Review: Well made otherwise, but needs stronger hook & loop fastening cycling Topeak_Intl
is constructed to the company's usual high standards, but on the first descent over rough tarmac, on its first test ride, it fell off and got run over by a car. The hook and loop fixing might be rugged, but it's simply nowhere near tenacious enough to keep your spares attached.
The fact that this failed completely within four miles obviously makes any other observations moot, but for the sake of completeness – and in case Topeak upgrades the hook and loop part – I'll observe them anyway. This is a neat, minimalist way of attaching spares under your saddle, and while the upside is easy access, the downside is that your cargo is open to the elements and sat right over your rear wheel. It's strongly stitched from tough webbing, and there's a rubbery surface in just the right area to grip an inner tube securely. The rest of it, where it's not covered with hook and loop , is attractively patterned with a subtle Topeak logo. The elastic cord loops for an inner tube are stitched right in, but the two smaller ones for accessories are actually on their own small chunks of hook and loop too. That means you can adjust where they sit on the strap. In my case it also meant I could go still further back up the road to find my multi-tool, because it had separated completely. In case you think this failed because I overloaded it, it was only holding a road tube, two plastic tyre levers, and a very small multi-tool. Topeak pictures it with COin there as well . And in case you think my roads are too rough , Topeak mentions 'trailside' repairs in the Elementa's blurb. Frankly, I can't see this lasting four miles off-road, though as there's a 'medium' version for gravel and a 'large' for mountain bikes, it's at least technically possible they use different stuff that actually sticks. You'll need a small multi-tool for this, by the way – or at least a narrow one – or it won't fit through the loop. My 52mm Lezyne would not go in, while a 44mm-wide Crankbrothers one would but only with a fight. Eventually I found a 34mmI had concerns about the strength of the closure from the start, so I wanted to be very sure I was attaching it right. The packaging wasn't really any help, but it does have a QR code that's supposed to send you to 'How to use Elementa strap'. It doesn't, though – it just takes you to the product page. So you just have to spend time peering at the marketing images to work out what's going on. As a consequence, I know I had this strapped on as firmly and securely as possible, because I triple-checked it. I also decided to trust it was up to the task, because every other Topeak product I've personally tested has been solidly effective at the very least. This is an unfortunate exception.With some actually strong hook and loop or, dare I say it, Velcro, the Elementa Strap would be a well-built and simple way to keep your spares accessible/cover your tube in filth/rust your tools/delete as applicable. As it is, it's a well built and simple way to lose your stuff.This doesn't work, so even at £0.00 the value would be poor – tubes, multi-tools and CO2 inflators all cost money to replace. At £19.99, though, it would be rather expensive even if it did work. for £8.99 via Amazon, and that's intended to attach to your frame – arguably a better place as it's not quite so exposed. Presumably you could attach it to the saddle rails just the same.can be had from around £8, in various lengths and with plastic instead of aluminium buckles if you worry about scratches. They're very versatile and have a well-earned reputation.
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