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Otek Aerocarrier locks a secure, mini trunk into your city bike’s rear rack

Otek Bicycles Aerocarrier lockable bicycle trunk,semi secure on bike glovebox and pannier rack
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It’s ‘Bike to Work Day’ so I’m pulling out new alternate commuter bits to share. The Otek Aerocarrier fits the bill – providing lockable storage for small items as part of a platform rear rack that can also haul panniers. The Aerocarrier has a few more tricks up its sleeve and more refined solutions on the way, but its designers are giving its development a Kickstart to get it into backers’ hands as soon as possible.

Otek Aerocarrier lockable bicycle trunk, rack & more!

When I run errands around the city, I always end up pulling a bunch of things off my bike & stuffing them in my pockets when I lock up to a pole, lest my lights, pump & toolkit go missing while I pops into a shop. Otek’s solution is why can’t commuter bikes get a small secure box where you can stash these small items, plus maybe a packable shell jacket.

Otek Bicycles Aerocarrier lockable bicycle trunk,semi secure on bike glovebox and pannier rack
c. Otek Bicycles

Their Aerocarrier is then a lightweight, universal-fit rear rack that incorporates a narrow, lockable 3L box to store your semi-valuables for short periods of time. The layout of the whole thing is made to clamp to a wide range of seatposts, then feature adjustable struts down to fit onto a wide range of seatstay shapes & sizes. The idea is that it should work on the majority of bikes people ride around town, no rack mounts required.

Tech details & where it goes next

Otek Bicycles Aerocarrier lockable bicycle trunk,semi secure on bike glovebox and pannier rack

It is aerodynamic, and that’s where it gets its name, but it is meant more to be sleek than to really make you go faster. In fact due to its shape it serves more as a something of a fender than making you more aero.

Otek Bicycles Aerocarrier lockable bicycle trunk,semi secure on bike glovebox and pannier rack

Up top the Aerocarrier has a pretty standard rack platform with a retractable strap to secure larger items while riding. And the main upper support rails have space cutout around them so typical rail mount pannier bags can be hung on each side as well.

This version of the Aerocarrier is really a proof of concept prototype. Otek Bicycles designer Romain Duez tells us the final ~150€ retail rack will include a secure attachment system (either connecting the separate elements from inside the locked compartment, or including Hexlox protected hardware.) The universal fit design will also include adaptable profile mounts to fit non-round seatstays as well.

At the back, a vertical post provides a spot to strap a rear blinkie taillight. This prototype used a steeply sloping light mount, but production Aerocarrier will feature a mount that mimics the seatpost size & angle to provide universal fit for most rear lights.

The entire setup is said to weigh just 700g combining aluminum & ABS plastic constructions. But Duez thinks they’ll be able to even trim that down further by the time the ship later this year.

Kickstarter tiers & availability

Otek Bicycles Aerocarrier lockable bicycle trunk,semi secure on bike glovebox and pannier rack

If the ability to haul up to 25kg (55lb) and lock 3 liters worth of gear on your city bike sounds good, you can back the Aerocarrier on Kickstarter, starting at 98€. Based in Berlin, Otek plans to start production in August, and expects to deliver to the first backers a few months later in November 2019.

OtekBicycles.com

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Oscar
Oscar
4 years ago

What is wrong with this picture?

The top has lock and key. The Whole thing is secured with only a few screws ……

Matthew
Matthew
4 years ago
Reply to  Oscar

It’s only the prototype. The article says “the final ~150€ retail rack will include a secure attachment system (either connecting the separate elements from inside the locked compartment, or including Hexlox protected hardware.)”

Personally, I’m not interested in this as a commuter rack because I need to carry bulky items like a laptop and a rolled garment bag. But I could see using this or something like it for randonneuring.

Mark
Mark
4 years ago

55 pounds supported by the middle of the weakest tubes on a bike? I think they might want to reconsider that rating.

This sounds like a pretty early stage Kickstarter. Even though the prototype looks really slick, they already admit there’s much still to be designed and refined on it. And it shows. As such, I’d be very careful managing expectations about what exactly will be delivered and, most importantly: when.

It’s not like they have anything close to production drawings, and even when companies do, it still takes months of back and forth with the factory to have something that’s actually manufacturable. But I bet the design still takes at least another few months, probably even half a year.

They really should work on solving one problem, not two: how to lock your belongings on a bike, and (really challenging one here) how to make a rear rack that fits a wide variety of bikes.

My coworker solved the whole on-bike storage problem by buying a Givi motorcycle top case for his bicycle’s existing rear rack. Probably overkill and too big for most folks, but he had it immediately and for much less than this product.

romainduez
4 years ago
Reply to  Mark

Hi Mark!

Well I agree with most of your comments, very good observations and very accurate feedback. But as you said, we admit there’s a couple of things that still have to be redesigned / redefined. Even though, we still think that we have a good idea that has potential, and we count on bicycle lovers like you to bring it to the market! If we manage to gather the required amount of money needed, we are confident we can bring a great product to the market within the time frame communicated.

About your worry on putting too much weight on the seatstays, we are already onto it and designing a better mount (+properly lockable) for the seatpost that will allow for 75% of the load, if you look at most seatpost carriers, they also carry 55 pounds.

Thanks for the feedback and we would love to get your support in this adventure, feel free to share / back us : https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1572904469/aerocarrier thanks!

PStu
PStu
4 years ago

The design looks like you would clip your heels with a pair on the back. I know my bags are in the far back of a normal rack to avoid that.

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