Near Lake Koocanusa on my Trek 520 loaded down with Ortlieb front and back rollers.
When I left Seattle in May for the start of my around the world bike ride, my Ortlieb panniers were already a year old. I’d used them for a couple of week-long rides around Puget Sound and down the Oregon coast and they performed well, but they really got a workout in the five months it took me to go from the West coast of the USA to Rome.
I mean, I beat the heck out of them. I tossed them around, exposed them to rain and snow, mud and even a dip in a river near Prague. I used them as emergency washing machines, pillows, and to protect me from lightning one night in Montana.
I packed them so full they were tight as sausages and weighed a ton. I put them through so much wear and tear that I felt sure one of them would fail, but no, they stood up to everything I could throw at them.
They’re as good today as when I bought them more than 5,000 miles ago and they’ve protected my gear without exception. Nothing got so much as wet!
I have to give my Ortlieb Classic Front and Back Rollers five stars. Of all my equipment, they’ve stood up the best.
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