When it comes to racks, four
point and 20 plus kilo carrying capacities are my defaults. I’d tried and
indeed tested beam types in the past but found they had a tendency not to
manage the loads promised very effectively. However, the last was over a decade
ago and the river of technology moves at an incredibly rapid rate.
Not everyone can or wants a rack
“permanently” mounted and they add scope for longer day rides and trunk bags,
provided you had sufficient exposed seat post. Carbon seat posts remain
non-starters. Frankly, I wouldn’t tether anything heavier than a wedge pack and
rear light to a carbon, or composite post. This Topeak RX Beam Rack coincided
with my interest in Topeak’s RX Trunk Bag DXP, which is aimed at road, rather
than trail audience.
Made from heat treated 6061
aluminium alloy, it tips the scales at a surprisingly stout 665g and in any
colour you like, so long as its silver. Beefy welds have an industrial beauty,
rather than refinement but are neatly executed and inspire confidence. The collar is relatively shallow, requiring
less exposed post and somewhat reminiscent of an Ahead stem, courtesy of the
twin bolt closure. This promises more reliable tenure than the in my viewed,
flawed quick release closures.
Complete with shim, this supposedly
means a universal fit-at least on round models between 25.4 and 31.8mm. In
practice, I’ve needed to brew my own using redundant butyl tube, but that’s the
thing with the phrase universal, it’s always begging for contradiction.
You’ll not I’ve given the
fasteners a liberal helping of grease-in this instance Oxford
Mint Assembly Grease Oxford Mint
Assembly Grease | cycling-not-racing since its very stoical and I had it to
hand. Torque to 8nm.
The maximum payload is 15lbs,
which is modest, but practical for day riding, and, with careful calculation,
gives scope for a fairly stout lock. As for the RX Trunk Bag DXP, this is made
from 600 Denier Polyester complete with a DuPont Teflon Coating claimed to
offer improved weather resistance.
The main compartment features
“aerodynamic” foam walls and coupled with the drop down-side panniers and
expandable main compartments equates to 7.1 litres- very useful for day rides
and those who want more carrying capacity than a wedge pack but without the
bulk and indeed wind resistance of traditional panniers. I’ve managed to slip a decent amount into the
main compartment-three spare tubes, tool caddy, spare tyre levers, Pedro’s
Trixie, separate multi tool, cable ties and a patch kit.
I was curious as to whether the
Trunk Bag would also prove compatible with the marques Uni Super Tourist DX top
plate. Spoiler alert, I was pleasantly surprised to discover it was, so left it
mounted to Ursula for a few wintry outings.
Interestingly, the MTX Dry Bag Trunk Bag doesn’t seem compatible with the
RX Beam Rack. Rounding off this
impromptu mid-afternoon fettling session came bottle cage replacement, I liked
the contrast of the composite cages, which worked better in practice than I’d
expected. However, they were prone to collecting grime, so I went for some
black Elite Cruissi homages.
As for Ursula, my hunch that the
trailer quick release would provide greater rigidity at the frame ends,
eradicating any disc tickling under load proved correct. Sometimes it’s those little victories that
give the biggest lifts.
I’m also pleased with Muffin’s Selcof Sterrato
V2 bar switch, although they’re slightly narrower than the Genetic D Riser 4
they replace, but there’s still ample control and no skittishness. From an
aesthetic perspective, it makes mounting lights and other little gizmos, such as
this ORP Smart Horn that bit easier. I also suspected I would miss a left dummy
lever for parking my hand when cruising. Some Dia Compe 138 with colour-coordinating black hoods turned up. I’m planning to pop the Cane Creek on the
Holdsworth (since that runs a Tektro and the mutually compatible hood shape
means everything will align nicely with the spirit level). Ha!
Leatt have sent me their Pro Clip
6.0 Endurance shoes, which they say are “designed for riders who want
dependable performance and all-day comfort without the race-focused stiffness”.
Formative outings suggest they’re onto something here.
There’s a roomy toe-box, which is
supportive and roomy enough for waterproof socks-a good move, since there’s acres
of cooling mesh-essential for the warmer months given the synthetic uppers. The
MOZ/Leatt lacing system will be intuitive to anyone familiar with the Boa types
and allows for great, hassle-free tunability.
A Nylon shank is designed to
offer the right blend of stiffness and support while allowing easy, comfortable
walking or running sans bike. The ride grip outsole is suitably aggressive and
grippy. They’re not as stiff as the Shimano RX6 Shimano
SH RX600 Gravel Cycling Shoes | cycling-not-racing (and a little heavier
too at 790g for the 45) , which remain a firm favourite of mine, but stiffer
than Shimano’s MT701 GTX Shimano
MT701 GTX SPD Shoes | cycling-not-racing . Goldilocks but without the bears?
Time, roads and boggy wet trails will tell. Meantime, I’ll leave you with my review of the
Castelli Unlimited Rain Jacket Castelli
Unlimited Rain Jacket | cycling-not-racing and perhaps more fittingly,.
Steve’s review of the SKS Infinity Urban Trunkbag XL SKS
Infinity Urban Trunkbag XL | cycling-not-racing
