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| Image courtesy of Velo Orange |
Okay, it is time for a few new review items to show up here any day now, so I figured that I would introduce each item and why I am getting that item in so you will know my plans here. Truth be told, there is a common purpose here which you will see shortly.
First up we have the Velo Orange "Burrito Supreme Handle Bar Bag". This is one of those ubiquitous barrel shaped bags you see often now for cycling. The main purpose for this bag was to have it tested with the Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bar which I am reviewing. That and I've wanted to try a barrel shaped bar bag for quite some time now. The Velo Orange example here is actually made in the USA by Road Runner Bike Bags.
This bag runs $85.00USD and has one main compartment which holds its shape via an internally sewn in sheet of plastic. It's canvass, of course, and attaches via two straps for the handle bar and one for the stem. We will see how that all works for the Top Shelf Bar soon.
I'm also planning on using this bag for a trip/over night gravel ride I have planned out. Stay tuned for that....
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| Image courtesy of Velo Orange |
Mojave Water Bottle Cage:
This one is for my quest to carry large amounts of water but not on my back, while cycling. I have used over-sized bottles in traditional and extendable cages, but the Mojave Cage is a bit of a different way to solve the puzzle.
This cage fits big Nalgene water bottles, as shown. I like the concept and the Mojave Cage should be a good solution for a longer trip by bicycle, like the one mentioned above here.
This cage has several mounting holes in a plate on the base of the cage allowing for various ways to mount it including using a Three-Pack Boss.
This cage comes in silver or black and runs $39.99 USD. This will be going directly on to the Singular Gryphon Mk3 rig. I am kind of hoping to put it on underneath the down tube so we will see how that works out soon.
Finally, and the entire reason I purchased all these things from Velo Orange in the first place, is something you might not have considered at all. It is a camera!
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| Image courtesy of Velo Orange |
Camp Snap Digital Camera:
So, I've been using an Olympus TG - 5 camera for years now. I don't know a lot about how it works. I'd estimate I know maybe 10% of it, as far as what it can do. The TG -5 is a very capable outdoors camera, and it has a fair amount of features and normal "camera-guy" things that can be adjusted, tweaked, or whatever. Most of that is completely lost on me. I usually set it on "Aperture", adjust the light balance a bit, and shoot while riding. I almost never use the viewfinder/screen. It's fairly useless to me due to glare, bright Sun light, and my old, fading eyesight.
So, when I saw the Camp Snap camera, I immediately knew that I was the person this was made for. Well.....at least I feel that way. A truly "point it and shoot" camera with a whopping 8 megapixel sensor. You get what you get for a shot, and I am okay with that. This is almost exactly how I shoot almost every image that you've seen here in the last ten years. Point. Shoot. Download into computer. Tweak in the box. Publish.
So, we'll see if this thing can handle gravel travel. I'll be taking images with it for the blog here and for documenting my trip I mentioned earlier. By the way, this camera costs $65.00 USD, so it isn't all that dear and if it gets biffed or craps out, well we will all know better.
So, that's what is coming up. Look for more on these items here soon.
I must be the poster boy for VO. I have both the roadrunner bag and the mojave cage with nalgene bottle. I've been pretty happy with both.
ReplyDelete@Phillip Cowan - Ha! That is awesome! That's encouraging for me to know that you have had good experiences with both of those VO products. Thank you for the comment.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first heard about the Camp Snap I was perplexed why anyone would want one. Your post made it click for me: it’s cheap and easy to point and shoot with one hand. So you can (hopefully) not worry about being gentle with it and just casually take pictures with it whenever, including while riding.
ReplyDeleteI’m a lot more careful with my phone and it’s more awkward to use one handed, so I’m less likely to shoot with it on the bike.
North St Bags from Oregon had a 9L Barrell bag that I use for Bike Packing. They discontinued it a few years back. I think one of the things all barrel bags suffer from is swinging and load bouncing. I would be curious if you have to add additional tie downs? Hitch Knots with and extra twist can do a lot of cinching.
ReplyDelete@Nooge - Yes, you pretty much have it nailed as far as what the Camp Snap is about, at least from a cycling perspective. While I am not against more capable cameras, I (a) don't know how to use them and (b) I've seen what my friends who are "real" photographers (meaning that I admire then greatly) have to go through to protect their expensive equipment. That isn't for me.
ReplyDeleteSo, yeah, we will see how it goes. I'm not one for stopping a ride to shoot an image so one-handed operation is a big deal for me. Hopefully this camera will do that thing for me and, as you say, be durable enough to handle the rigors of riding on gravel.
@N.Y. Roll - This bag from VO has a strap that is supposed to go around a stem. That and the two attachments to the handlebar would seem to me be enough to keep it stable. We will find out soon....
ReplyDeleteI hope you spent some time on the Camp Snap website. The "About Us" section sums it up nicely.
ReplyDeleteI have run the widefoot and the VO Mojave cages for nalgenes. Both work but the VO was more secure on bumpy roads for the taller 48 oz Nalgene bottles. For touring or long days, two 48 oz holds the same as 3 standard 32 oz Nalgenes, with one less cage. Plus it looks cool. If mostly smooth roads then either works well!
ReplyDelete