Why don't they make bike luggage like they used to?

[tt2cycletours]

This is just a minor gripe about my vaude rear rack bag and rear pannier setup, I was using until 2019.  The thread title sounded appropriate.

The ~40 litre pair of rear panniers have a thumb tightened bolt to secure the plastic hook to the plastic rail on the pannier.

On one of the panniers, one of the hooks pulled out of the rail, and this continued happening no matter how hard I tightened the thumb wheel.  This led to great inconvenience, and I had to replace them.  I am suspicious that some of the modifications to make their products more environmental may have led to compromising the design?  Certainly not great for green credentials that I had to buy some new panniers!

Note this set up was used cycling around the interior of Iceland (not first use either), which is very tough going due to road surfaces... but even so I would not buy again.  Back to using Ortleib large rear panniers with external pocket.  Met a German cycle tourist in Iceland using them, and decided the larger capacity makes life so much easier.

[steve216c]

@ttcycletours: are you aware Vaude do spares for repairs on their bike bags. Not quite sure which part is causing the problem for you, but maybe it can be fixed for reasonable price without needing brand new bag purchase.

I must have purchased one of Vaude’s pannier clips with handle from a bike shop a few years back which I used to convert a regular hard briefcase into a quick release biking briefcase when I couldn’t find anything similar on the market other than larger motorbike cases.

[tt2cycletours]

So I have just popped on some pics... so I think the problem occurred either due to the plastic the rack hooks clamp onto has weakened, and the tightest I could secure them with the thumb wheels was not enough to prevent one of the hook clamps leaving the plastic attachment area. 

Possibly if a tooled method for tightening was available, I might have been able to get the hook to remain attached to the pannier. 

I used these panniers for last time in 2019, do you think they might still offer product support at this point? 

[Danneaux]

I would suggest trying for warranty support. Vaude's website ( https://help.vaude.com/tips-and-tricks-bike-bags/?lang=en ) claims...

Guarantee All VAUDE products have a statutory warranty period of two years. For all “Made in Germany” products, we have even extended this to five years.

I'm not sure if proof of purchase is required. Here is what the warranty covers...
https://help.vaude.com/what-does-the-warranty-cover/?lang=en

Another option might be to convert to Ortlieb's rail and hook system, at least at the top. I have done several conversions and found they can work well. One unusual conversion was to replace a decaleur on a randonneur-style handlebar bag, making it quick-release yet lockable on the handlebar and small front platform rack. 

They bolt on using fittings that pinch the fabric in a labyrinth seal, maintaining waterproofness. Parts are available from a number of stockists. I would suggest QL-2 or QL-2.1. A complete description of Ortlieb's QL (QuickLock) mounting systems can be found here...
https://www.ortlieb.com/en_us/service/technical/ql-systems

This thread from another forum may help as well...
https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?t=129574

Best,

Dan.

[mickeg]

Agree with Dan, some other manufacturer parts may solve it.

Or,

..., do you think they might still offer product support at this point?

Steve216C said:

@ttcycletours: are you aware Vaude do spares for repairs on their bike bags.

Problem might be the track that is attached to the bags, or might be the hooks, maybe you need to buy both.

If this was my project, I would look at the ones that did not fail yet, try to figure out if they need renewal too, or that may indicate which specific part is more likely to fail.

I am very happy with my Ortlieb hooks (vintage ~~ 2009?) and the Carradry rails and hooks are less convenient but also pretty robust.  Of those two brands, my preference is Ortlieb over Carradry.

I am not sure if my Ortlieb hooks are the same as the ones currently sold or not.  My hooks have different size inserts for different size rack tubing.  I do not use the inserts, instead I put some plastic hose on my racks where the panniers rub on the racks and chafe them to protect the rack..  Rack shown is a Tubus Logo EVO.

[il padrone]

I do not use the inserts, instead I put some plastic hose on my racks where the panniers rub on the racks and chafe them to protect the rack..  Rack shown is a Tubus Logo EVO.

I have been doing this to my racks as well for the past 10 years. No need for inserts, no drop-outs, no rattling and the Tubus racks get protected.

Also my Ortliebs outrank yours as 2005 edition Bikepacker/Sportpacker Classics