Nelson Rigg GWR-1000 from Techncycle Gear
#1
05-15-2009 | 11:01 AM
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Joined: Apr 2009
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From: Rocky Mtn High CO
Nelson Rigg GWR-1000 from Techncycle Gear
I recently bought a Nelson Rigg GWR-1000 from David at Techncycle Gear (www.techncyclegear.com - one of our site sponsors). I looked at the T-Bag Dekker Supreme, the HD Tour pak bag, and a Kuryakan trunk bag too before settling on the Nelson Rigg, which seemed like a much better value.
David and I swapped some PMs with questions about the bag and how to order since it was not on thier website. He responded to each quickly and was very helpful. I ordered on a weekend and it was at my house by Wednesday night. With the "HF10" 10% off forum coupon and free shipping it was only $126.
My first impression is that this is going to be a great bag. I've had a T-Bag Universal Expandable bag for many years and the Nelson Rigg build quality is as good or better than the T-Bag. One difference between the two is the Nelson Bigg bag has a rain cover that is a lot thicker and also attachs more securely. On my old T-Bag, it has a cinch strap sewn in around the outer edge of the rain cover that you pull tight after putting it over the bag. On the Nelson Rigg, the rain cover goes over the bag and there are 4 velcro covered slits on the corners that the quick release buckes go through and around the luggage rack to attach both the bag and the rain cover to the bike.
I have the premium luggage rack for the tour pak and the bag fills it from front to back and hangs over each edge by 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch. There's a large flat organizational pocket on the back (side facing traffic behind you) that has slots for cards, pens, phone, maps, etc. On either side are expandable side pockets. On the front near the passenger are two pockets with top zippers that look like they could hold water bottles or just other stuff for easy access. The main inner storage area essentially doubles the size of the tour pack and it has some mesh pockets to keep small stuff organized inside. You can see photos of it here http://shop.techncyclegear.com/produ...&productId=190 or here http://www.nelsonrigg.com/store/product.aspx?pid=436
To keep it at about 10-15 pounds, I think we'll be using it those light extra layers that go on an off during the day, rain gear, and the half helmets. That will free up the tourpak itself for additional clothes for the longer trips.
We won't get to use it on a long trip until mid June, but I am very happy with the purchase. The other bags I was looking at were $200 +/- a few bucks and this one is well made and a much better value.
David and I swapped some PMs with questions about the bag and how to order since it was not on thier website. He responded to each quickly and was very helpful. I ordered on a weekend and it was at my house by Wednesday night. With the "HF10" 10% off forum coupon and free shipping it was only $126.
My first impression is that this is going to be a great bag. I've had a T-Bag Universal Expandable bag for many years and the Nelson Rigg build quality is as good or better than the T-Bag. One difference between the two is the Nelson Bigg bag has a rain cover that is a lot thicker and also attachs more securely. On my old T-Bag, it has a cinch strap sewn in around the outer edge of the rain cover that you pull tight after putting it over the bag. On the Nelson Rigg, the rain cover goes over the bag and there are 4 velcro covered slits on the corners that the quick release buckes go through and around the luggage rack to attach both the bag and the rain cover to the bike.
I have the premium luggage rack for the tour pak and the bag fills it from front to back and hangs over each edge by 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch. There's a large flat organizational pocket on the back (side facing traffic behind you) that has slots for cards, pens, phone, maps, etc. On either side are expandable side pockets. On the front near the passenger are two pockets with top zippers that look like they could hold water bottles or just other stuff for easy access. The main inner storage area essentially doubles the size of the tour pack and it has some mesh pockets to keep small stuff organized inside. You can see photos of it here http://shop.techncyclegear.com/produ...&productId=190 or here http://www.nelsonrigg.com/store/product.aspx?pid=436
To keep it at about 10-15 pounds, I think we'll be using it those light extra layers that go on an off during the day, rain gear, and the half helmets. That will free up the tourpak itself for additional clothes for the longer trips.
We won't get to use it on a long trip until mid June, but I am very happy with the purchase. The other bags I was looking at were $200 +/- a few bucks and this one is well made and a much better value.
Last edited by rogerfromco; 05-15-2009 at 01:14 PM.
#2
05-18-2009 | 10:40 AM
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 883
Likes: 1
From: Clearwater, FL
Nice write up. I spoke to David this morning and ordered the same bag. He was very helpful and answered all my questions. Plus he gave me a discount code that saved me a little more cash. You can't beat that kind of service.
We are planning a trip thru the Blue Ridge during mid-June and I'm hoping this bag will be just the ticket.
We are planning a trip thru the Blue Ridge during mid-June and I'm hoping this bag will be just the ticket.
#4
05-22-2009 | 07:27 PM
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 883
Likes: 1
From: Clearwater, FL
Received the Nelson Rigg GWR-1000 bag today from Techncycle Gear. This is a very well built bag. At just under $130 shipped, this is a real bargain compared to the others I considered. Besides the bag, there is a shoulder strap, a rain cover and a padlock that can be used to secure the bag.
The outside of the bag is UV-treated Tri-Max® ballistic nylon and it is nicely lined on the inside. The bottom panel can be pulled up which allows the bag to be collapsed for easier storage when not in use. There is a buckle strap on each corner that really holds the bag in place once mounted to the bike rack. There are also loops sewn in the bottom that you can run a cable thru to better secure the bag to the bike.
As rogerfromco said above, there are plenty of pockets and organizers both inside and out that will help keep stuff where it belongs. The zippers on this bag work well and appear to be high quality.
One last note on this bag, while it comes with a rain cover, the manufacture does say the bag itself is not waterproof without the cover.
Thumbs up on the bag and to Techncycle Gear.
The outside of the bag is UV-treated Tri-Max® ballistic nylon and it is nicely lined on the inside. The bottom panel can be pulled up which allows the bag to be collapsed for easier storage when not in use. There is a buckle strap on each corner that really holds the bag in place once mounted to the bike rack. There are also loops sewn in the bottom that you can run a cable thru to better secure the bag to the bike.
As rogerfromco said above, there are plenty of pockets and organizers both inside and out that will help keep stuff where it belongs. The zippers on this bag work well and appear to be high quality.
One last note on this bag, while it comes with a rain cover, the manufacture does say the bag itself is not waterproof without the cover.
Thumbs up on the bag and to Techncycle Gear.
#5
06-22-2009 | 02:21 PM
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 883
Likes: 1
From: Clearwater, FL
Follow-up review after using on one week trip
This is my follow up report after using the GWR-1000 on a weeklong trip through the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The numerous pockets on the outside of the bag really come in handy for places to store items you want access to during the day. The large loops sewn into the bottom of the bag made it easy to secure the bag to the rack using a cable lock. This was handy since the bag was on the bike from the time we left in the morning until we arrived at our destination in the evening. We didn’t have to worry about someone walking off with the bag when we stopped for a break, lunch or a little off the bike sightseeing.
While the bag performed well during our weeklong travels, there were a few performance observations:
The numerous pockets on the outside of the bag really come in handy for places to store items you want access to during the day. The large loops sewn into the bottom of the bag made it easy to secure the bag to the rack using a cable lock. This was handy since the bag was on the bike from the time we left in the morning until we arrived at our destination in the evening. We didn’t have to worry about someone walking off with the bag when we stopped for a break, lunch or a little off the bike sightseeing.
While the bag performed well during our weeklong travels, there were a few performance observations:
The bag was shipped to us folded flat in the shipping box. It is great that this bag will fold flat for storage but the bag was always rounded along the end panels when the top was open. This made closing the zipper along the ends of the main compartment interesting at times.
The lip that covers main zipper seals well but makes it difficult to open and close the zipper. It was most noticeable at the corners during closing when going from the side panel to front panel.
The rain cover does not fit well if the pockets on the outside ends are expanded and have much in them. This probably isn’t a big deal but since it rained for a few days during our trip the rain cover got a good workout. The cover does fit well with stuff in the end pockets as long as they are not expanded to their larger size.
The final concern with the bag has nothing to do with the design of the bag. We really had to watch that we did not overload the tourpak with this bag. This bag is rather large and will hold a bunch of stuff. We found that we really had to be careful what we put in it, weight wise. Again, not a fault with the bag but something to consider as you load up for a road trip.
Overall the bag performed to our expectations, even when considering the points above. It really is a great bag for the price. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a large rack mounted bag.
The lip that covers main zipper seals well but makes it difficult to open and close the zipper. It was most noticeable at the corners during closing when going from the side panel to front panel.
The rain cover does not fit well if the pockets on the outside ends are expanded and have much in them. This probably isn’t a big deal but since it rained for a few days during our trip the rain cover got a good workout. The cover does fit well with stuff in the end pockets as long as they are not expanded to their larger size.
The final concern with the bag has nothing to do with the design of the bag. We really had to watch that we did not overload the tourpak with this bag. This bag is rather large and will hold a bunch of stuff. We found that we really had to be careful what we put in it, weight wise. Again, not a fault with the bag but something to consider as you load up for a road trip.
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