AEN UI

I ride mountain bikes and occasionally I ride with a heavy backpack because I need to carry my laptop and books to places. When using an average backpack, the entire load is on the shoulders and is uncomfortable on long walks and rides, especially on rough ground when the backpack bounces around.

While exploring ChainReactionCycles today I came across a interesting backpack made by a German bike components maker ERGON, the BD2.

According to ERGON, the backpack features a revolutionary carrying system which makes it unusually comfortable on the shoulders. Where the strap joins the back is a feature called the Flink ® ball joint, which the bag and body can rotate on independently of one another. This way the weight of the bag is distributed evenly on both shoulders and protects the back.

In 2007 MountainBIKE Magazine reviewed the backpack and went as far as saying if one goes back to a traditional rucksack after using the BD2, one will feel something is not right. On steep descents (on a bike) it does not slide forward and did not jump around when maneuvering.

The backpack comes in S and L, gender specific sizes. That means men and women will have a different fit which makes sense since men and woman are anatomically different. With 15 liters of capacity, you can fit many things inside. For me I usually bring my laptop—a 17 inch MacBook Pro, thick computer books, notebooks and miscellaneous stuff like a power adapter for my laptop, mouse, and iPod. This bag will swallow them all. The main fabric is 1000 D Nylon, like I know what that is. I suppose it’s some grade of quality and durable nylon.

ERGON apparently places much emphasis on product design. The backpack has won a 2007 Red Dot Design Award along with their also award-winning bicycle handlebar grips.

ChainReactionCycles retails them for around £85 which converts to around 230 Singapore dollars. Not a bad deal for something well-designed. I think It’s definitely worth the price because I would rather not have shoulder pain and backaches.