step 1: Match the panniers with your needs
Short trips, city commuting, off road
When travelling with small load, medium panniers mounted on the rear rack will be the a good choice. Their total capacity of c.a. 35 litres is more than enough to carry extra clothes, a guidebook and delicious packed lunch. In this segment you can choose between 4 panniers: Expert Small, Classic Small, Dry Small and Twist Small. Browse the Products section for details about them.
If you do longer trips from time to time, consider the purchase of full size rear panniers. The capacity of Classic and Expert panniers can be easily adjusted with smart compression straps. Also Dry and Twist bags can be adjusted by extra rolling.
Longer tours
Set of 50 litres of loading capacity should answer your needs. It is the average size of our rear panniers in all groups. You can choose between four models of our panniers, starting from Twist, through Classic and Dry, until high-end Expert gear. If you plan to carry a tent, a carrimat and a sleeping bag, we suggest you to complete your panniers set with capacious transport bag, mounted on the top of rear carrier, between lateral panniers. Thanks to impressive capacity up to 60 litres your belongings will not get lost, dirty or wet when raining. A bag mounting is more reliable and faster than separately attaching a tent, a carrimat and a sleeping bag to a carrier. This solution is considered to be better than upper pannier permanently attached to lateral.
Serious tours, expeditions
Magic term ascribed to at least few weeks journeys with full equipment, including tent carrimat, sleeping bag, stove, dishes, etc. Trying to fit all this to the rear panniers and transport bag is not the best idea. Rear wheel will be overloaded, whole bike poorly balanced and you won't find any place for extra provisions or some important gear. That's why if you plan more serious journey, do what all experienced globetrotters do- buy two front panniers and mount them on low rider rack. Every series of our bicycle bags consists of the following set: 2 front panniers + 2 rear panniers + transport bag for the top of rear rack. Together it gives you an amazing capacity of approx. 150 litres! That should satisfy even the most demanding customers..
Front panniers - why?
- You get 30-35 litres of extra capacity. Long distances between without food shops are not a problem anymore!
- Bike is well balanced. Weighting down both wheels is better for their durability, what means less broken spokes, less punctures and less wear tyres. Properly balanced bicycle is also much safer and comfortable to ride! See the article about packing to get more information! ATTENTION: Bicycle with low rider rack rides more like a light motorcycle. You will need one or two days to get used to it! And later? I have caught 85km/h on asphalt and 70 on gravel with 50kg of load, so it is not so bad :-)
- Bike looks more seriously. Sounds funny but works from Mexico to Kuala Lumpur! With front panniers you will get more respect from other road users, which may save your life one day...
How many pockets?
How many pockets?
Store can be a sore.... even it is against the rule. Large number of pockets may help to keep your stuff in order but you can pack more gear into one 20 litres chamber than into four 5 litre ones. That is why every CROSSO pannier has large main chamber plus one external pocket(Classic and Expert series). Extra internal pockets allow you to separate a part of a loading without reducing main chamber capacity.
step 2: Choose the best fabric
Fabric used for pannier construction is crucial for its durability . Undoubtedly the best fabric available is original CORDURA® . It is amazingly tear resistant and thanks to the special fabrics structure any slits are unable to expand, it is used only by the best outdoor equipment manufacturers. Cordura is waterproofed by inner polyurethan layer- it is a new idea introduced by Crosso in 2007. All seams are mounted in high temperature with special tape- thanks to that Twist and Expert panniers are completely waterproof. We strongly encourage you to see Cordura® abrasion test results!!
For panniers manufacture we also use polyester fabric called Securo 680. It is not as robust as Cordura® but thanks to perfectly smooth coating with PVC it is more waterproof and easy to keep clean. Securo 680 is used in Dry panniers, what means that the fabric is precisely welded to provide total waterproofness. This fabric is also used for the “back” (from wheel side) of Cordura panniers .
Beware of traps!
- Waterproofness. Using the waterproof fabrics doesn't mean that the pannier will be waterproof!! Water can get inside through seams, zippers and holes in the mounting system. Many manufacturers does not mention it, talking only about their waterproof fabrics. It's like selling anti-burglary door without a lock ... The only way to guarantee total waterproofness is using advanced welding techniques, mounted seams and special closure systems. Because that is exactly what we do in CROSSO, we can recommend our products for the most wet expeditions.
- Fancy fabrics. It took many years for scientists to create Cordura®, fabric for the armed forces, special units and uncompromising outdoor companies. It is not cheap, so some manufacturers try to replace it with lousy substitutes with 'extreme' names. Do not be tempted to buy any panniers made in unknown fabric like Codura- cheap sample of Cordura which is not sufficiently durable and waterproof!!! Is it worth finishing your dream tour or end up in the middle of nowhere with ripped bags....
step 3: Check the mounting system
The way you mount the pannier on the rack is the crucial for your safety and comfort. Properly mounted pannier must be immobilized and protected from falling off. Mounting system should be also fast and easy as you will probably mount and unmount your panniers every day.
Our mounting system is based on sling on steel hooks and clamp to the carrier with double, rubber line with the third hook. This system was checked in difficult conditions like during far expeditions with Crosso panniers. Lack of plastic elements increases durability of our system, in case of any serious damage pannier may be repaired in any conditions- it is possible to straighten steel whereas plastic cracks. Endurance used in CROSSO cannot be compared with any solutions based on plastic hooks or snaps. CROSSO system can take static and dynamic load which is several times bigger than any you can ever obtain! The reserve of endurance prove than even a bike fall into a ditch or a pannier run into an obstacle our panniers will not be destroyed. What is important, in case of serious fall a pannier will fall out and prevent a carrier damage or pannier itself. In the same situation plastic saps will be probably pulled out from stiff plate. Click here to learn more about mounting system!
step 4: Important details
Seams- should be regular and neatly finished. All Crosso seams are double and sealing seams with the special device. We use durable, polyamide threads which get worn out slower than polyester threads. Our DRY and EXPERT panniers are manufactured with the aid of advanced welding process for waterproofness.
Zippers- The most unreliable pannier element ! Easy do destroy and not waterproof! That's why none of the leading manufacturers use them as the main chamber closure. Roll or lid closure systems are used instead. Under a lid Expert panniers have very practical pocket for trinkets.
Waterproofness once more...
The process of welding Securo 680 fabric, sealing seams coated with Cordura and roll closure . Thanks to all these we can offer Expert, Twist, Dry panniers and all waterproof bags- they are waterproof when submerged in water. Classic pannier content will stay dry during heave rains.
Buckles and fasteners - try to bend the buckle - if you see white discolouring it will be a sign of its low quality- this element can crack easily and make some serious damage. Knowing that we rely on unbreakable, nylon buckles .
Stiff plates- professional panniers must be equipped with the stiff plate on the wheel side which not only gives 100% protection of pannier from getting caught in the fast rotating wheels (with predictable consequences...)but also makes steady mounting. Our panniers are equipped with 2 or 3 mm polypropylene plate, absolutely unbreakable, 'remembering' its shape. It means that damaging it with conventional methods (examples of unconventional methods : grinding machine or combine harvester ) is virtually impossible. Moreover stiffness is insensible for water and moisture, we cannot tell it about many present patents.
Bells and whistles... - very important are reflective badges which makes us visible after dark, they are seen even from 600 metres! Pay attention for convenient handles to carry pannier, compression straps and safe internal pockets. You will find them all in CROSSO panniers.
step 5: Look into your wallet...
Our ambition was to create panniers of highest world standard but for reasonable price. We were uncompromising when it came to quality and functionality. You can buy cheap 'one trip' bags or ruin yourself on overpriced foreign product but you will never find better combination of quality and price, than CROSSO. And do not forget about our 24 months Warranty! Ponder upon this and... begin your adventure!
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