Fat bike season is approaching – in some states, it’s already here. So if you’re headed in search of perfectly groomed snow trails, or to take on an epic challenge like the Iditarod Trail Invitational, you may be looking for a way to get your bike there.
Fat bikes obviously have special considerations when it comes to shipping because, well, they’re huge. We often get review bikes in two separate boxes – not exactly ideal if you’re trying to outsmart the airline baggage fees. To fix this, evochas stepped in with the Bike Travel Bag XL which should be perfect not only for most fat bikes, but also for plus bikes. According to evoc, the wheel pods will fit up to 26 x 4.8″ tires and wheels fully inflated. We’re assuming you could get bigger tires in there if you let all the air out before packing. That means it should likely fit the biggest 29+ wheels and tires as well, though without testing it we can’t say for sure.
Like the original Bike Travel bag, there are separate pods on each side for the two wheels with reinforced areas to protect the rotors and cassette.
Inside, the bag is sized to fit the enlarged 150 x 15mm and 197 x 12mm axles of the biggest fat bikes. To make it easier to get through the airport the bag has a set of durable roller wheels at the back and strategically places handles. Available now, the bag will retail for €475.
EBikes are big in Europe, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that one of the trends emerging from Eurobike is the ability to carry spare batteries to extend your range. Obviously, eBike batteries are big and heavy, so it’s probably not ideal to just throw it in a pack and go. evoc’s new FR Trail E-Ride is a 20L backpack with a specially designed, padded carrying case for a spare battery. To protect the rider there is a Liteshield back protector between your back and the battery, and the battery itself is strapped down in lowest centered position in the pack.
There’s also plenty of room to carry a reasonably sized charger, and a fleece lined control display compartment. And since it’s for an eBike, of course there’s a special key ring included so you can remove your battery if need be.
The pack also includes typical evoc appointments like a rain cover, helmet holder, tool pouch, and goggle protector as well as room for a 3L bladder. Available in the spring, the bag should retail around €200.
For completely human powered big mountain adventures, evoc has a new Explorer Pro series which is meant for longer excursions. Designed with a hip hugger waist belt to keep the weight low, the padded straps offer huge amounts of storage – like 10 energy bars per side. The pack opens completely for easy access, and has a separate compartment for dirty items at the bottom, and an extendable upper compartment. Available in 26 and 30L bags, the two are 4cm different in length and will sell for €180.
