Introducing the Cruzbike Underseat Scarab Bag

[Robert Holler]

OK everyone - introducing a new lightweight cargo option for the Vendetta AND Silvio!

This bag has been in the works now for about a year. It has gone through several evolutions and it is ready for the market! We finally have a small run of each bag for sale here:

http://cruzbike.com/scarab-bag-v20-and-s30

A few details about this bag:

- Less than 1 lb total bag weight
- Reflective stripe all around
- Great carrying capacity (similar to a Brain Box)
- Positions the weight low - this bag when loaded is not even noticeable
- Looks great
- Easy on and off

We have tested this bag in real commuting situations and it works wonderfully. This is a great addition to have and has a larger capacity than the Norback Bag option. BOTH are great to have!

Here is a link to the installation video:

The Scarab bag sits nearly entirely within the wind shadow of the riders legs, especially on the Silvio. On both the Silvio and Vendetta, our ride tests have shown no noticeable effects on our average speeds in real riding situations where you need to carry your gear. With the Scarab your fast Cruzbike is still blistering fast!

This bag is hand made in the USA by our great friends at Black Star Bags in Portland, Oregon.

Supplies for the first run are limited so get your order in ASAP!


Robert

 

[MrSteve]

Beautiful, intelligent design.
I love it!
-Were you inspired by conformal fuel tanks?
-Keeping heavy things close to the center of mass is very smart.

 

[Robert Holler]

MrSteve,

It is indeed the logical place to carry gear. For the stuff you need on a day ride or commute this bag works very very well.

Robert

 

[Abbott Smith]

Yay!

 

[Bruce B]

Some flexible plastic and Velcro on the inside to smooth the outline will be the first order upon arrival.

 

[LMT]

When will these ship? Or rather are they ready to ship?

 

[Robert Holler]

Bruce, we thought about doing that, but decided against it in order to save weight and make for a bag that when off the bike is nice and collapsible.

The Vendetta version bags are here in hand. The Silvio version is fresh off the line today - so they are ready.

Robert

 

[tiltmaniac]

Ordered. Sweet! This will compliment the Banana-bags I use for more high-volume stuff perfectly!

 

[Hugh Mitenko]

I have one of these and its great. I have gone from a Quest 2.0 to S30 and it is much faster... but I have no way to carry anywhere near as much stuff on a commute as the rack I had managed + panniers on the Q. I keep trying to come up with come way to carry an A4 sized laptop but so far nothing...

 

[hoyden]

I have one of these and its great. I have gone from a Quest 2.0 to S30 and it is much faster... but I have no way to carry anywhere near as much stuff on a commute as the rack I had managed + panniers on the Q. I keep trying to come up with come way to carry an A4 sized laptop but so far nothing...

I have noticed that S30 is made to cruise and is challenged carry more than some basic tools, tire repair, and water.

Yesterday I was out on a ride and stopped to pick up a piece of scrap railroad rail. The piece was about 6" long and weighed about 20 lbs. I managed to strap it to the back of the seat/headrest with bungees so that the weight was supported by the headrest tubes down low where they disappear into the seat and frame. That much weight that high up definitely made the bike squirrely to ride. I suspect even with a rear bike rack that much weight would still significantly affect S30's handling. The underseat bag looks to be the best place to put things heavy but isn't designed to carry a laptop or railroad rail.

 

[McWheels]

Anyone tried a TerraCycle underseat rack? Been thinking about one for my V2k but I've managed to get a standard rack installed for now.

 

[ChaleJake]

Nice bag. Added to my Christmas list.

 

[hoyden]

The TerraCycle underseat rack looks promising but I wonder how hard it would be to adapt the special arms that attach to the frame. Also, how thick can a pack be before it begins to impact cornering.

 

[ratz]

The TerraCycle underseat rack looks promising but I wonder how hard it would be to adapt the special arms that attach to the frame. Also, how thick can a pack be before it begins to impact cornering.

T-cycle is next door to rose city cycles. So if you call Robert Johnson on the phone and ask he can take it next door and test it for you.

 

[ccf]

The underseat bag looks to be the best place to put things heavy but isn't designed to carry a laptop or railroad rail.

I carry a 13" Macbook Pro in my scarab bag 2-3 times per week. I put some clothes under and on top of the laptop. It's a tight fit, but it works. I haven't noticed any problems with handling. And it hasn't damaged my laptop, either.

-Cliff