Off The Back and Into The Bag

With gasoline prices on the rise, it’s time to air up the tires and dust off the cobwebs so we can ride the bike for those short trips to work, school, and to the grocery store. This more often than not raises the questain, "How shall I get my items to and fro?"  In todays cycling market there are many helpfull ways that address that problem, be it a backpack, basket, rack, panniers or a combination of all.

Backpacks, although inexpensive, can be cumbersome, and on hot days make your back reflect heat back into your body instead of venting it off your back as you ride, making for a sweaty and sticky back. Baskets are fun and act as a catch all for water bottles, clothing, and even a g
bag of groceries; they also come in many assorted sizes and styles for mounting off the back, on the sides of a rack, or for on the handlebars. Racks have a well meaning intention, but fall short, unless accompanied by a set of bags, panniers and even the occasional basket that has been zip tied on top.

This brings us to the topic of today’s blog, “Bags.” The cycling bag market is as varied and as eclectic as the assortment of tires available for cycling, but we are going to focus mainly on Arkel Bags and Panniers, because they are some of the most versatile and durable bags made. Arkel bags are used and sought after by commuters and adventure cyclists alike, owning to Arkel’s use of 100% Cordura, a fabric which is constructed using high tenacity fiber technologies, in construction of all of their bags.

Cordura's Fabric Weave

Arkel bags can be used year round and will easily resist a regular rain for an hour or two before experiencing any sort of seeping, which is more than enough for most cyclists to get to their destination. It is not necessarily a question of the fabric, Cordura is a totally watertight fabric, but stitching means holes in the fabric, and in any case the zippers will eventually leak. If your riding dictates more time spent in the rain, then options like rain covers or dry bags inside the panniers will easily take care of the problem.

Arkel's Slip-over Rain Cover

Arkel bags are also diverse and although most people think of Arkel as touring bag company but they make so much more than that. Arkel’s Urban Series features many deviations from the touring bag such as; the “Bug”, “Messenger”, “Metropolitan” and the “Switchback”. These are convertible pannier/backpacks that can be used for work, school and smaller errands where carrying your bag with you is a must.

The “Shopper HHB”, “Shopper” and the “Utility Basket” panniers are large capacity foldable bags for the daily chores in your life be it going to the farmers market, grocery store or the park for a picnic.  For the commuter, it's the “Briefcase” and the “Laptop”, which are the bags that go the extra mile to protect laptops and everything else they carry.

All of Arkel’s bags are attached and held in place by their Cam-Lock system®, and are where the twin mirror cams firmly grip on the rack tubing when the handle is released. Because of the opposing force of the cams that rotate in opposite directions, the pannier is locked in place and cannot move forward nor backward with outward movement secured by a bungee cord hook attachment.

What we like about Arkel bags is that you are not restricted to having two of the same bags on your bike unless of course you prefer it that way. Mixing and matching Arkel bags to meet your daily needs is what Arkel is about.

At Carmichael Cycles we try to keep a full assortment of Arkel bags in stock and ready for use on your bike, but as all other in demand accessories, we sometimes run a bit low on inventory. If you are looking for a great bag here is Arkel’s web site: http://www.arkel-od.com/ and not only is it designed to help you find the bag you seek, but is full of useful articles for commuters, but adventurers and overnight campers too. If you see the bag that matches your need or use give us a call and see if we have it in stock and if it is not we will order the bag for you saving you freight charges.