I treated myself to some Tailfin UL panniers with a view to Epic Adventure later on this year. They duly arrived yesterday, and today I got out my tools and the instructions and set about attempting to fit them.
They have zero adjustability, and the clamp is fixed in one place depending on whether it's drive side or non-drive side. There is a hook at the bottom that only fits dead centre, and while it can be rotated, it only has 5 angles.
Instructions:
https://media.tailfin.cc/app/uploads/2022/10/27103808/TAILFIN_2022_22L_PANNIER_INSTRUCTIONS.pdfI can't get this to fit. The mounting fixture for the lower hook fouls against the strut, which means there is absolutely no chance in hell of the hook fitting around the strut as it's supposed to.
(Excuse the dirt, he needs a bath.)
Photo of the tailfin as fitted:
I tried putting the frame mounting pegs on and shifting where the tailfin attaches, but that made no difference. Pushing the seatpost clamp as high as it would go didn't move anything far enough. Am I missing something? My Harrier is a medium, so it's not like I'm riding a tiny bike. The only thing I can think of is that the mounts for these panniers are designed purely for the standard bridge, not the extra long one, which seems like a massive oversight that surely they would have mentioned? And anyway, surely the angle of the pannier to the strut is fixed by the clamping mechanism, so how I attach the tailfin to the bike should make no difference?
I've emailed tailfin, but I'm just wondering if I've made some monumental error and someone who already has these fitted might spot it. I've tried fitting the pannier on the other side of the bike and it is fugly as hell, not to mention there's a strong risk of fouling my heels. The only option would be to drill extra holes in the hook mounting plate and adjust where it bolts onto the pannier, which is not something I'm willing to do on brand new panniers that cost as much as these ones.
Sam
