I'm considering a pair of fork packs for the 3-bolt mounts on my bike's fork. So far I've only found three brands that make direct-mount packs. All the others seem to require cargo cages but I'd prefer something that goes on and off quickly without straps and keeps the weight to a minimum.
Tailfin's fork packs are ruinously expensive, Ortlieb's are less expensive but still pretty pricey, and Rhinowalk's are good value but somehow weigh almost twice as much as the equivalent size Ortliebs. Are there any other brands that make something similar that I've missed?
EDIT: I've since also found this option from Topeak, which is lightweight and not too expensive. There is only one size option though.
by HalfDanHalfBiscuit
9 Comments
Oveja Negra bootlegger.
Good. Light. Cheap.
As always: choose any two.
Take a look here:
https://bikepacking.com/index/cargo-cages-anything-bags/
Nothing immediately comes to mind besides the few you mentioned already. Ortlieb seemed to have the best bang for the buck when I considered them before.
If you’re just looking to get it on and off quickly why not go panniers or a front rack with a 15-20L bag? I think Ortleib has the best system, but as you said, the price.
What is twice the weight of fork bags though? Like at most 200 grams per bag?
It’s not nothing, but is it really worth overthinking this or spending time shopping around? 1 lb on a bike with 50+lbs of gear is kind of irrelevant.
Rogue Panda
It really doesn’t take very long to strap a roll top dry bag onto a cargo cage, especially if you use a cage that keeps the straps in place or use some strap keepers. It’s gonna be more reliable than any quick-attach system and probably lighter if you use some discretion when choosing the cage, straps, and bag.
Outer Shell has the Pico Panniers, maybe those will work?
Not a fan of the Ortleibs. If you change forks or bikes that don’t have mounts you have to spend $40 for 4 small pieces of metal. Absolutely ridiculous that you cannot buy the one part of the kit that isn’t reusable for a normal price.