Electrified Brompton Luggage

Although expensive, I’m a big fan of the Brompton luggage system. Much like the fold of the bike itself, it is simple, elegant and involves the only the minimum amount of fannying about. It is this functional design which inspired me to finally revisit one of my old projects; USB charging using a bicycle dynamo. Whilst my previous attempt was rather crude (both electrically and aesthetically) the Brompton luggage system presented the opportunity to do this idea right.

You will need:

• A Brompton (or other bike which uses the Brompton luggage system, such as the Circe Helios) with luggage block and either an A, C/T or S bag luggage frame (plus bag) made after Brompton switched from their older all steel frame design to their current tubes and black plastic one.
• Switched* dynamo lights (and a dynamo)
• At least six M3 x 5 mm (approx) cheese head screws (flat tops)
• At least eight M3 washers
• At least two M3 nuts
• At least eight small (red insulation) 3 mm ring crimps
• Some double (bell) wire, or two strands to twist together (1.5 m approx)
• A 2.5 and 3 mm drill bit (and a drill)
• A set of pliers
• A flat head screwdriver of suitable size for the M3 screws
• A few square cm of thin (approx 0.5 mm) sheet metal (a bit if old drinks can might do in a pinch)
• It would also be advantageous to have a set of M3 taps, although a screw can be used for tapping if you do not have taps.

If you don’t have any of these parts, consider ordering them from Farnell (for reasons which will become apparent later).

The first task is to drill two holes on the top of the luggage block using the 2.5 mm bit as shown in the picture and then tap the holes (this can be done, with sufficient patience using one of the M3 screws if you do not have taps). Fit ring crimps (remove the insulation and crush the crimp closed with the wire inside the crimp using pliers) to a length of wire long enough to reach from these holes to the connector on the dynamo and connect the crimped ends to the luggage block with a screw and washer each. Connect the other end to the dynamo connector in parallel with your existing (switchable) dynamo lights. If you want the wiring to look tidy, fit a couple of P clips on the luggage block to route the wire.

Next comes the luggage frame. Drill two holes on the plastic part of the frame just above the cut out for the luggage block, as shown in the picture below and tap these holes as before. Make a pair of connectors from the sheet metal as shown below and drill them with the 3 mm bit. Fit these connectors to the luggage frame using a screw and a washer each in the holes tapped in the frame. The top of the luggage block does not usually make contact with the top of the cut-out on the frame, so your contacts will need to protrude downwards enough to make good contact with each of the screws on the top of the luggage block.

Congratulations, you now have a set of terminals supplying ~6V AC on your Brompton luggage. What you do with it is only limited by your imagination.

I decided to build a new USB charging circuit, based on this post. The post contains a list of all the parts you will need to build the circuit neatly on a bit of strip-board (veroboard) from the Farnell catalogue. I added a PCB USB socket from Maplin so that the 5V DC produced by could be used to charge a range of devices such as smartphones, MP3 players or GPS devices and a simple plastic enclosure to keep it all together. I drilled a pair of 3 mm holes for two screws to be used as electrical connectors and linked these connectors to those on the luggage frame using a ~400 mm section of paired wire with 3 mm ring crimps on each end. When using the referenced post, if you buy different but equivalent parts, be aware that capacitors 1 and 3 are polarised type and capacitor 2 is a non-polarised type.

The circuit on the strip-board (the layout may appear confusing due to an earlier mistake).

I added a switch to the enclosure so that the circuit can be switched off when the lights are in use. The strip-board and components can just about be stuffed into the remaining space in the enclosure, which has had a hole cut in it to allow access to the USB port. In the mark II I will probably think more carefully about the arrangement of parts and the inputs within the enclosure before I start drilling. The wire linking the assembled enclosure to the luggage frame is routed through a hole which had started to develop without any assistance from me in the bottom of the C bag’s left pocket.

The circuit charges my Android smartphone when the front wheel is spun by hand and I will update this post after I take it for an extended test ride in the near future. When running the charging circuit, simply turn off your dynamo lights. When using your dynamo lights, be sure to turn off the charging circuit. Happy charging.

* If you add additional switches, non-switched lights and a bottle dynamo could be used in place of a hub dynamo.

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Brompton for beginners?

It has been nearly a year and a half since I acquired my Brompton M3L. Occasionally I find myself wondering how much easier certain times in my life would have been if instead I had bought the bike years ago. I’d certainly have been able to avoid a lot of the expensive trial and error involved in my early bicycle-purchasing experiences. Because of this, I thought it might be a good idea to lay out the reasons why new cyclists might want to consider buying a Brompton.

The Obvious

As much as everyone always bangs on about it, the fold is exceptional. However, rather than focusing on the mechanism, consider the benefits it offers. A bicycle which is easily folded into a compact unit allows people such as flat-dwellers, who might otherwise struggle with storage of a bicycle, to work-around the limitations presented by their living situation. Additionally the fold allows the bicycle to be taken to places which they are not usually welcome; whilst I lived in Manchester my Brompton went with me into Umami, Sandbar, The Ducie Arms, the University of Manchester and The Cornerhouse to name just a few establishments.

You can give up

When you have just started cycling, or just returned to it after a long break, the new demands placed on your body by cycling take their toll until your body adapts. Thankfully this doesn’t take very long at all, but during this time, the Brompton at least gives you the opportunity to fold up and hop on the bus if you get tired or encounter a problem.

You can give up

Two out of every three people who take up cycling in the UK give it up. This is due to the atrocious conditions new cyclists face on the roads. If you decide that cycling on the roads as they currently are isn’t for you, the fact that Brompton bicycles tend to be easy to sell and retain their value well means that you’ll be able to recoup most of your investment quite easily. Even accessories such as Brompton bags fetch a decent price on eBay.

You will buy one eventually anyway

If you are the one in three new cyclists who does stick with cycling, you’ll probably end up buying a Brompton eventually anyway. Each meeting of the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain I go to I see more people who have acquired a Brompton. At the May AGM it was Sally Hinchcliffe and A Grim North. Eventually I’m sure Joe Dunckley will give in. Even Lovely Bicycle has fallen for the Brompton, despite some slightly lukewarm initial impressions in pre-ownership posts.

Accessories

Whilst Brompton-branded accessories don’t really come cheap, they are generally very good. My own experience with both the C-bag and T-bag has been almost universally positive, as has also been the case with the dynamo wheel (other than the part where I was paying for them). A small amount of this outlay on accessories can be clawed back by taking the bike inside with you, which allows you to avoid buying a lock, which would be expensive if you subscribe to idea that it is good practice to spend ~10% of the value of a bike on a lock.

Jack of all trades

Whilst the Brompton isn’t the perfect bicycle for all situations, it is good enough for almost all of them. Despite this, I was surprised at how fast the Brompton can be ridden and how well it copes with this. The generous luggage capacity afforded by the T-bag and a saddlebag allows the Brompton to be a good enough load-carrying bicycle for the needs of most people. If I could only own a single bicycle, it would have to be a Brompton.

So new and would-be cyclists, consider the Brompton. Whilst it may appear expensive at first, at least you can flog it easily if it doesn’t work out, and if you do take to cycling you’ll probably end up buying one down the line anyway (and I can’t imagine they’ll be any cheaper in 2019).

Luxury Luggage 2

Back in February when I purchased the Brompton, I also invested in a luggage block and a Brompton C-bag. Whilst the price of the C-bag was enough to make me wince, it is a high-quality product and has served me well since then. However, circumstances change and I now find myself in need of more carrying capacity when using the Brompton, so I took the plunge and purchased a T-bag.

The T-bag was formerly known as the Touring Pannier and its recent name change brings it in-line with the rest of Brompton’s luggage range and also shows that they still don’t take themselves too seriously. It uses the same carrier frame as the C-bag but boasts a considerably increased capacity. The downside of this is that it is a bit more unwieldy and less pleasant to carry around when off the bike. The strap lacks the padded sleeve of the C-bag making it less suited to extended stretches of being carried over-the-shoulder.

The T-bag (completely unrolled) next to the C-bag. The difference in capacity is quite startling. The inside of the T-bag is lined with yellow fabric, as is the C-bag, in order to facilitate finding stuff rattling around the bottom. It’s the kind of small touch which can help rationalise purchasing luxury luggage such as this.

The zipped pocket contains a fluorescent yellow rain cover much like the one which comes with the C-bag (book not included).

Unlike the C-bag, the carry strap can be removed if preferred, which can be useful to prevent it flapping around when riding. The top of the bag has two strips of velcro to pair the edges of the bag together before the top is rolled down. As a nice extra touch, the bag includes two identical strips of velcro which can be used as ‘blanking strips’ if you do not wish to use the velcro fastening.

The rider-facing part of the bag contains two pockets, the left one is identical to the pockets on the C-bag, the right is a draw-string affair which permits over-stuffing and would be particularly useful as a bottle holder. After looking it over, I decided to put the bag’s capacity to the test:

Much like the C-bag, the T-bag has a reflective rectangle on the front in order to prevent flash photography and possibly also to aid being seen.

This is the T-bag in its over-stuffed state (although I should add that there is still some room in the front mesh pocket). In this state the bag slightly interferes with the steering, but not enough to cause a problem when riding, only when manoeuvring the bike through doorways etc. In this state, the bag is sufficiently large to accommodate the entirety of Star Trek.

After removing the four Enterprise box sets, the bag can be properly rolled-closed and clipped into the sides where the yellow and blue boxes are.

The contents of the bag emptied out for scale: Three The Original Series box sets, the The Animated Series, seven The Next Generation box sets, seven Deep Space Nine box sets, seven Voyager box sets, four Enterprise box sets, the first 10 films box set, a separate copy of The Voyage Home and the most recent film on Blu-ray. 

Whichever way you look at it, the Brompton T-bag has an impressive capacity. It would be ideal for carrying a significant amount of grocery shopping, lending further credibility to my assertion that if I could only have a single bike for all purposes, it would be a Brompton.

Five years on a bike (Part One)

This summer marked the fifth year I have cycled as an adult. Of course for the vast majority of my life I have owned and ridden a bike, from my first bike at around the age of three, to my last childhood bike which I gave up on at around sixteen. After my last childhood bike and I parted ways, four years passed where I did not cycle at all, depending on walking and public transport for getting around. It was only because of the disproportionally high cost of public transport that I decided to buy another bike, in order to avoid paying £35 each month to get to the part-time job I had whilst I was an undergraduate.

A Shockwave SUS450, the first bike I bought as an adult

That first bike I owned as an adult was truly a real piece of crap, a £90 bicycle-shaped-object from Halfords. I bought it from White City Retail Park and rode it home, a distance of a few miles which seems a completely trivial distance now but which at that time left me completely exhausted. Simultaneously I was also enthused with the feeling of cycling, which I realised I had missed during the previous four years. At the time this bike worked quite well for me, I had no specialist knowledge of bikes or cycling whatsoever and so ignorance was bliss. Within three months of not paying for the bus the bike had paid for itself.

Those early rides to work along the main road from the city centre to Failsworth were a terrifying experience, like most inexperienced cyclists I rode in the gutter, terrified of being hit from behind by a motorist. Thankfully, the rides home were enough to make up for it. Finishing my shift after 10 pm meant the ride home along the same road was much more pleasant and after five hours of manual labour the experience was always refreshing, even in the rain (which on a bike without mudguards, I simultaneously experienced from above and below). I started to use the bike for shopping too, riding to the nearest supermarket with a backpack (the bike had no provision to fit a rack) and riding home with the weight on my back. As an arrangement it was far from ideal, but it was preferable to walking or paying for the bus again.

After three months of using this bike to get around, I had my first altercation with a motorist in Rochdale. The driver had decided to overtake me going down hill on Drake Street in order to make a sudden left turn. It is the sort of stupid manoeuvre on the part of the motorist which, with enough experience, most cyclists learn to expect and compensate for. I hit the left wing of the car and went flying over the bonnet and landed on the road, head first. I suffered some pretty nasty road rash down the side of my face and around my eye, in addition to grazes on my elbow and leg. My bike was relatively unscathed. After leaving the hospital later that day, I knew that I had to get back onto the bike right then, or I might be put off forever. I rode back to the trains station and then on home that night, and luckily the experience didn’t put me off cycling for good.

Despite being a terrible bike, I rode it for nearly two years. Throughout those two years, as problems with the bike arose, I started to learn about the basics of bike maintenance courtesy of the excellent writing of the late Sheldon Brown. Sheldon’s infectious enthusiasm for all things cycling shone through everything he wrote, even articles about brake adjustment or tracking down mystery creaks, clicks & clunks. After nearly two years of riding the SUS450, the bottom bracket spindle snapped as I was trying to pull away from a set of traffic lights. Whilst initially annoyed, not possessing the tools or knowledge to fix this problem gave me the perfect opportunity to rationalise buying a new, better bike, something which had been on my mind for a few years.

By this stage I was a little bit more knowledgeable about bikes, I had realised that the alleged ‘rear-suspension’ on my previous bike was little more than a mechanism to leech my pedalling effort and drive me slowly insane with persistent creaking. I also realised that riding with a backpack sucked. However, I was still largely unaware of several important practical features which existed on other bikes, such as the merits of having fewer gears, hub gears, proper mudguards, chain-guards, the irrelevance of front suspension for the type of riding I mainly did and of course, upright geometry. The next bike I purchased was a Revolution Cuillin Sport from Edinburgh Bicycle Co-Operative. At the time I knew little about the specific merits of different types of bicycle brake, I only knew that after riding with some incredibly weak, low-end V-brakes for a few years I wanted something better, and I promptly set my heart on having a bike with disc-brakes.

Despite still being quite an impractical choice of bike for my needs, the Cuillin Sport was definitely a step in the right direction. Being slightly better suited to my needs, I naturally started to make more of my journeys by cycle, and as this bike represented a more significant investment to me at the time, I started to learn more and more about bicycle componentry and maintenance. Over the next 18 months I acquired the tools and expertise I required to keep the bike in tip-top condition, whilst occasionally upgrading the odd component to make the bike more suitable for my needs. After around 12 months, I had converted the bike from a mountain bike to a hybrid, and my level of knowledge had increased to the point where I knew that the bike was not really the right choice for my needs. I also learned about the Yuba Mundo through reading blogs such as Urban Simplicity, and became interested in just how capable a bicycle could be.

By this stage, I was aware of vehicular cycling, Cyclecraft and the range of measures which cyclists can use to minimise the problems which arise when riding on a road network which is designed solely around the needs and wants of the private motorist, where the needs of cycling and cyclists are usually not considered at all. I was mostly confident on the road but could still remember what it was like to cycle as a novice. I was still not quite fast enough to survive on some of the most hostile parts of the road network and blissfully unaware of how things like Cyclecraft, speed and cadence become irrelevant with the right infrastructure.

Eventually, a minor windfall from overtime meant that I could afford to buy a Yuba Mundo of my own. The Yuba Mundo represented something of a turning point for me. Whilst it did not completely representing the frame geometry I would come to evangelise, it gave me a new experience; riding a bike and feeling truly comfortable whilst doing so. Despite its size, the Yuba Mundo became my primary bike. When I did occasionally choose to instead venture out on the mountain bike, I was acutely aware of how uncomfortable it was; riding hunched forward, a fair amount of weight carried by my hands and with a triple chainset making use of the full range of the gears unnecessarily difficult. The Yubawas much more pleasant to ride.

I had not intended for the Yuba Mundo to take over as my primary means of transport, and its sheer size meant that using it as such was a bit of a compromise. I decided that what I needed was a smaller equivalent to the Yuba for everyday use, and I found that with the Kona Africa Bike. The Africa Bike was the first bike I owned without dérailleur gears, which was a revelation. Initially a single-speed, I acquired a Shimano Nexus three-speed rear wheel and decided to upgrade the Africa Bike to a three-speed. Shifting when stationary, the lack of maintenance and the ease with which they pair up with a chain-guard (or case) made me wonder why most bikes used for transport didn’t come with hub gears. The only downside to the bike was the front V-brake; I hadn’t yet fully forgiven the crappy V-brakes on the SUS450. I decided to remedy this by investing in a new front hub. I was very interested in the idea of the bicycle providing its own power source for the lights, and had been reading up on dynamo hubs. When I saw the Sturmey Archer X-FDD drum-brake and dynamo hub, I knew I had to try it. The hub wasn’t available in a production wheel, so I read and re-read the Sheldon Brown Wheelbuilding article and decided I’d have a bash at building myself a wheel. To my surprise, the wheel turned out just fine first time. The Africa Bike, with some modifications had been turned into an ideal shorter-range utility bicycle.

Reading Sheldon Brown’s site had infected me with a curiosity about the Raleigh Twenty. After reading about it on his site, I realised that these things were everywhere. After looking on eBay I realised that I could have one of my own for around £20-30 and I promptly took that offer. The Twenty gave me the opportunity to completely strip and re-build a bike for the first time. I had done almost all of these jobs before, but never all at once and on the same bike. After a weekend or two of work, I had re-painted and completely refurbished the Twenty and found it to be a delightful little bike, with the added bonus of it being worth practically nothing allowing me to leave it locked up outside without worrying about it. The Twenty was primarily used as a loaner bike, so I could still use the bike to get around when I had guests. When I later came to acquire a Brompton, the Twenty no-longer had much to do, so I sent it off to retirement at my father’s house.

Whilst I was quite happy with the Kona Africa Bike, I was becoming aware that it’s hybrid geometry was somewhat limiting on longer rides, where after around 20 miles or so in a single day it would leave my legs really very tired. I was aware that the right geometry, roadster geometry, would allow me to use my leg muscles more efficiently on longer rides. At the time I wasn’t planning on changing bike again, until I saw the Raleigh Tourist De Luxe (DL-1) on eBay at a price too good to pass on. Whilst not a huge departure from the Kona, the slightly different geometry was much more comfortable on longer rides, whilst also making it easier to put power down when setting off from stationary. The DL-1 also represented my first experience with Brooks saddles; whilst not exactly comfortable at first, I would later come to put a Brooks on every bike I rode.

Luxury Luggage

As mentioned in my last post, I have recently acquired a lovely red Brompton M3L. Initially I used my Vaude Cycle 25 which has served me well on many other bikes, but due to the lack of a rear rack (The “R” type Bromptons still wouldn’t be able to accommodate a regular pannier), I had to use the bag as a backpack. As anyone who has tried cycling any sort of distance with a backpack on will tell you, this was not exactly ideal.

The Brompton head-tube has two threaded bosses for the attachment of the Brompton luggage block:

Once you have forked out for this, the entire range of proprietary Brompton luggage is available to you (unless you were foolish enough to buy the S-type, leaving the S-Bag as your only option). Brompton make several bags to fit to this block, including a leather attaché case (A-bag), Touring pannier (T-bag), Small messenger bag (S-bag), Large messenger bag (C-bag) and the folding basket. Ortlieb also make their own bag for the system, the O-bag. I hope they extend their range with a D-bag in the future (although the T-bag is also amusing in its own right).

I looked over the range and decided that the C-bag best meets my needs when riding the Brompton. I was out on the DL-1 when I picked the bag up, but it was comfortable enough to ride whilst wearing the bag, mainly due to the upright riding position. I find it rather baffling that this type of bag is generally popular with fixie riders, whose leaned-over riding posture means the bag would constantly try to slip forward (I suppose riding a fixie has never been about practicality anyway). The frame which supports the bag when clipped onto the Brompton can be removed when not in use, although I have found that wearing the bag with the frame still in it is perfectly comfortable.

The bag has a reasonably large capacity. The main compartment is split into two, with space for a laptop at the back.

The divider itself is also a compartment, having a zip along the top of its entire length.

The front of the open bag has 2 small pockets as well as a clear compartment, possibly intended for a name/address tag. The flap attaches via velcro, with two plastic buckles for extra security. The flap also contains another pocket, with a waterproof zip seam.

The rear of the bag has two pockets which site either side of the stem when the bag is mounted on the bike, each with waterproof seams.

There is a mesh pocket on one side of the bag and another zipped compartment on the other side.

The bag clips and unclips onto the luggage block easily. At first I was a bit sceptical, but the whole system seems very sturdy indeed.

When loaded, the bike’s handling is not diminished, in fact it seems to handle slightly better, which is quite unusual.

Brompton luggage, expensive but worth it.

New Family Member

Those of you following me on Twitter during my recent Southern odyssey may have noticed that in addition to riding the Boris Bikes, my tweets indicated I had been riding bikes in other locations which the hire bikes are unavailable in, such as Waltham Forest and Oxfordshire. Whilst I was in London, I decided to take advantage of the fact that the Western Extension Zone of the London Congestion Charge has recently been scrapped, and pick up one of the many second-hand Bromptons for sale in the area. There are so many Bromptons for sale around this area as more people choose to drive to work rather than cycle, proving at the same time why the congestion charge was necessary in that area in the first place. My plan was to sell it up North if I didn’t like it, where the second-hand Brompton market is less saturated so it could fetch a higher price.

Note the extended seat-post; a standard or telescopic seat-post will allow the folded package to be even more compact than this.

Unfortunately for my wallet, I do like it. A lot. I got the M3L model; M-type bars for an upright riding position, 3-speed gears (Sturmey Archer SRF-3 on mine, SRAM hubs are also used), no rear rack (seems a bit useless on such a small-wheeled bike), complete with mudguards and a (slightly worse-for-wear) Brooks B67 saddle. The standard seat-post is useable by someone my height (1.78 m), but not quite long enough. Luckily the extended seat-post was readily available from Evans for £16.

My first proper ride on the bike was from Waltham Forest to Paddington Railway Station. The cycle infrastructure was crap, but the bike was ideal for the conditions, quick to accelerate from the lights so I could get past the next deadly pinch-point and responsive to steer through the complex and ever changing door-zone I was repeatedly squeezed into. The bike was perfectly comfortable for the duration of the ride, and folded up small enough to be counted as luggage on my train to Oxford

Upon reaching Oxford, I unfolded the bike and began the trek to Wheatley (my grandparents’ new home). The A40 was the most direct route, but had large sections set at the national speed limit, which thanks to the dual carriageway means 70 mph (obviously many will drive at much higher speeds due to the lack of active speed cameras in Oxfordshire). Obviously an alternative route was needed, and the smaller road through the village of Horspath seemed a logical choice. Using Google maps to navigate, I had neglected to account for the possibility of the route not being flat. Thankfully, the gearing on the Brompton was low enough for me to climb up the hills, although I was deliberately slower going down the hills because I haven’t got a good feel for the brakes yet. I expected the bike would be great for short journeys and multimodal transport, now I have experience of riding the bike a considerable distance, I feel it is also a very capable longer-distance machine. I can completely understand why people have used them as touring bikes.

The Brompton is a testament to what British design and manufacturing can still achieve. The design is modular, with all the odd proprietary as well as standard replacement parts easily available online. The modular design is sympathetic to older Bromptons; yearly improvements to parts of the bike can all be retrofitted to older models. This is part of the reason why their value depreciates so little over time. Super-light titanium editions are available, with titanium rear triangles, forks and titanium or aluminium seat-posts. The modular design means that you could conceivably replace parts of your existing Brompton with titanium equivalents over time.

Re-assuringly sturdy folding left pedal brings the folded size down a bit.

The rear triangle clips onto the seat-post clamp, with a rubber cylinder providing a little bit of suspension.

The little nub on the stem (Left) clips into the socket on the fork crown (Right) when the bike is folded.

The luggage block on the head-tube accepts a variety of proprietary Brompton luggage which whilst expensive, is generally very well regarded.

Brompton’s shifter operates the Sturmey hub, presumably to prevent the standard shifter fouling the fold, and to produce a consistent look within the range which includes a 6-speed option (2-speed derailleur coupled to 3-speed hub) and the different varieties of 3 speed hubs used by Brompton (SRAM & Sturmey Archer).

I do not believe the Brooks B67 has ever been a standard option on a Brompton (I was given the original saddle too). This one looked as if it has been ridden on whilst wet a few times, and had become very saggy and uncomfortable. Luckily a bit of a tweak with the tension spanner and some Proofide and the saddle is almost as good as new.

The benefits of a bike which folds into a small & rigid package are obvious; ease of storage at home, ease of carrying the folded up bike, taking your bike onto even the most overcrowded train, taking it into a restaurant, theatre or nightclub or even onto the Metrolink (if suitably covered up, which obviously makes complete sense as a policy).

I expect that I will have saved enough money due to owning the Brompton for it to pay for itself within about 5 months. Think about it.

Vaude Cycle 25

I bought this pannier over a year ago but I neglected to write about it at the time. It has quietly served its purpose every day since then. You might expect that a pannier which changes into a backpack is an obvious idea serving an obvious need, but this is the only bag on the market I have found which does this at an acceptable price.

The styling of the bag suggests it is aimed at the sporting end of the market. This worried me, as leisure cyclists are not likely to clip and unclip the bag from the rack several times each day. Luckily, other than a few scuffs and bruises, the bag seems to have held up reasonably well to daily use.

The Good:

• Fairly quick conversion between backpack and pannier
• Comfortable enough when used as backpack
• Includes rain-cover
• Includes clip-on helmet holder (which can also be used for more useful things)
• Side pockets
• Laptop compartment
• Includes two sets of clips to cover a range of rack tube diameters up to 20 mm (as on the V1 Yuba Mundo and the Kona Africa Bike)
• Clips adjustable to ensure a snug fit

The Bad:

• Main clips are not directly replaceable
• Lower clip is of minimal benefit, fiddly to use and prone to getting caught in spokes and snapping (mine is somewhere in the canal between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden)

Here is the back of mine after over a year of daily use.

The bag straps unzip from behind the pannier clips.

Laptop compartment (laptop not included).

Overall, I’d still recommend this bag, despite the loss of the lower clip. The upper clips are not directly replaceable, but like many things you could come up with your own solution if necessary. Wearing a backpack whilst cycling is uncomfortable, and carrying a pannier whilst walking is uncomfortable. The Cycle 25 is one of the only bags out there to solve this problem, at a reasonable price and with reasonable durability when used every day.