off-road.cc

The Back Country Reseach Mutherload Frame Strap is built to mount a shed load of gear to your bike and it does indeed 'stick like poo to a shoe'.

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Attaching all you need in an emergency to your bike without resorting to a frame bag or hydration pack can be a time consuming affair. It often results in an ugly mass of electrical tape, sticky residue all over your frame and a wobbly package liable to fall off in muddy and wet conditions. 

Back Country Research save all of the above problems with the Mutherload Frame Strap, a rugged strap that is simple, neat and secure. The mount consists of the main strap and a dual cord retention system, comprising of two loops with which to attach your items to the strap itself. 

Installation takes a minute at most, just slip your tube and other items through the cords, place the flat layer of rubber (seen above) on the underside of the strap on the part of the bike you wish to attach the mount too, place the end of the strap through the contoured plastic loop, winch it in and secure the rest of the strap up and over the goods using the velcro. 

 
I have put our strap to the test on various bikes over the last couple of months, it allowed me to get out on sort rides with just a bottle and allen keys in my pocket, safe in the knowledge that the rest of my emergency kit was stored safely on the frame. Over the months I tested the strap I loaded it up with tube, tyre levers, and mini pump or swapped the pump out for CO2 canisters. The strap stayed still on the frame with no slipping up or down or movement side to side even over very rough terrain when used on a regular sized (if there is such a thing) aluminium or carbon frame tube. The strap stayed secure when covered in mud and when used in the pouring rain too. 

I tried this on a few different shaped tubes and found it worked best on the down tubes where the shock was raised out of the way giving the space to fill the strap and without impinging on shock movement. That said there is usaully a place for it on most frames be down low, or wedged up near the head tube. We also found that the strap was more stable on larger diameter tubes, placed on a steel tube it made for a bit of a wobbly affair with the package protruding on either side of the tube on which it was placed. 

On longer rides I used the strap to take weight out of my pack, mounting it low on the frame to help keep the centre of gravity as low as possible. Not having to delve into my bag for a spare tube or tyre lever makes punctures easier to deal with, dirty old tubes can also be stored on the frame post repair too. On the odd occasion I placed my spare tube into a previous tubeless tire I just winched the strap down tighter on the frame around the other tools.

Tools are easy to access and it's a quick affair to remove and reattach the strap to the frame if you need to use the kit stored there. The strap (unloaded) weighs just 42g, making it, I think, an ideal way to carry your spares whether you are pack phobic or not!

The Mutherload Strap is priced at $19 on the Back Country Research website (unfortunately there is no longer a UK distributor), we think it'd probably retail in the UK for about £19 too which is a slightly princely sum for an, albeit clever, webbing strap. Saying that, this hardwearing piece is unlikely to break and will save you a few pounds on electrical tape.