What is Bike Packing - And how to get it right.
Bicycles and Electric Bikes are not great for just getting around and getting exercise - they are also extremely useful for carrying a surprisingly large amount of gear, whother you're touring or just popping to the shops. Of course you can just strap on a backpack, but that isn't comfortable and hauling a heavy load on your back isn't exactly the safest thing to do either. It hinders your movement and the load is high up, which makes for an unstable ride.
The ideal solution for carrying loads on your bike safely and comfortably is found in a range of quality bike packing products from companies such as Ortlieb, who design and manufacture products in Germany. First of all, Ortlieb products are extremely well thought out, designed and executed - they just work. Ortlieb packs and panniers are 100% waterproof, so whatever you carry will stay dry and clean. Their products are tough and extremely hard wearing, but due to the materials used they are very light. The instantly recognisable Ortlieb range has also become a design classic over the last four decades.
The most common products used are the classic Ortlieb back-roller panniers, which attach to your bike's rear racks and can be detached in seconds for flexible use. Because panniers hang so low, their centre of gravity is equally low and will make for a stable and safe ride. A typical Ortlieb Back-Roller pannier offers 20 litres of storage or 40 litres per pair. There are many specific Ortlieb pannier models and colours to choose from to suit every imaginable preference and scenario.
But it doesn't stop there - Ortlieb have a pack to suit just about every other part of the bike too. For lighter items that you may need to have easier access to, their range of handlebar packs is the perfect solution. For smaller items, such as wallets, keys, puncture repair kit and mobile phones, the Ortlieb saddle packs fit the bill. They simply attach to the back underside of your seat and you won't even know they are there - until you need to access your gear.
Ortlieb's range of frame-packs can attach to various parts of the bike's frame or seat post to offer more agile storage options without getting in the way or in any way hindering your ride. For the ultimate carrying capacity and long-haul bike trips, you can complement your rear panniers with not just an Ortlieb rack-pack, which sits across your rear rack, but also fork-packs, which as the name suggests mount to your front fork. This range includes small 4 litre packs and go right up to 12.5 litre packs, which can amount to 25 litres per pair.
With the vast Ortlieb range there is a pack to suit every imaginable bike packing requirement and for the serious tourer it is easy to add in excess of 100 litres of carrying capacity to your bike. While that might sound like a lot of pedalling, naturally a Dyson e-bike would make easy work of it.
Check out the current range at dysonbikes.com.au and get in touch if you need a hand with ensuring you make the right choice.