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We trust Arkel to make durable and very functional cycling gear.
A bike trunk bag that doesn’t look like a shoe box. Velcros in place on Randonneur Rack or traditional rack.
Position: Rack top
Weight: 660 g / 1,46 lbs (unit)
Volume: 8 l. / 488 cu. in. Expands to 11 l. /700 cu. in. (unit)
One look and you’ll be hooked. The TailRider Trunk Bag is fully insulated, has a huge opening, many internal pockets and a divider to keep the contents from shifting around. Waterproof zippers keep the rain out, but for longer rides the TailRider has an integrated rain cover. A built-in expansion bellow expands for more carrying capacity when needed. Wrap it all up with lots of safety features, including a blinker light strap built right… the ultimate bicycle rack bag for short or long rides!Minimum Rack width required: 3.15″ or 80 mm
And for all you “lighter and faster is better” cyclists out there, the Randonneur Seat Post Rack comes in at just 17 ounces. This combo is the lightest and sleekest alternative out there to wide trunk bags and wobbly seat post connections. Joining the minimalist revolution doesn’t mean compromising on weight, aerodynamics or space. Be lean, sleek and fast.
Arkel Randonneur Seat Post Rack on Look Carbon Bike
Attaching the Tail Rider: Step 1
The thick side of the Tail Rider should face forward. Open the velcro bands and wrap under and around the side tubes of your rack.
Attaching the Tail Rider: Step 2
Pull the velcros® evenly and tightly on each side of the bag, press to make sure they engage firmly.
Attaching the Tail Rider: Step 3
Repeat the process with the rear bands, as with the front velcros®. Open the bands and wrap under and around the side tubes of your rack.
Attaching the Tail Rider: Step 4
Pull the velcros® evenly and tightly on each side of the bag, press to make sure they engage firmly.
Voilà!
Not very complicated, is it? Don’t worry, it holds very tight. If you want to carry side panniers with the Tail Rider, it’s better to hook the panniers first, or to loosen the velcros® before hand.
Integrated rain cover
The Tail Rider comes with an integrated rain cover in case you’re caught under hard rain. By itself the bag will easily resist the rain a few hours, but for longer rides a rain cover will also keep the Tail Rider clean and dry!
Easy to pull over!
The rain cover is sewn in into its own pocket. Just grab under the front flap and pull it out and over the Tail Rider. There’s also some reflective material for night riding!
Padded handle
Find a nicely neoprene padded handle, centered on the bag. The handle is attached on 2 compression straps to keep the bag tight, and we designed the whole system so that it’s not in the way when you open the bag!
Tab for a LED rear light
Not only does the Tail Rider feature a lot of reflective bands everywhere, there’s also a tab at the rear to hook a flashing LED light. Safety has no price.
D-rings for a shoulder strap
At the rear of the bag we located 2 D-Rings so you can clip a shoulder strap for easy carrying when off the bike.
(Shoulder strap is optional and is not included with the TailRider)
Vertical shape
It might seem weird at a first glance that the bag is being carried vertically, but if you think about it for a second it makes sense. It’s close to your body and will not keep hitting everything or turn over by itself.
(Shoulder strap is optional and is not included with the TailRider)
Expansion bellow
We though about trunk bags a long time before coming up with this expansion bellow. Most bags expand like a tower and the bags end collapsing sideways. We rather made the expansion sideways! It is in fact such a natural process when the bag is “over stuffed”!
How much can you stuff?
How many trunk bag do you know that can swallow a whole helmet – and not even talking about still having space for more?! Since the Arkel Tail Rider expands sideways it can do just that, and more! The use the side pockets to carry still even more, and if push comes to shove, use the compression straps on top to cinch that extra thing. The Tail Rider may look small, but it isn’t!
Side pockets
Two side pockets are incredibly handy for small items like keys, glasses, wallet, cell phone, suntan lotion or anything else you need in a jiffy. The zip is l-o-n-g so it’s easy to access the content!
Taller than it looks
The inside of the Tail Rider is much bigger than the outside leads to believe. It’s actually taller than most beverage cans and there’s a divider to keep items from moving.
Internal divider
There’s an internal divider attached with velcros®. More than a gizmo, it helps separate cold from hot items as it is insulated just like the rest of the bag.
Removable divider
If what you carry needs a bigger, all encompassing volume, just remove the divider. It’s so simple¡ leave it in the Tail Rider for the next time you need it.
Multiple mesh pockets
The inside of the Tail Rider is an organizer’s dream. Every side of the bag has multiple mesh pockets, even the divider has one! It helps a lot in keeping small items from jumping and bouncing all around.
Wide and long
The Tail Rider is wider and longer than most trunk bag, allowing to put a lot of items side-by side instead of stacked all over the other – who likes a pressed-to-a-pulp sandwich?
Will always take that “one more” item
Even when it seems full, the Tail Rider can accept more. Just by looking at that picture you’d believe that there’s no way to close the flap of the bag. Wrong – it will!
The bellow will expand
You can see the overstuffed jacket with all the rest inside the Tail Rider, and with that view you realize how easy it’ll be to close the zipper as the central bellow will expand. Why Arkel was the first one to figure that out, it beats us.
Carry more outside
There are many ways to use the external compression straps, like for attaching a jacket, but the best we found so far is to carry extra water. You can also open the bellow an push the bottle inside the opening (look at the picture at the bottom of the main page). Very sleek.
Padding between the compartments
A not obvious trait of the design is that all pockets are separated by a foam insulated wall. It means that if you carry tools in the pocket it won’t damage your cell phone display inside the main compartment.
Abrasion resistant rubber bottom
The bottom sides are made of a highly abrasion resistant rubber, so if you like to hooks panniers on your rack the hooks will not wear through the Tail Rider fabric. That’s seeing forward.
Water proof zippers
All the zippers are top-of-the-line waterproof YKK’s®. The overall design is also very sleek and water shedding. Of course there’s an integrated rain cover, but even as it is the Tail Rider will easily shed rain for a few hours. No more panicking necessary.