Anyone who has ever taken a closer look at Ortlieb products will have noticed: Many things can be unscrewed or otherwise removed. And for good reason. All of the bag specialist's products are designed in such a way that individual parts can be easily replaced. Holes can also be repaired. Ortlieb has been offering a repair service since the company was founded in 1982. Repairability is very important to the company.
We repair around 18,000 products a year at our site in Heilsbronn, where all products are also manufactured - Martin Esslinger, Ortlieb CEO
CEO Martin Esslinger explains: "We repair around 18,000 products a year at our site in Heilsbronn, where all our products are manufactured. Sustainable management is essential, it has always been part of Ortlieb's DNA and is also our aspiration. Responsible use of the resources we have also means ensuring that products are as durable as possible. In addition to using durable materials and replaceable plastic parts, we therefore train both our distribution partners and dealers and are gradually expanding this network."
Send in or return to service partners
Ortlieb's repair service has been continuously expanded over the years. If you need a spare part, you can find it on the website. If an Ortlieb bag has a hole or needs to be repaired in some other way, it can be sent in - or you can go to one of the 53 service partners currently available in Germany. They are trained to repair the bags on site. There are also specialist dealers and sales partners worldwide who have been trained by Ortlieb as repair professionals and can fix defects on site.
Ortlieb Repairweeks 2023
Last year, Ortlieb used Black Friday with all the trimmings as an opportunity to organise the first Repair Week. In 2023, the manufacturer of waterproof backpacks, bike and bikepacking bags and more wants to join forces with its partners worldwide to set an example against this kind of waste of resources.
13 November to 26 December
In Germany, Repairweeks means that there is a 40 percent discount on repairs - from 13 to 26 November. The discount is available from Ortlieb itself, but also from its service dealers. More information about the service dealers is available on the website https://www.ortlieb.com/de_de/servicehaendler.
Repair service tried out
Two bikepacking bags have been waiting to be repaired for a long time. So on the first day of Repairweek, I made my way to Globetrotter in Munich, one of Ortlieb's service dealers. I received a friendly welcome at the service counter, unpacked the bags and showed them the defects.
The handlebar bag has a hole in it because it wasn't attached properly once and rubbed against the tyre. The saddle bag, my favourite saddle bagAfter countless tours, it has a hole on one edge under the Velcro fastener that goes around the seat post. Both are now to be repaired.
The Globetrotter service team noted the defects and took my contact details. I leave the outdoor shop with the order confirmation. If the holes can be repaired on site, I am notified in about a week and can pick up the bags. If the bags have to be sent in, I will also be informed, but it will take longer.
The repaired bags
We will report on the results of the repairs here.
Sandra Schuberth
Editor
