Customer Reviews

Excelent - Highly recommended Review by MdPCabal

Excelent product. I bought it together with the trailrider trunk bag. I use both items with my Cervélo S2. Arkel sent me a longer velcro strap so it fits into the aero seat post, and with the corresponding adapter for women's saddles that are wider. I just returned from my 1,200Km PBP brevet. I used the rack and bag all the time. They worked perfectly through sunny and rainy days, through day and night, and through a million of rolling hills and different types of pavement. It was always very easy to find what I needed inside the bag because of its design. Thank you to Arkel for these products and for their extraordinary personalized customer service.

(Posted on 8/31/11)

Perfection Review by Craig in Kansas

I've owned the bag for which this rack is designed for 3 years. I bought a Madone 4.5 last year and scratched my head for while trying figure out a mount. Found an aftermarket cantilever rack with a single single seat post clamp. I wrapped the post in electrical tape to avoid scratching it. Nice looking solution. Problem is the whole assembly had the tendency to swing laterally so I had to tighten it down so hard that I could hear the CF give. I was afraid I end up with said post up my a$$. Saw this rack and didn't hesitate for a moment on the purchase decision. The design is perfect, the installation a breeze. I like the adjustability front-to-back and up-and-down. Arkel even thought to include a couple of small pieces perpendicular to the rails running lengthwise. Thread the bag stays in front of these pieces and the bag won't slide off the rack. I had to use a couple of wire bundle ties to keep the bag on my previous rack. Great design! Very pleased...

(Posted on 5/28/11)

Simply Perfect. Review by vorticity

My wife and I decided at the last minute to buy this rack with the associated TailRider bag. We did a 400+ mile tandem bike tour of New Zealand. We ride a carbon tandem bike and did not want to add a rack that needed bosses on the seat/chain stays. This was it. It fit perfectly, took just minutes to set up, and weighs only 1 pound!! We used it on titanium rails and a carbon seat post. No problems with a stoker that weighs only 110 pounds. The advertised rack weight limit is 11 pounds, but on part of the ride we exceeded that weight without an issue. I am not recommending exceeding the limit, but while outside Picton, New Zealand, we stopped at the MOA Brewery (one of NZ's micro brews). We were so impressed with the spirits, we were able to fit a 4-pack in the bag for the 20 mile trip back to the hotel. This is a wonderful rack if you don't need panniers but just to put some junk in the trunk.

(Posted on 3/12/11)

Yes! -- but... Review by Andrejs

I'm sold. Well, almost sold. I may just order it anyway, but one thing is missing, a thing that I'm actually also missing on my permanent touring rack and it's irritating: no place to fasten a standard tail light. Yeah, I know I can clip it to the back of my helmet and the backs of my panniers and maybe on my seatpost if nothing else is in the way or on a chainstay if I can find the weird clamp and no panniers are in the way, etc. etc. But all those things come and go or get covered up by raiancovers or succumb to my memorylapses. The best, simplest thing by far is to attach the tail light to the back of a rack. Then, it's always there. (My good rack is a Bruce Gordon and Bruce is another crank who sees no reason to have a tail light. I love Bruce, Love Arkel, but, seriously...)

(Posted on 11/3/10)

report - new Arkel Randonneur Rack with TailRider Trunk Bag Review by Richard McCaw

Here is update on using the new Arkel Randonneur Rack with TailRider Trunk Bag. I wanted to see if the rack deserved the “Randonneur” label. I the received the rack from Arkel in July and I installed it on my Eisentraut. This was the bicycle I used to do PMP 2003. Back then I used a K2 Klikit bag that had an integrated plastic rack frame that connected to the seat post. My Eisentraut doesn't have eyelets in the rear drops for an ordinary rear pannier rack so I needed a seat post/ saddle attachment solution. Solution worked but rack did move during the ride.

My experience so far is that the combination of the Arkel TailRider and Randonneur Rear Pannier Rack works much better than any other solution I have tried for bicycle w/o rear eyelets. Including what I used in 2003. It’s easy to install. I tested it out on rides in the local bay area hills. Solid with no swaying that happens to racks that attach only to the seat post. I couldn’t find and faults with design. I wasn’t planning to do another long brevet this year needing the Arkel Trunk Bag so I offered my equipment for use in my local bicycle club.

Russ Stevens needed a solution for his Voyageur entry in the HooDoo 500 since his bicycle didn’t have rear eyelets to hold a rear rack. The Voyageur category required the rider to be self supported. The route includes climb to the 10,500 ft peak of Cedar Breaks. No support crew like the FC 508. Voyageur category has similarity to doing a long brevet. I lent him my Arkel Randonneur Rack with TailRider Trunk Bag. Russ finished 3rd in his category. http://www.fototime.com/%7B404CEA33-71D6-4430-83C7-A17B77AAE636%7D/origpict/IMG_3726.jpg

Russ’s ride report http://www.rides.actc.org/?p=441 Russ said the rack and bag worked perfectly for him. Rack didn’t sway or upset his center of gravity. He never really noticed the equipment until he needed something from the bag. He was able to carry more than what he actually needed. (He was prepared for very cold and wet weather on the top of Cedar Breaks) So the new Arkel Randonneur Rack with TailRider Trunk Bag combination gets “two thumbs up” recommendation. The Arkel Rack passes the test to have “Randonneur” label. An option for Randonneurs to consider for 600km and longer brevets (PBP 2011)

(Posted on 9/17/10)