Alpos Ali Boxes
 

Are they any good, I must say for the price must be worth following up.

http://store.eibcltd.co.uk/EIBCLtdOn...talogue/c5/p44

"ALPOS 36 Ltr Hard Case
36 Ltr Aluminium Pannier, Waterproof and Hard Wearing, with Top Handle. Made from 2mm Aluminium sides with sturdy rims to provide rigidity and strength.

There are no better value for money Panniers on the market today, many of it's competitors sell for twice the price.
Price(each): £79.95"

- Your comments please

Matt

Hi, Matt,

Check this discusion out: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb...ML/000374.html

And : http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb...ML/000232.html

I met with the guy behind eibc few months ago to check out the panniers. For my 650GS the quote including frame was 300 pounds, which is very good compare with 700 from MM!
They sit high on the bike and they seem solid enough. I'm planning to get them later this month.
Cheers,
Maria

EIBC is run by Paul Cave who is “caveman” on this bulletin board (as well as http://www.maximumbikes.com & http://www.xrv.org.uk)
You could do a search on those boards for satisfied customers.
Can’t comment on the panniers but the grammar is horrible. [it's competitors]

[This message has been edited by Stephano (edited 01 March 2006).]

Hi there Ghent gent (or Matt)
Thanks for posting the alu boxes address. I had a look and to me they look just fine. I know you want someone to reply who actually has them, but I'm glad you posted this. I won't pay the silly prices of other pannier manufacturers and was on the point of having them made locally (no prices yet).
To me these boxes look the bee's knees.
Ta
Denis

i've bought these...

1) if you want good service buy from caveman. a real gent!

2) the boxes themselves... i've bought them for a pan americana (and more) trip... only used them once so far (too many ewan mcgreggor wanna-be's in bris... can't bring myself to do it.) I like them, especially for the money. they seem strong and up to the job. big enough, and waterproof (tested in snow and torrential rain just after crimbo on a long run over 2 days.

i too had refused to pay the TT et al prices, and had seriously considered making my own. Very glad i took this route!

still too see how they'll do though... (but i have every confidence)

for what its worth...

dan

Thanks folks for the feed back, I'll let you know the out-come....

And yes its Gent to the Flemish / Dutch or Ghent for the Brits and Gand for the French, etc etc. Well worth a visit http://www.gent.be/gent/english/index.htm

Hi,
Mine are good enough. Waterproof, Ive had a couple of stacks and while the ally sheeting is a little thin the reinforcement top and bottom stops them buckling too bad. Hit a car with mine, tore off some trim and scratched the car, no damage to the panniers. Id reccomend them for the price.
Matt

------------

www.scotlandnepal.blogspot.com

Denis
Let’s keep this brief as it was only meant to be an amiable tease to the product’s seller.

Confusing the contracted form of the 3rd person singular, present simple of the verb “to be” [it’s] with the possessive adjective [its] is most definitely a grammar error. Well done for knowing that an apostrophe is used in punctuation, though.
Stephan
Apologies, Goodwoodweirdo, for cluttering up your thread.

Yes I too have these boxes. Simple and light yet solid build quality.

EIBC also sells 45lt boxes and the smaller size (31lt???)...not just the 36lt but then 36lt is ample.

Hi Stephano
Of course it was light-hearted tease, as was mine. Relax!

I see you fancy yourself as a linguist. If you do,(and if you're not from the old -fashioned prescriptive school) then you might have graciously accepted my point that while the issue falls under the heading of grammar, it is more precisely about punctuation, as a function of grammar.

Might I suggest that you go to Noam Chomsky's work, or perhaps Fred Halliday's more recent publications? These would be of enormous benefit to you, because they are an antidote to pedantry - and you won't be patronised. If you find these works too demanding, then I heartily recommend "Eats, shoots and leaves" (I forget the author). You'll find this lighter and more accessible, and you may even find your approach to grammar and punctuation reflected there.

I must say I flushed with pride when you praised me for spotting that apostrophes are used in punctuation. Praise from above is a rare thing.

Best wishes, lighten up!xxx
Denis

PS I see you are in Sharjah; here's my advice when you feel over-prescriptive and authoritative. Get a taxi (they're very cheap there) and drive into Dubai. Go to the Creek, then plunge your head underwater for around 4 minutes while chanting to yourself, "I must not be a naughty boy". You'll feel absolutely transformed -believe me!


[This message has been edited by denis brown (edited 14 March 2006).]

[This message has been edited by denis brown (edited 15 March 2006).]

Hi Matt,
Because of this posting of yours, I bought 2 32 litre boxes. I find them great for the price, and I would summarise my view of them by saying that I regard them as the Landrover of boxes, as opposed to the vastly overpriced boxes like Zeta, which are Range Rovers. Theyre chunky and solid - and half the price..lovely jubbly.

Thanks
Denis



[This message has been edited by denis brown (edited 14 March 2006).]

Denis, great news - I should have asked for commission !!

I'm also planning a set, just looking into my collection / shipping options. Did you go for their fitting kits ?

Cheers
Matt

Hi Matt,No I didnt buy the racks as I have built my own. I have welding gear so it was easy.

Yes as I say, the boxes are fine -I'm glad I saw the post about Alpos and EIBC.

Matt, I just went with the Touratech rack. Simple and proven robust. Made my own mounting system couplers which are very similar to Touratech's. (Because it disgusts me to pay £35 a shot for a box of 4 plastic discs and a handful of bolts)

One thing I would say is that although the website says the boxes are 2mm thick this is only the case for the trimming band which gives the box it's additional strength. The actual sides, bottom and lid are made from I would guess 0.7mm - 1mm ali sheet which is prone to benting. I dropped a 15mm ring spanner into the box and it bented the bottom. Then again that's why it's so light and the thicker ali sheet is the more brittle it becomes. So I'd rather have a bented box than a cracked one when I fall.