AngleTech AeroTrunk

[Brian Hughes]

I received an AngleTech Areotrunk last week. Here's my opinion of it after several days of riding
with it mounted on my RANS Tailwind.

- First off, it's very big, 2850 cubic inches (that's the primary reason I bought it). My old 1250
cubic inch bag just wasn't large enough for my winter commuting. I often carry extra warm clothes
in addition to carrying my work clothes/laundry, lunch box, repair kits, etc back and forth
to/from work-and sometimes I had to use a bungy cord to strap some of my clothes on the outside
of the bag. With the AngleTech Aerotrunk, it all fits inside nicely.

- Second, it does seem to make my Tailwind a little faster. In truth, I really haven't ridden with
it long enough to know if it is just a placebo effect, or if it really does make a difference.
AngleTech's advertisement states their riders were 2 - 3 mph faster with the Aerotrunk. My speed
increase hasn't been that dramatic, about 1-mph (but hey, that's still a step in the right
direction). However, I'll have to ride a bit further before I can conclude that the Aerotrunk is
truly the cause of it.

- Finally, it does look nice on the Tailwind (I bought a red one that matches the paint on my
Tailwind quite well).

- On the negative side, the bag is supposedly designed to hold its aerodynamic shape. There is a
semi-rigid plastic liner material that serves as the framework. Unfortunately, my bag showed up
with a relatively large dent in the plastic, causing a rather ugly dent visible on the side of the
Aerotrunk. I'm not sure what cause the dent: I suspect a shipping accident, rather than poor
craftsmanship. I contemplated sending it back, but ended up fixing the problem by taping a
cardboard strut across the inside of the bag to push the dent back to its proper shape so the bag
looks nice and is in the proper aerodynamic shape.

Brian

 

[Bentbiker]

I too received mine, haven't ridden with it but it looks well made. I bought the high visibility
yellow. Have you tried taking a hair dryer, or a carefully, a heat guy to the dent in the plastic?
Kelvin may be able to just send you a new plastic insert also.

 

[Brian Hughes]

I didn't think to try a hair dryer until you brought it up. I gave it a try and it worked
great--dent is gone. Thanks for the idea!

Brian

"bentbiker" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I too received mine, haven't ridden with it but it looks well made. I bought the high visibility
> yellow. Have you tried taking a hair dryer, or a carefully, a heat guy to the dent in the plastic?
> Kelvin may be able to just send you a new plastic insert also.

 

[David Luecke]

Woohoo! a.r.b.r. in action How cool is that?

--
David Luecke Ridin' a RANS Vivo (wahoo!) Merritt Island, Florida USA

 

[Gerald Muffolet]

I have a yellow AngleTech AeroTrunk on my Aero. I rode 3 centuries with it and normally average 15.5
to 16.1 M.P.H. depending on the wind conditions. The main reason I got the AeroTrunk was for the
professional built tailbox that would last. Since my speed is so slow, I get about 1/2 M.P.H.
increase in speed when I hit 18 M.P.H. but when I push, I hit 20 easier. On a long downhill, I
normally went 26 M.P.H. without pedaling. With the AngleTech AeroTrunk, I normally get 30 to 31
M.P.H. depending on the debris on the road and the passing 16 wheelers. My speed uphill is about the
same but I was thinking of adding a large helium balloon in the trunk to lighten the tailbox.

I really like the handle on the AeroTrunk near the top of the seat so that I can pick up bike, tie
the bike to a fence, or balance it. I also like the outside pocket in the front of the bag next to
the seat where I can store my keys, thin gloves, and shoe caps. There are several pockets inside the
tailbox to store the keys and money, but I only use them on long rides.

I do have a small problem when I transport the bike on the back of my car. The tailbox is held above
the wheel by a strap. The strap will get loose and I find the bag on the wheel if I drive more than
40 miles for a ride. Also, because I have an M5 seat, I have this adapter that fits on top of the
carbon part of the seat back. The adapter sometimes slides off to the side. The shifting is only
about 1 inch in a 100 mile ride and does not stop my ride. I also noticed the shifting when I ride
on very rough roads.

Another small problem is running the camelback hose through the hole in the front of the bag. A
small amount of water squirts out if I forget to put my finger on the top of the mouth piece. I was
thinking of putting a short peice of PVC pipe so that I slide the tube through the hole.

I am very satisfied with the AngleTech AeroTrunk!