks tentpoles. I’d probably add a bento style bag on the tt/stem or a revelate mountain feedbag for easy beer/snackage storage.

Re: saddlebag: it’s putting poorly supported weight up high, and if you overload a carradice style or a revelate style, they’ll both wobble around. Gotta cinch the buttrocket style down hard, and don’t be tempted to overload it / load it with heavier items. quick access to a puffy jacket, sure.

If you have keith add lowrider brazeons, then you can go with or without depending on where you’re going / for how long.

The black CX bike in this shot was on loan to a visitor, he had a backpack as well and carried tent/bag/pad/clothes, but no food/stove/etc. Bike had viscacha/mountainfeedbag/BO framebag. The obscured orange one had viscacha/tangle/bento/ortlieb which carried enough stuff for one (tent setup)