Overview:

CODi Tri-Pack Backpack
Review July 15, 2010

Manufacturers Specs:

Size: 12.5 inches wide x 15.7 inches high x 7 inches deep
Weight: 2.6 pounds
Online Price: $110 US

Limited Lifetime Warranty

I have always loved the Chrome bags for bike riders, and scooter or motorcycle riders.After hearing some good things about the CODi Tri-Pak so I got one in and put it through its paces for about a month. The article that follows is the result of this real world testing.

The Tri-Pak is a backpack style laptop bag with plenty of compartments. Even if you are not carrying a laptop, this bag makes a pretty darn good little day pack.

The CODi Tri-Pack has plenty of pockets for all the common business travel gear. Padded laptop pocket holds a small to medium size laptop reasonably well.  My ancient Acer Ferarri Laptop is a little on the big side for this pack ad as you can see from the photos – this leaves the corners of the laptop a little vulnerable. The pack would be more suitable to most of the MacBooks or Netbook computers. The laptop pouch seems to have ample padding.  Another small gripe is that there is no pouch on the strap to hold a cell phone but there is a pretty good little pouch on the outside of the pack.  This pouch was a little too small to hold my Blackberry World Phone but will hold most smaller cell phones. It would also be a simple matter to get an accessory cell phone holder to attach to the front strap if that was a big deal to you.  We like the little mesh pouch on the side that accommodated a water bottle very well.

The shoulder straps are comfortable and there is a narrow strap across the chest which will keep the pack more stable. Fully loaded, we found the pack very comfortable to carry for long periods, The padded mesh back panel also helped to keep you from getting that clammy feeling on your back.

Our review pack was basic black with a discreet logo – not the type of pack that screams “steal me – I have a computer in me”.  The rounded shape of the exterior pockets give the pack a nice look but do waste some space. However, that shape does make the zipper pulls very smooth without having to go around any corners.

The zippers on the main pockets do not go all the way to the bottom. This is both good and bad. The good is that you can pick the pack up with the zippers partially open and not worry about everything dumping out. The bad is that you cannot lay the pack flat and open it wide open.

We did not give the pack a real soaking to see how it fared in the waterproof department. It was very good in a light rain at keeping our gear high and dry. The Chrome bags with their waterproof liner seem like a bit more of a secure solution if you are planning on being out in a downpour.

Overall impression

The Codi Tri-Pak is a very good pack. We liked the ergonomics and found it very comfortable to carry for long periods even when fully loaded. The zippers worked well and the nylon material and strap construction seem to be of high quality.

A few minor gripes with some of the zipper locations and sizing of exterior pockets.  I still think the Chrome bags  have the edge in waterproofing and I like the Chrome strap ergonomics a bit better since it is so easy to take on and off because of the seat buckle closure design (which seemed gimmicky at first.) The Chrome bags were designed by riders so it makes sense that they may be a bit better suited for this use.

I recommend put both the Chrome and CODi  bags on your shopping list and choose the one that fits your stuff and style the best.

I welcome your comments if you have used either the CODi or the Chrome Bags.

Corazzo realized that their Corazzo 5.0 was fast becoming the iconic scooter riders jacket – smartly, they did not venture too far from its design when they created the Corazzo Ventata.

Ventata is Italian for wind. With the new Corazzo Ventata armoured jacket, you can still have great protection like you get with our long-time favourite Corazzo 5.0 jacket and still stay cool on those hot summer rides.

Where the 5.0 jacket has heavy Cordura throughout, the Ventata has a lighter mesh for much of the body that allows for airflow. Strategically placed zippered vents also help with airflow management. The liberal 3M ScotchLite striping runs down the front and back of the jacket for great rider safety. The Ventata also retains the Knox®  armour pads in the elbows, shoulders, and a CE rated  back pad to protect those vital areas from road rash in the event of a mishap.

The material around the Ventata neck is softer and cut lower than we were used to on the Corazzo 5.0 which enchanced comfort.

Although the Ventata does not offer the same rain protection as the Corazzo 5.0, it is a simple matter to keep an inexpensive rain jacket under your seat that you can throw over your jacket in the event you get caught in a downpour.

Corazzo’s brief bio about the designer, Michael Fontasnarossa, says he has worked in design for Adidas, Nike, and Motorola – all no slouches in the design department. He is also an avid scooter and motorcycle rider which explains why his design integrates both form and functionality.

Summary

We love the Corazzo 5.0 jacket. If you can afford only one jacket and you ride in a variety of conditions, that is the jacket to get. The Corazzo Ventata is a superb warm weather jacket and can be supplemented with a sweater or hoody underneath for mor warmth when required or a rain coat over top is you get caught out in the rain.

Available in black or silver.

MSRP $179.00 US   or $209.00 CDN

Highly recommended.

We would love your comments and feedback if you have a Corazzo Ventata!

Yike Bike Electric Bicycle - The Wheel Reinvented

At Scooter Underground, we are always on the lookout for cool new urban transportation products and there is really nothing newer or cooler than the YikeBike www.yikebike.com

The brainchild of Kiwi entrepreneur and inventor, Grant Ryan together with friend and co-founder Peter Higgins, the Yikebike is a very interesting and, in our opinion, a very misunderstood product.

So, when is it coming to Canada, and what do we think of it?

We have spoken to the people at YikeBike and Canada is not on the radar at the moment and that is probably a wise decision. They want to pick the worldwide markets where it has the most potential and focus their sales and customer service efforts there without diluting them with a shotgun approach. All we can say, is that if and when it comes to Canada, Scooter Underground will be the place to find out about it.

What do we think about it?

We hate reviewing products that we have yet to see or touch but with regard to the Yikebike, we have done a lot of homework and we feel that we understand the market niche this product will fill.

You can go to their excellent website for a lot of the detailed stats, YouTube videos, and FAQ’s, but here is the meat and potatos:

Weight: 9.8 kg (21 lbs)
Speed: 20 km/hr
Range: 9-10 km per charge
Recharge time: 30 minutes
Carrying capacity: 100 kg (220 lbs) rider and cargo
Price: 3,500-3,900 Euros ( $5,200 – $5,800 CDN) est.

Grant Ryan admits that one of the inspirations for the Yikebike was the Segway (yikes). The Segway was a very cool product that was announced to a lot of fanfare and turned out to be a huge marketing flop. Now, I don’t know Grant Ryan, but based on his past accomplishments I am assuming he’s no dummy and he has learned a lot from studying the Segway. Both the Yikebike and the Segway are  very cool, relatively safe transportation products.

However, due to some great engineering and the use of high tech materials, the YikeBike weighs 9.8 kg (21 lbs) – about 4 times less that the weight of a Segway. It also folds to a fraction of the size of a Segway or most folding bikes and is so nice and neat in its folded design that there are no bits and pieces sticking out to scratch and snag things.

Who is it for?

Let’s start with the estimated market price. Currently the Yikebike is priced at $3500-$3900 Euro (that’s about $5,200 – $5,800 CDN). At those kinds of prices, this is going to be a real niche player initially. The folks at Yikebike admit that out of the gate they are targeting to be “Porche and not Toyota”. Their design and materials are all first rate. Most of the frame is black carbon fibre (initially the only color available). They have also chosen state-of-the-art  LiFePO4 fast-charge battery technology but opted for a relatively small battery size to keep the weight down.

The Yikebike is really not an urban transportation product like an electric bicycle or a scooter – rather, it is an elegant and uber cool solution to “the last mile problem”. In large cities, there are thousands of commuters who ride trains, subways, busses, or even cars but they still have a bit of a jaunt to get to their final destination point. The Yikebike, due to its, slick design, light weight, and portability allows it to link in with these other modes of transportation to get the commuter to where they want to go and not have all sorts of storage and security problems when they get there. Even if you take a car to work, you may want the freedom to run errands at lunch without the drudgery of fighting traffic and finding parking spaces – the Yikebike could liberate this type of urban commuter.

Many readers looking at the Yikebike balk at its lack of range( 9-10 km). The trade-off was made between battery size and weight and the range should be adequate for most purposes. That’s about a half hour of riding before you need to spend another half hour charging – this bike is not meant for those who are commuting 10-20 km to work each way. A more traditional electric bike like the eZee bike is better suited to that purpose. Just like a carpenter has many tools and chooses the best one for the job, the urban commuter has to look at the task they have at hand and choose the right product – for many of them the Yikebike may be just right.

The Yikebike would be an ideal way to get around a large campus but at the current prices, only the people on the Microsoft or Google campuses will be able to afford them.

Summary

What’s hot

• Super cool and innovative design
• Top quality materials and built like a Porche
• Light weight
• Elegantly folds into a small package in about 20 seconds
• Take it with you – no parking or theft worries
• Fits a wide range of rider sizes

What’s not

• Like the Segway, the Yibebike does not offer the rider any exercise – you stand on a Segway; you sit on a YikeBike – no pedaling
• 100 kg capacity may limit it for many North American sized males who want to carry books and a laptop
• Hill climbing capability may be limited compared to an electric bike due to small battery and no pedals
• In a regulatory “no man’s land” – where will you be able to ride it is uncertain – like the Segway
• Price is sky high initially but that is sure to change. The initial models are like luxury prototypes. I am sure that if the concept catches on, they will be able to use a high quality production facility somewhere like Taiwan where they are still obsessed with quality but have lower production costs than New Zealand.

Sanyo Eneloop Electric Bicycle at Scooter Underground

We are pleased to announce that the folks at the Scooter Underground will soon have a couple of Sanyo eneloop bicycles for testing. As soon as we get them, we are getting to work to put them through their paces. We will report back to you to tell you how they perform in real world Canadian conditions.

We”ll have “plump” people riding them on cold rainy days…. up hills! All  sorts of stuff that has been the demise of many electric bikes we have tested in the past. What is the real battery life? How long does it really take to charge? How smooth is the direct drive motor? We need lots of answers and soon we will have them.

So far, the homework we have done on the Sanyo eneloop looks really good, but we have to see for ourselves. We did the same thing with the eZee bikes before giving them our stamp of approval.

Stay tuned. We will have lots of new photos and some YouTube videos. The bikes should be here by mid-Feb and we will have a comprehensive early report shortly afterword. We will also publish long-term evaluations of the Sanyo eneloop.

Here are what some other blogs are saying about the eneloop electric bikes and electric bikes in general – the time has come!:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/17/business/17ping.html

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/eneloop/
CNN :
http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2010/01/11/ces.hln.electric.bikes.cnn

Treehugger.com:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/01/ces-2010-sanyos-eneloop-bike-may-be-a-bike-world-game-changer.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqhp6jNaLmo&feature=related

A dealer in Chicago riding eneloop bike in the snow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDoKR7h-17I