Made an unplanned trip back to my parent's house last weekend. Its not a long trip, about 100 miles each way, but I was staying overnight. Enter Bob's Cycle Supply in St. Paul, MN, and $80 later there's a tailbag on my bike.
The maximum weight for the tailbag is supposedly 10 lbs. I must have had at least 20lbs in it - result: It doesn't move. I attached the integrated bungee attachments to the hooks on the rear subframe, and had fantastic results. I kept checking behind me to make sure it was still there, as it really didn't move at all, and didnt' seem to affect the handling of the bike. (While I took the superslab most of the way, I did find a few twisties and lean it over hard).
My dreams of luggage racks, hard cases, and security are not gone, but they've been temporarily replaced with an extremely simple, stable, and durable tailbag. I could easily pack for a weekend, and may do that in two weeks to head up to a friend's lake cabin.
I'll admit I was concerned that I'd look ridiculous, it would fall off, or shift and cause a crash, but its actually very functional. I'd recommend it to those looking for a simple and secure solution to basic luggage needs. (rain cover and carry strap included). I'll post pics later tonite.
GB
Thanks for the review! I was looking at a cortech tail bag just a few weeks ago. This wasn't the "standard" or the "sport", was it? I'm guessing it was the "Tour Master Cortech Tail Bag".
i want to get panniers / side luggage. I use teh bungie cord to carry a lot of stuff. I have carried food and stuff. Very stable. I use my bungie cord a lot when i ride.
Only thing i have lost with the bungie cord is a bottle of water that wasnt secured well because i had a bigger bottle of gatorade next to it.
There are only two cortech tailbags - the standard and the sport. This one is the standard. I couldn't see sacrificing some space for the angled look on the sport bags - its a 12 yr od GS for chrissakes, who cares what it looks like. I'll post pictures this week sometime and revive the thread.
I'm not sure if I'll pick up the saddlebags. Certainly not right away. The nice thing is that if I do, the tailbag attaches to them and they become one integrated unit.
Not to butt in, but interested parties might like to see this post (http://gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=93138#93138) and this page (http://www.bbburma.net/HowTo/TourMaster_CortechBags/).
Quote from: GrainbeltThere are only two cortech tailbags - the standard and the sport.
Not according to the items listed at NewEnough. Check out :
http://www.newenough.com/product_group_misc_luggage.htm.
I"m pretty sure the tankbag and saddlebags I have are the rest of that set. They are Cortech Tourmasters, and they are great. I packed for a week on time that included bungieing a tent, sleeping bag, and camping air-matress. The saddlebags may be the sport models, but they are plenty big, and the tankbag is expandable, so it gets HUGE. I've thought about trying to pick up the tailbag, next time I have money I can spend (which will most likely be in about 3 years). Glad to hear you are happy with your purchase, and if you pikc up the rest of the Tourmaster stuff I know you'll be happy with it as well.