Yes, it’s the eve of the Interbike show in Las Vegas, and Eurobike was more than two weeks ago, but we have one last Eurobike post to give you.
As we’re sure you’re aware, Ortlieb makes some very fine waterproof bags for cyclists. You’ll see all manner of people riding with Ortlieb gear – gritty bike messengers, retirees on their Dutch-style bikes, and…of course…serious bikepackers. Long having a significant mindshare when one thinks of “waterproof,” “bags,” and “bicycles,” Ortlieb also offers super-sensible waterproof bags and sacks for more civilian uses on and off the bike.
While the company offered some serious gear for bikepackers, it wasn’t until very recently that the company upped its game, and has made other bag manufacturers taking notice. I first caught a glimpse of the new bikepacking bags from Ortlieb when one of the first production sets arrived on my friend’s doorstep on the eve of our departure for the Dirty Reiver.
Of course he ran them for that event, which was an early gear (and fitness) assessment for his recent conquering of the Tour Divide. (Read all about that in the upcoming print issue 009 of grit.cx!) Before he fixed them to his bike that evening, I was permitted to fondle the new gear a bit. I was amazed at how light everything was, and that Ortlieb obviously thought through a lot of the details.
The Ortlieb Bikepacking collection consists of four products:
- Seat-Pack
- Handlebar-Pack
- Accessory-Pack
- Frame-Pack
Seat-Pack
The Seat-Pack was the first bag Greg withdrew from the box back in April, and I was immediately taken by its size, and then its weight. With a published weight of 456g, this adjustable pack sports anywhere from 8 to more than 16 liters of space. Compressible, it also features an outer valve for you to bleed air from the bag to make sure it takes up the least amount of space as possible.
Handlebar-Pack
The Handlebar-Pack is also dynamic in that it can compress or expand to efficiently house what-have-you. Extremely compressible…in diameter and width…this 15 liter pack weighs 420 grams.
Accessory-Pack
Of course you’ll want to access some smaller items that you reach for more often than what’s inside the handlebar bag, and the Accessory-Pack fits that bill nicely. It attaches in front of the handlebar bag, and allows quick access to its 3.5 liter cargo hold. Weight is 204 grams.
Frame-Pack
Available in two sizes (4 liters/6 liters; 186g/232g), the Frame-Pack is another wonderfully waterproof place to transport all you need for awesome adventures. One of its two sizes should fit inside most bikes.
One More Thing
I’m not saying I often transport perishable items…like cold beer…but when I do, it would be much cooler (pun intended) if I had one of these handy-dandy mounted cool boxes on the back of my bike. This heavy-duty Styrofoam cool box mounts directly to most rear racks…and/or the front…and stays securely closed with a heavy-duty strap. Final verdict: I want one.
