Has anyone used the Hepco & Becke/Krauser C-bow soft pannier set?

[frenchy3]

Hi,i have a BMW Vario top box on my bike but i need some panniers and do not wish to spend upwards of £600 buying pannier racks and hard boxes. I have seen the panniers listed in the title which are lockable quick removal and utilise very low profile C-bow mounts that look really good when the panniers are off and 22ltr soft panniers. Has anyone used these and if so what are your thoughts before i spend £260 on a costly mistake. Thanks very much in advance.
Steve.

 

[SuperTed]

Hi Frenchy,
First, welcome to the forum - take a lot of it with a big pinch of salt...
Second, if you are thinking of soft or semi-rigid (ooh-er, Mrs) panniers take a trip down to the Adventure Bike Shop in Acton, Suffolk. http://www.adventurebikeshop.co.uk/
Quite a range of Givi and SW Motech kit to actually try on the bike, plus lots of other stuff you didn't know you needed.
I can't claim to not have a connection as I work there from time to time - but come and see anyway.
The coffee is hot and free.
SuperTed

 

[frenchy3]

Thank you very much that is very close to me and as you say if you can see the luggage and how it may look on the bike it would be much better.

Hi Frenchy,
First, welcome to the forum - take a lot of it with a big pinch of salt...
Second, if you are thinking of soft or semi-rigid (ooh-er, Mrs) panniers take a trip down to the Adventure Bike Shop in Acton, Suffolk. http://www.adventurebikeshop.co.uk/
Quite a range of Givi and SW Motech kit to actually try on the bike, plus lots of other stuff you didn't know you needed.
I can't claim to not have a connection as I work there from time to time - but come and see anyway.
The coffee is hot and free.
SuperTed

 

[frenchy3]

Well,i went with the Krauser C-Bow pannier set and managed to get them for £259 delivered. The frame fitting was reasonably straight forward apart from the fact i have a Vario top box and rack which meant i had to use some longer bolts and fabricate a couple of spacers to fit the support frames under the original grab rail and vario mountings. The panniers themselves fit over a simple shoe and are locked in place with a key. There is also a quick detach strap which fits over the top of the seat between the two panniers. They come with a convenient shoulder strap to carry them when off the bike and two waterproof liner bags as well. Being only 22 ltrs per side they are biased towards road touring but the excellent frames would act as a stand off for any of the propper adventure throw over pannier sets that are available. A basic frame from Givi would have cost me about £120 so i am pleased with my purchase. I have also fabricated an adaptor so i can fit a spare pair of Harley Davidson MT350 hard cases from a bike i have just sold or i can fix two zipped together Army Bergen sidepouches(which are waterproof with zipped openings and attachment buckles) on each side. When i am not using the road panniers i have a very adaptable system for any adventure set up. When i figure it all out i will post some photos as i find that side harder than the actual fitting of the panniers!