Cargo rack and Panniers

[Scott Grissinger]

I recently installed the Q45 rear cargo rack and found that my Ortlieb back roller classics are a less than perfect fit. The anchor clip on the bottom is not designed for the large tubing. I believe it will hold for short rides, but it will not hold up on a long distance tour. Does anyone have any recommendations for tour quality panniers or suggestions about how to better secure the lower part of the bag on the Q45 rear rack?

 

[kizarmynot]

I remember seeing a similar comment from @Black Hawk Down in a post about his rig. He may be able to share his solution.

 

[Black Hawk Down]

I recently installed the Q45 rear cargo rack and found that my Ortlieb back roller classics are a less than perfect fit. The anchor clip on the bottom is not designed for the large tubing. I believe it will hold for short rides, but it will not hold up on a long distance tour. Does anyone have any recommendations for tour quality panniers or suggestions about how to better secure the lower part of the bag on the Q45 rear rack?

I'm using the Ortlieb back roller bags on my Q45 rack. I'm using it in a non-conventional way as I'm clipping it to the bottom of the rack, not near the top. It clips on a little tight but it goes on and you can push on the clip lever to engage it. To remove the pannier, just pull up on the strap in the usual way but with a little harder pull. Make sure you have no inserts in the clips.



I had to add a small piece of plexiglass to each side near the axle to make sure the bags never go into the spokes:



I put the bags on the lower bar of the rack to give my bike a lower center of gravity. It also opened up room above the pannier to add some dry bags to the side of the rack.

 

[Scott Grissinger]

I'm using the Ortlieb back roller bags on my Q45 rack. I'm using it in a non-conventional way as I'm clipping it to the bottom of the rack, not near the top. It clips on a little tight but it goes on and you can push on the clip lever to engage it. To remove the pannier, just pull up on the strap in the usual way but with a little harder pull. Make sure you have no inserts in the clips.

View attachment 18415

I had to add a small piece of plexiglass to each side near the axle to make sure the bags never go into the spokes:

View attachment 18416

I put the bags on the lower bar of the rack to give my bike a lower center of gravity. It also opened up room above the pannier to add some dry bags to the side of the rack.

View attachment 18417

Awesome - that is a creative way to address the issue. I'm also looking at modifying the anchor clip on the bags to perhaps make them more compatible with wider tubing. I have a friend who has a 3D printer and hoping he can scan the clip and just widen the opening. If it works I will publish the plans and design.

 

[Julien]

You are a very smart person, I'm awaiting the plans and design
pilule bleu pour homme

 

[Scott Grissinger]

I'm using the Ortlieb back roller bags on my Q45 rack. I'm using it in a non-conventional way as I'm clipping it to the bottom of the rack, not near the top. It clips on a little tight but it goes on and you can push on the clip lever to engage it. To remove the pannier, just pull up on the strap in the usual way but with a little harder pull. Make sure you have no inserts in the clips.

View attachment 18415

I had to add a small piece of plexiglass to each side near the axle to make sure the bags never go into the spokes:

View attachment 18416

I put the bags on the lower bar of the rack to give my bike a lower center of gravity. It also opened up room above the pannier to add some dry bags to the side of the rack.

View attachment 18417

Wow this is a great setup!!! So just need to manufacture a lower piece for the retainer clips. Next question: how do you keep the bike from bottoming out? I am 150 miles into a 250 tour with gear. I weight 190, and my panniers weigh in at 13 pounds each. I’ve got 1 quart of water on the seat back. Still when climbing hills or going over bumps - it totally bottoms out. It looks like you have a lot more gear than I do. Have you encountered this problem? Do I need an upgraded shock?

 

[Black Hawk Down]

Wow this is a great setup!!! So just need to manufacture a lower piece for the retainer clips. Next question: how do you keep the bike from bottoming out? I am 150 miles into a 250 tour with gear. I weight 190, and my panniers weigh in at 13 pounds each. I’ve got 1 quart of water on the seat back. Still when climbing hills or going over bumps - it totally bottoms out. It looks like you have a lot more gear than I do. Have you encountered this problem? Do I need an upgraded shock?

I had the same problem. My bike is 50 lbs, my bags with food are over 100 lbs and I'm 200 lbs. The strongest shock on Amazon would not work. I replaced the shock with a metal bar. I posted about it here:

Replace Q45 Shock with Metal Bar

I'm interested in how you went about tightening the shock. I tried doing it a while back - it was fine on a trainer but as soon as I took it outside on the road it made significant noise, so I had to return it to its original setting. I twisted this nut clockwise. I have no noise from the...

forum.cruzbike.com

So far it's working out well. I did discover that the bar is slightly smaller than the shock where it mounts. The bottom mount width will affect the width of the rear chainstay and makes it difficult to put the rear wheel on. I will be adding washers to the lower mount to make up the difference.