![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stuff that works: bicycle accessories
2012-Jun-04, Monday 08:38 pmI want to recommend two items that I've used on my bicycle this year. I didn't have either of them last year, and their presence is making my bicycle commute this year easier already.
The best toy I've yet found for my bicycle is this MTX compatible Explorer rear rack ($42) and the MTX TrunkBag DXP ($113). I bought them at my local shop, Fridley Heights Cyclery. They have simplified my daily commute a lot. The Trunkbag clicks on and off easily, so swapping it out is very fast and convenient. Its central pocket holds my bike repair kit and cool weather jacket. The Trunkbag also includes some useful side panels. The panels zip up compactly when not in use. They unzip and fold out to hold all of my items for commuting to work (fresh clothes, fresh towel, new 2-liter Dr. Pepper) each week. Very nice.
Now that I have a rack, I also bought my first pannier bag. I shopped around local stores first, finally ending up at Calhoun Cycle which had a large variety of bags on their shelves for convenient comparisons. I finally settled on the the Shopper ($85), since it was clearly large enough to handle a full paper bag of groceries. I've already taken it shopping, and it does work quite well. I used its shoulder strap to carry the bag with me while shopping. Afterwards, I used the pull-string cover to keep my purchases safe from the clouds that threatened rain. I noticed right away that it's important to keep the bag clipped to the rack as far back as it will go, otherwise my heel might touch the edge of the large square bag while I'm pedaling.
I have only two quibbles. The TrunkBag is quite wide so I cannot use panniers while the bag is clipped to the rack. They could overcome this limitation by designing the bag with some extra "height" over its rail clip, allowing pannier bags the room they need for their own clip bar. Separately, the Shopper is difficult to get into because of its pull-string cover, so it's not very convenient for emptying it out at the grocery counter and allowing the cashier to ensure that all items were removed. If the cover opened wide enough that it would fold down around the outside of the bag, it would improve accessibility a lot!
They're only minor complaints, though. Overall, I'm very happy with the purchases and can easily recommend them to other bicyclists.
The best toy I've yet found for my bicycle is this MTX compatible Explorer rear rack ($42) and the MTX TrunkBag DXP ($113). I bought them at my local shop, Fridley Heights Cyclery. They have simplified my daily commute a lot. The Trunkbag clicks on and off easily, so swapping it out is very fast and convenient. Its central pocket holds my bike repair kit and cool weather jacket. The Trunkbag also includes some useful side panels. The panels zip up compactly when not in use. They unzip and fold out to hold all of my items for commuting to work (fresh clothes, fresh towel, new 2-liter Dr. Pepper) each week. Very nice.
Now that I have a rack, I also bought my first pannier bag. I shopped around local stores first, finally ending up at Calhoun Cycle which had a large variety of bags on their shelves for convenient comparisons. I finally settled on the the Shopper ($85), since it was clearly large enough to handle a full paper bag of groceries. I've already taken it shopping, and it does work quite well. I used its shoulder strap to carry the bag with me while shopping. Afterwards, I used the pull-string cover to keep my purchases safe from the clouds that threatened rain. I noticed right away that it's important to keep the bag clipped to the rack as far back as it will go, otherwise my heel might touch the edge of the large square bag while I'm pedaling.
I have only two quibbles. The TrunkBag is quite wide so I cannot use panniers while the bag is clipped to the rack. They could overcome this limitation by designing the bag with some extra "height" over its rail clip, allowing pannier bags the room they need for their own clip bar. Separately, the Shopper is difficult to get into because of its pull-string cover, so it's not very convenient for emptying it out at the grocery counter and allowing the cashier to ensure that all items were removed. If the cover opened wide enough that it would fold down around the outside of the bag, it would improve accessibility a lot!
They're only minor complaints, though. Overall, I'm very happy with the purchases and can easily recommend them to other bicyclists.