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review

Tailfin Carbon AeroPack

8
£299.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Really well-executed seatpack that's simple, stable and can be fitted and removed in seconds
Beautifully made
Fully waterproof
Mounts in seconds
More capacity than a seatpack
AERO
Expensive
Some bikes might struggle to accommodate it
Weight: 
779g
Contact: 

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The Tailfin Carbon AeroPack is about the neatest solution for adding some storage space to pretty much any bike. It'll appeal to a wide range of riders: bikepackers, ultraracers, credit-card tourers, audaxers, and anyone with a posh bike that they want to carry stuff on. Yes, it's expensive. And no, it's not as versatile as some other setups. But it does the job it's designed to do extremely well, and it's a lovely thing that's a joy to use. It's up to you to decide whether it will meet your needs, and whether the outlay is worth it.

It’s so aero!

Tailfin's main claim for the AeroPack is that it's 'The fastest way to carry gear – on any bike'. Partly that's an aerodynamic claim. The AeroPack design means that the bag is tucked away in the dirty air behind the rider, and the parabolic carbon arch that supports it is designed to cut cleanly through the air too. So it's more aero than a pannier sitting on a standard rack, and similar to a standard fabric seatpack.

> Buy now: Tailfin Carbon AeroPack for £299 from Tailfin

Does that matter to you? In all probability, the answer is: not really. If you're planning to ride an ultradistance event stretching into multiple days and thousands of kilometres, then even small aero gains can add up to hours less in the saddle; that's why you'll always see racers fitting aero extensions to their handlebars. In the rarefied air of cross-continent competition I can certainly see the appeal, and the AeroPack has form: TCR rider Ben Davies won the men's race in 2019, bested only by Fiona Kolbinger who took the overall crown.

Tailfin isn't going to make its millions selling them just to ultraracers, though, the appeal has to be wider than that. And, thankfully for Tailfin, it is. Because this is a lovely and useful thing.

A posh bag for your posh bike

There are not many bags of any size you'd want to attach to your posh road bike. For a start, your posh road bike maybe doesn't have rack mounts, so a rack is out. Even if it does, it's a pain to be taking a rack on and off if you do want a bit of luggage space. You might be tempted by a bikepacking-style seatpack, but they have their issues: they tend to swing about as they have very little structure, and they require careful packing to minimise that. Also, they don't really hold that much stuff.

The Aeropack scores on all counts here. There's the carbon arch keeping everything steady laterally, and inside the bag there's a lightweight alloy frame to give the whole thing structure.

You can keep it as bare (well, painted) metal if you're all about the weight savings, and Tailfin includes some rubber covers to slot over the top (which weigh a whole 40g) if there's anything in your bag that might get scratched.

Tailfin Aeropack Carbon - frame cover

Because it's a structurally rigid unit, it doesn't really matter how you pack it. The waterproof bag has a roll-top closure, so you just open it up, bung your gear in and roll it shut. Unlike a seatpack it's easy to root around for something without pulling everything out, and there's a side-entry zip so you can dive in and get stuff without undoing the roll-top, which is handy if it's raining. There's a small side pocket on the other side that's useful for things you might need in a hurry.

Tailfin Aeropack Carbon - access pocket

The capacity is 20 litres, which is more generous than any seatpack I've tried, and the AeroPack also comes with two external straps so you can lash stuff onto the top of it, increasing the amount you can carry. That's your lot, though: if you're regularly going to exceed that capacity then it's probably not for you. Tailfin offers racks that will take a top trunk combined with panniers if you need more space than this system offers.

> Buyer’s Guide: 19 of the best racks and panniers

Super-stable in use

When you're riding, the AeroPack sits there anonymously. It's entirely rattle-free and impressively stiff. There's no lateral movement at all when you're out of the saddle, and most of the time you forget it's there at all. In terms of the experience of using it as luggage, it's easily better than a seatpack or a pannier on a standard rack. I even prefer it to my Carradice Barley, and I love my Carradice Barley.

Tailfin Aeropack Carbon - arch

Once you get to your hotel/hostel/bus shelter/hedge for the night you might not want to leave all your gear with your bike, and you certainly don't want to empty it all out and carry it wherever you're going. You can't remove the bag from the arch: it's a single unit, and the bag is part of the structure. But you can remove the whole thing from your bike, arch and all, and that takes – hang on, let me check – seven seconds.

This, really, is the best thing about the AeroPack. And, more generally, all of Tailfin's bag systems. The AeroPack attaches at the seatpost with a quick-release clamp that's carbon-friendly and will accommodate any seatpost, including aero ones.

Tailfin Aeropack Carbon - QR from top

At the bottom of the arch are two hinged clamps that locate either on a proprietary quick release or thru-axle, or, if you prefer, onto pins that screw into your rack mounts if you have them; that's how I mostly used the AeroPack.

Tailfin Aeropack Carbon - rack mount
Tailfin Aeropack Carbon - bottom clamp

To take the bag off, just unclip the seatpost clamp, pull the pins on the two thru-axle clamps and pull the whole thing off. Putting it back on takes a bit longer, but it's still seconds.

One size fits (nearly) all

It's worth noting two things about the design at this point. The arch is a certain height, and to get the bag to sit horizontally on the bike the clamp needs to attach to the seatpost at a certain height too. Depending on your bike, and the amount of seatpost you're running, that might not be possible.

Tailfin Aeropack Carbon - seatpost release

Also, the standard clamp tucks the bag right under the saddle, which is probably good for aerodynamics but less so for usability, as it makes the roll-top harder to close. If you have a small bike with only a small amount of seatpost showing, you might not be able to squeeze it in at all. Tailfin offers a longer clamp mount, the Extended Seatpost Connector, for £15 (or just £6 extra if ordered with the AeroPack), which for most people will work much better. It makes the bag easier to use even if the space isn't an issue.

Tailfin Aeropack Carbon - main three quarter

The AeroPack is extremely versatile in terms of what it'll fit to, though. You can run a tyre up to 29x3in in the arch, and you can also fit it to your mountain bike so long as the tyres aren't bigger than 27.5x3.5in or 26x4in. It'll even work with a full-suspension bike because the bag pivots at the clamp and the arch. I've run the AeroPack on two bikes with full mudguards with no issues, too. Assuming you already have mounts on all your bikes, swapping it between them is as trivial as it gets.

You pays your money...

The AeroPack as I've mostly been using it here (with the rack mount pegs) will cost you £299; opting for the Extended Seatpost Connector at the time of purchase will cost an additional £6 (£15 if bought separately). An axle-mounted setup is also £299. If you want you can forgo the axle clamps entirely and just bolt it to your frame; it's £239 that way (£245 with extended seatpost connector), but it does negate one of the nicest things about the AeroPack: the ease of removal.

> Cycling luggage: How to carry stuff on your bike

Like Jez said in his review of the original Tailfin rack, you probably wouldn't consider a £300 spend on a wheel upgrade as especially profligate. So is splunking a similar amount on a really nice bag, which works really well, an investment or an unnecessary extravagance? That's for you to decide, really.

It's a lot of money spent on a nice thing. If it was my money I'd probably go for the alloy version, which is about £70 cheaper but functionally the same. It's a bit heavier and not quite as made of carbon, but for my day-to-day use I'd not feel the extra hundred grams or miss the nice finish.

Verdict

Really well-executed seatpack that's simple, stable and can be fitted and removed in seconds

road.cc test report

Make and model: Tailfin Carbon AeroPack

Size tested: Rack point mount

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Tailfin says:

The fastest way to carry gear – on any bike

This is it: the ultimate minimalist rigid seat pack system. Aimed at the performance cyclist who wants to go fast either on or off-road, it is an integrated top bag with no side pannier mounts.

Like a seat pack, but better

Seat packs are great. The AeroPack is awesome. We take everything that you love about seat packs and pannier bags and combine them to create the ultimate way to carry your gear.

Aero matters most

Don't let your gear slow you down. The AeroPack is designed for aero advantage, and the stiff, rigid frame keeps your ride smooth and free from tailwag.

Solid connection

The rigid parabolic carbon arch connects solidly to the AeroPack bag with 6061-T6 aluminium pivot system.

Race proven

The pinnacle of ultra distance racing is the Transcontinental Race. Used in both TCRNo6 and TCRNo7, the AeroPack has seen some serious miles and excelled in arduous real-world testing.

Secure seatpost connection

The seatpost connector is kind to carbon and designed to wrap around any size seatpost from 25mm through to a 3' deep aero. So no matter what bike you ride, you can securely attach and quickly release the AeroPack.

Access your gear on the go

The AeroPack makes it easy to access your gear on the bike thanks to a roll-top opening and direct access pocket.

Fits any bike

The Tailfin Axle Mount System means you can fit and remove the AeroPack in seconds.

Easy packing means faster

The wide mouth, top opening design means you spend less time packing your gear. The time you spend moving is as important as the time you spend stopped.

Clearance for wider tyres

The AeroPack X rack will fit nearly all tyre sizes:

26" – Up to 4"/100mm

27.5" – Up to 3.5"/85mm

29" – Up to 3"/75mm

Stiffer is Faster

The AeroPack is rigid and light, meaning no tailwag and a smooth, stable ride. It's almost like you weren't carrying any gear at all.

Tailfin Axle Mounting System (TAMS)

Replace your axle with a Tailfin axle to mount the Tailfin rack. Most bicycles use a quick-release axle, however, we also support the new Thru Axle standards (e.g. 12x142, 12x148, E-Thru, Syntace X-12, etc)

Direct access pocket

One of the challenges with any roll top bag is the speed with which you can enter the main body of the bag. The direct access pocket allows you to get in to the main body of the bag without opening the roll top.

100% waterproof

High performance laminate and high frequency welded seams make the AeroPack completely waterproof.

Frame Mounting

It's now possible to attach our racks directly to frames with eyelets. The quick-release rack dropouts are modular so you can choose to use them, or not.

Stash pocket

A zipped pocket keep a few essentials handy.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

A lovely thing.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

It's better than the alternatives.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

No issues during testing, even with some accidental bike topples.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10

Better than a rack and pannier, not quite as light as a lightweight seatpack.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

It's pretty spendy, especially this carbon one. There's not really a direct competitor in the market, though.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Really well. It's an excellent way of adding luggage capacity to any bike.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Stylish, practical, light, aerodynamic.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Expensive.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

There isn't really anything similar. Obviously it's a lot more than a standard pannier setup or a seatpack, but they're not the same thing.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's almost a 9; the performance warrants it but the fact that the alloy version offers the same functionality for a lot less money just takes the shine off a bit. Forced to choose, I'd go alloy.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 45  Height: 189cm  Weight: 92kg

I usually ride: whatever I'm testing...  My best bike is: Kinesis Tripster ATR, Merida Scultura

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

Add new comment

13 comments

Avatar
lio | 2 years ago
1 like

I really like mine but...

The screws and axel seem to be made of really soft aluminium and round out easily if you're not careful.  Both would probably benifit from being a size bigger, although I'm not sure if that would be possible for the thru-axel.

I'd strongly suggest getting a set of hex-plus keys to reduce the chance of rounding out the axel in particular as you'll need to torque that up correctly.

Otherwise this is a really great product that's better than a saddle bag in most ways as far as I can see.  Once you're riding it's easy to forget it's there and I'd definitely get another one if something happened to mine.

 

Oh and get the aluminium framed one if you can.  I have the carbon one, which is fine, but it misses the bottle mounts on the al version and it's cheaper.  I don't think I would notice the weight difference on a loaded bike.

Avatar
EddyBerckx | 2 years ago
0 likes

Are all these old comments meant to be here? Isn't this an updated product / review?

Avatar
Flintshire Boy replied to EddyBerckx | 2 years ago
0 likes

.

Welcome to Road.cc's non-political section!

.

Avatar
leipreachan | 4 years ago
1 like

As one of the early-buyers I must say this rack has a few cons

1) in the market version it fits nicely only frames of size 52+. Mine is 48 and I couldn't fit it under the saddle

2) then they revealed they have a "longer nose" in production. I waited for yet another 2 months to get it. Now the center of gravity is shifted almost behind the rear wheel's axle and I can't fit it under the saddle anyway.

 

Anyway I'm quite happy with it. I think a few brevets would go much smoother with it than with full pockets of everything.

 

 

Avatar
Nick - Tailfin replied to leipreachan | 4 years ago
4 likes

Hi,

Firstly, I unreservedly apologise for how late we were in fulfilling all pre-orders. We ran into various manufacturing issues that caused unforeseen delays. We hugely appreciate that you stuck by us!

Secondly, I'm pleased you've now received the long nose/neck, however, I can't help noticing that perhaps it could be set up slightly different...

Our intention was never that the bag doesn't overlap the saddle. It's designed to sit close behind the seatpost for aerodynamic advantage.  It should therefore be packed to form a wedge shape with smaller items up front and larger items at the rear. 

If you're accessing your gear whilst it's attached to the bike - the overlap means you have to choose which side of the saddle to unroll it to.  The image below shows the pack unrolled, with the long neck on a size large gravel bike - note that it overlaps the saddle. This differs bike to bike depending on your frame size.

On your bike, if you wish to access your gear whilst it's still attached, my pro-tip is, therefore, to undo the seatpost connector, sit the pack on the top of the back wheel during packing then once packed reconnect it. This will allow you to connect it to the BOTTOM of your seatpost helping to move the weight slightly further forward and, in fact, may allow you to use the shorter neck.

As always, if you're not 100% satisfied then we're more than happy to offer you a full refund.

Thoughts?

Lastly, thank you so much for supporting us  before we officially launched!

Nick

 

leipreachan wrote:

As one of the early-buyers I must say this rack has a few cons

1) in the market version it fits nicely only frames of size 52+. Mine is 48 and I couldn't fit it under the saddle

2) then they revealed they have a "longer nose" in production. I waited for yet another 2 months to get it. Now the center of gravity is shifted almost behind the rear wheel's axle and I can't fit it under the saddle anyway.

 

Anyway I'm quite happy with it. I think a few brevets would go much smoother with it than with full pockets of everything.

 

 

Avatar
Echo | 4 years ago
1 like

I think 5 out of 10 is harsh for value. 

As far as I can tell this is a unique product and likely to not be made in a factory churning out product for a number of different manufacturers. 

That and what on Earth is with it Road.cc knocking everything on price? 

Avatar
Jackson replied to Echo | 4 years ago
3 likes
Echo wrote:

I think 5 out of 10 is harsh for value. 

As far as I can tell this is a unique product and likely to not be made in a factory churning out product for a number of different manufacturers. 

That and what on Earth is with it Road.cc knocking everything on price? 

5 out of 10 is fair. If road.cc gave it more than that, they'd get a load of people coming on here complaining and going on about the rack they knocked up from welding a few coathangers to some rebar. 

Avatar
IanEdward | 4 years ago
3 likes

Love the concept, glad things like this exist on the market, once I'm old and retired and have the time for weekend long rides again I'll hopefully be ready to buy one!

Avatar
armb | 4 years ago
0 likes

> Tailfin offers racks that will take a top trunk combined with panniers 

As well as the X Series Pannier Rack, there is the Aeropack X, which combines the "all-in-one integrated rigid seatpack, with side mounts for added versatility".

https://www.tailfin.cc/product/seat-packs/aeropack-x-rigid-seat-pack/

Avatar
LastBoyScout | 4 years ago
0 likes

I've done a couple of trips with a dry bag on top of a rack and it works really well - much more stable, as mentioned, than a swingy seat pack and far easier to pack.

I really like the design of this, but I'd want it with a flat top, so I can choose an appropriate size dry bag and leave the rack on the bike.

I'd probably also want the front to mount to existing rack mounts, or use a seat post clamp with them, rather than clamping around the seat post.

Avatar
armb replied to LastBoyScout | 4 years ago
0 likes
LastBoyScout wrote:

I've done a couple of trips with a dry bag on top of a rack and it works really well - much more stable, as mentioned, than a swingy seat pack and far easier to pack.

I really like the design of this, but I'd want it with a flat top, so I can choose an appropriate size dry bag and leave the rack on the bike.

I'd probably also want the front to mount to existing rack mounts, or use a seat post clamp with them, rather than clamping around the seat post.

If you mean leave just a rack on and take the bag off, you could use https://www.tailfin.cc/product/pannier-racks/s-series-trunk-rack/ (or  https://www.tailfin.cc/product/pannier-racks/x-series-pannier-rack/ if you ever want to add panniers) and strap the dry bag of your choice to it (or use Tailfin's AeroPack Trunk).

But if you are going to leave it on a bike with mounts the whole time, the Tailfin seems a lot of money for a small aerodynamic advantage. Admitted if you go to a titanium Tubus Airy as lightweight rack it gets closer: https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m2b38s79p1772/TUBUS-Airy. But if you have a nice bike for rides without a rack and a commuter where a 20l bag might be full, does a slightly heavier rack really matter?

If you mean a flatter topped version of the AeroPack  S to make it easier to "lash stuff onto the top of it, increasing the amount you can carry", I think you would have to compromise on either ease of top loading or waterproofness of roll top.

 

Avatar
LastBoyScout replied to armb | 4 years ago
0 likes
armb wrote:

If you mean leave just a rack on and take the bag off, you could use https://www.tailfin.cc/product/pannier-racks/s-series-trunk-rack/  and strap the dry bag of your choice to it (or use Tailfin's AeroPack Trunk).

But if you are going to leave it on a bike with mounts the whole time, the Tailfin seems a lot of money for a small aerodynamic advantage. Admitted if you go to a titanium Tubus Airy as lightweight rack it gets closer: https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m2b38s79p1772/TUBUS-Airy. But if you have a nice bike for rides without a rack and a commuter where a 20l bag might be full, does a slightly heavier rack really matter?

If you mean a flatter topped version of the AeroPack  S to make it easier to "lash stuff onto the top of it, increasing the amount you can carry", I think you would have to compromise on either ease of top loading or waterproofness of roll top.

Yes, the S-series is more what I had in mind, but it still needs more of a platform - those 2 rails would destroy/be destroyed by any dry bag on top and many smaller objects would just drop through anyway.

The full carbon version would be right out on cost - there's no WAY I could justify nearly £300 on a rack. Even the the £80 alu version seems a lot for what it is, but a lot more bearable.

I still like the concept, as it does seem pretty solid, although too much rigidity could turn out to be a problem if it shakes itself/the bike apart on off-road adventures.

Avatar
armb replied to LastBoyScout | 4 years ago
1 like
LastBoyScout wrote:

Yes, the S-series is more what I had in mind, but it still needs more of a platform - those 2 rails would destroy/be destroyed by any dry bag on top and many smaller objects would just drop through anyway.

They do show it being used that way, but some extra protection would seem a good idea.

Maybe some 3D printed brackets and a bit of ply, maybe just some foam taped round the rack. But if you are going to start improvising like that, and not use the quick release features, maybe a conventional rack is a better starting point. Maybe something like a Nitto R-10, seatpost collar with rack mounts, and struts to half way down the seatstays would end up with the rack at a similar height. Similar cost to the alloy tailfin though, and probably wouldn't take the same load set up like that.

I'm starting to come round to the Tailfin. (And the quick release feature could be useful.)

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