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Review: Camcart

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Posted by Piemaster on August 4, 2008 – 7:00 pm
Filed under Bikes, Reviews

Camcart is made from steel tubing, bends seem accurate and welds of a reasonable quality. Following the online step-by-step instructions on above site it went together easily, bolt holes lining up well but a proper 10mm spanner served better for assembly than the supplied stamped out steel plate multi-size thing.
Instructions are included in the box but are in German. (Product is shipped from Germany).

Very sturdy once assembled. I can’t see that the 100kg as a handcart / 40kg for cycle towing would present any problem.

Small problems I encountered. The towing ball attaches to the bike seat stem clamp, the one on my Giant Escape is quite tapered where the clamping bolt fits and a trip to my LBS soon found one that suited better (see http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryDangerousday/BikeCartPhotos ).

A bit of ‘persuasion’ with vice/hammer to close the 2 mount sides up a bit and then bolted it all together ready for its first trial. Incidentally packaging stated 12 bolts included - I only got 11 but due the clamp issue that didn’t prove a problem.

Cart does not sit horizontally on its own supporting leg (would be in the way when towing if it did) when used as a handcart.

First trip was to local tip (about a 2 mile round trip) with the sturdy plastic bin of 90 litres full of very damp (heavy) garden waste. I used luggage straps around the frame to hold on the large cardboard box the cart came in to take that away too. Towball arrangement rattles a bit over bumps, but it just served to remind me the trailer was there. It really does roll very easily with little discernible effect on bike handling.
I found to my cost you cannot drop 2 wheel trailers off curbs at anything but 90 degrees (D’oh!) when it fell over- luckily at the end of a dead end street.

I’m very pleased with it and can see it being used regularly. The optional plastic cover is a good fit (shopping? detach trailer from bike and take it straight into kitchen? Hmmm)

Supplier very friendly and apologetic over a long delivery time due to holiday periods in Germany but kept me informed, a sort of LBS type service. Also a thanks to my LBS - Cliff Pratt Cycles for help with the clamp and generally being a nice buch of folk even on a very busy saturday morning.

Review: Topeak DryBag Pannier

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Posted by Peter Bancroft on July 26, 2008 – 7:00 pm
Filed under Kit and Clothing, Reviews

Topeak DryBag

Topeak describe the DryBag thusly:-

The Pannier DryBag features a fully seam sealed 300 denier and 600 denier polyester construction with a roll top closure for maximum protection from the elements. The Topeak quick release Hook and Lock system attaches the pannier securely and makes installation and removal a snap.

The bags look sturdy, and can easily carry a great deal of kit. But looks aren’t everything, and I found them to be surprisingly fragile.

Firstly, the front strap runs underneath a small lip of plastic with the Topeak logo on it. Almost the first time the bag was tightened, this lip tore off. It’s difficult to suggest that this was purely down to manhandling, as panniers need to be fairly robust to survive on the road. That said, this is just an aesthetic issue, and didn’t really affect performance in any way.

Similarly, the bags are mounted on a plastic board, seemingly by a simple bolt and washer setup. At one point during the ride, a particular gap on the route was quite tight (this was a restrictive entry barrier onto a bridleway to prevent motorcyclists - cyclists were explicitly allowed according to the signage), and boths panniers were caught on obstructions. This was enough to partially tear one bag away from the rear boarding. The force placed against the bag is probably excessive when compared to everyday use, for let’s say commuting, but did highlight that the bags are a little weaker than they appear to be, and not robust enough for serious touring.

On more positive notes, the bags kept everything nice and dry throughout the trip, though we didn’t attempt a “bucket test.” They fitted quickly and easily to the rack. The bags are also a reasonable value for the size, ease of attachment and versatility. The reflective strips are large and were a great boon for making one’s self visible at night.

Lowest UK Price I could find: Chain Reaction Cycles

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