Ergon. I had no idea who they were until i noticed Weins is sponsored by them. I'm a big Weins fan, he's just a super cool old school mountain biker, period. I'm glad I Google'd Ergon as I'm of the opinion they have leapt forward 5 years with their grips and packs. They're German, and the stuff is definitely engineered to the hilt. I've only been riding with the pack for two months, and the grips for less than a week, so we'll see how they hold up over time but I can tell you they are worth the extra cash when you compare them to any other pack or grip out there.
I bought their largest pack - the BC3 for commuting and touring.
http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/product/bc3It has an external/internal frame made of lightweight and relatively pliable plastic. The shoulder straps are attached to the frame but they rotate independently of the hip belt portion of the frame. Hard to explain unless you pick one up. What it means is that all the weight of the pack is placed on your hips and you hardly notice anything is on your back. Because the shoulder straps function as one unit and rotate separately from the hipbelt, you don't fling the pack when your shoulders move like when you are navigating technical terrain or just plain steering. Because of the design, there's an airspace on the back panel too, so your back doesn't get as wet ans clammy as with normal packs. The big exception is some Airvent Deuter packs which this Ergon pack is somewhat replacing for me. The airvent breathes better but carries all the weight on your shoulders and back. I'm not sure I'll get rid of the Deuter pack, it's been with me longer than any pack at around 8 years!
The Bc3 is waterproof, truly waterproof, and the zippers are waterproof too. It's a bomber (a bit heavy) material that I doubt will ever rip unless I run into barbed wire at 30mph or a mountain lion takes a swipe at it. It has multiple chambers for stashing things, and a weird rigid insert to the main compartment that I took out, but it has a place for keys, a pump, other random small items that tend to bounce around in bigger pockets. There is a helmet compartment on the outside that also functions as an easy access jacket/bootie/glove/grub pocket and cinches down nicely.
This pack is big at 25L/1525 cubic inches, but it doesn't SEEM that big maybe because it can cinch down well and is made of a somewhat more rigid fabric than other packs. It's perfect for someone like me that always brings way too much along on the ride, commute, or tour because you can barely feel the extra weight. The hipbelt is graciously padded and does the job better than any other bike pack - WAY better. The pack has a large and small sizing built in - so if you have a longer torso than others you go with the large setting and if you are too skinny you go with the small hipbelt setting. There's really no comparison to this pack, it's in its own league (but so is the price).
There are a couple of downsides to this design. One is that it sticks out farther off your back than most packs which I don't really notice but some might. The main issue I have with the pack is that it's not as good a technical/rough trail pack as I thought it'd be. It stays in place OK, but it still slips to one side or another depending on which foot you have forward on your pedals while navigating and pedaling over stuff. Because the shoulder straps rotate independently, it's harder to fling it back into place than with regular packs. You have to use your hand to slide the hipbelt back around your waist every once and awhile. It's truly at home on the commute and I can imagine on a long bike tour where it's not super technical. I'll get to test it out on the way to Durango for SSWC's this September for that purpose.
In the end, it's the best pack for someone who wants to carry a lot of stuff, or just distribute the weight of a water bladder better than other packs. It's great for someone who gets back pains on long rides, or who has a back back. It may transfer your pain to butt-pain but I'm not sure yet. It's amazingly well (over?) built so should last over the years. They make two smaller sizes to this one and I've heard great reviews of the smallest version, the BD1. Oh, and they make women's specific sizes!
5 comments:
I bought the smaller size pack, more like a normal camelbak size, to try to help my bad back. I absolutely love it. I don't carry much to keep the stress off my back so the pack movement on technical terrain hasn't been an issue for me. In fact, I can feel the shoulder harness rotating independent of the hipbelt on rocky trails - as a result, it doesn't torque my back at all.
It is a heavy pack due to the strong materials it's made of - which is a downside. And, in the model that I bought, the pockets seem randomly designed, and are almost too small for anything normal sized. E.g., I put my asthma inhaler in one pocket, and it could barely fit my keys on top of it. The final drawback is that the hipbelt is made for a monster woman. I can barely cinch it tight enough for my hips (and then there's a laughable foot of extra strap!).
Aside from those drawbacks, my back loves it. I used it for a longish hike yesterday, and it's good for that too.
OK, since both of you have turned to advertising, where might one look for the Ergon line?;)
They are really hard to find for some reason, but I found mine at Competitive Cyclist online.
I agree with all KB's comments, especially the understaffed pockets. They are way too small and in weird places. Actually, there's only really ONE actual pocket on mine. There's a camelbak pouch which I treat as a pocket, another inside sleeve, one small key pocket on the outside, and then the helmet pouch...and that's it. Compared to Deuter packs...they're extremely under-pocketed.
The one thing I forgot is when I'm standing up pedaling on my bike, the shoulder strap ball-joint/pivot can creak a bit. A little dust cleaning helps and maybe a touch of lube.
Update, Fall 2010. It seems both KB and I have found that colder temperatures make the ball-joint squeak, not dirt or even dried sweat/salt. Once it was warmer outside, her Ergon pack squeak went away! So...not sure what to do about that since it's mostly my winter (waterproof, large) commuter pack!? Just listen to tunes i guess...?
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