![]() Practical : touch screen sensitive fingers In detailĬomfortable: padded palm for a secure handlebar grip The padding on the palm has been designed to absorb all the vibrations of the handlebars and give you a good grip and extra protection in case of a fall. They have been specially designed to allow cyclists to ride in cold weather (autumn / winter) down to -5☌. But when a product is £30 more than an equivalent Rapha item, and you could get two Ortlieb or Vaude bags for the same price, you know it’s way too expensive.The Chrome Midweight Black cycling gloves are functional, durable and stylish. There’s absolutely no question about Chrome’s commitment to detail and excellent construction, although a few more commuting-specific considerations would have been nice. Whether you think the cost is a fair trade-off for the superb construction is personal opinion – personally, I think it’s a great bag, but I’m not sure in such company even that quite justifies the price.Īnd that, ultimately, is what brings the Urban Ex down. In this context, it’s hard to argue that the £140-for-one Chrome Urban Ex pannier is anything other than extraordinarily dear. > Buyer’s Guide: 20 of the best panniers and racks And even what we called the ‘very expensive’ Brooks Land’s End Rear Pannier is a full £30 cheaper at £110. Of single panniers, the Altura Sonic 25 is another great weatherproof option that costs £59.99 per bag. At £140, it’s £10 more than a pair of legendary Ortlieb Back Roller Classics. For example, the hugely well-respected Vaude Aqua Back pannier offers very similar performance as the Urban Ex and costs £120, but that’s for a 48-litre pair of panniers. However, they’re still cheaper than the Chrome. Really good durable panniers generally don’t come cheap. You could use the front loops to attach a light and there are relatively reserved reflective highlights on the roll-top retaining straps, but I’d like to see a more substantial nod to built-in visibility for urban riding. The same is equally true for my other criticism – there’s a noticeable lack of reflectivity. It’s always nice to be able to quickly access keys, work pass card, multi-tool or – for the Urban Ex especially – it would be a convenient place to stash the shoulder strap when not in use. Price aside, my main personal criticism is actually something I’d never thought I’d say for a Chrome product: it’s missing a feature or two, not least a simple external pocket. > Beginner’s guide to carrying stuff on your bike It’s not superlight, either, but then you are mainly going to be carrying this on a rear rack, so weight isn’t as big an issue as in the case of, say, a rucksack. Which is as it should be, because £140 is not small change and puts the Urban Ex at the very highest end of pannier bag pricing. The thick nylon upper, durable synthetic rubber lower, and those beefy welded seams are as reassuringly robust as you’re likely to find – I’d be surprised if you ever need to make use of the lifetime guarantee. Chrome says it’s ‘the toughest city commuter dry bag on the streets’, and hands-on use doesn’t suggest anything otherwise. Which takes me on to the general build and construction, because this is a beautifully made pannier. That pride is well placed, with absolutely no water ingress to report, even when placed under the shower at full pressure. Chrome prides itself on the Urban Ex range being nigh-on indestructible and utterly waterproof with its fully-welded 16-litre main compartment. The second vital factor is the construction and performance of the bag itself. But once it’s perfect for your particular bike, it should never cause you any trouble again. ![]() This requires a little bit of initial installation, mucking about with a screwdriver and possibly the included shims for 6mm rack tubes. The first ingredient for any pannier is an effective attachment system and the Urban Ex comes with the excellent three-point KLICKfix setup. However, the areas where Chrome has really placed its focus for this bag – and the entire Urban Ex range of kit – is with ultimate basic performance. That’s not to say it’s boring or lacking, though.ĭespite being ‘just’ a rolltop pannier, it features daisy-chain loops on the front for carrying a D-lock (or anything else that’ll fit), carrying handles on top and both sides, an unclippable shoulder strap, and inside you’ll find a really well-padded laptop sleeve – which will accept up to a 13in MacBook Pro – and a small mesh zipped pocket. But even with all that, at £140 per bag, it’s still extraordinarily expensive.Ĭhrome is known for including a fair amount of functionality to its products, so it’s quite a surprise to find the Urban Ex Pannier is actually quite a simple bit of kit by its standards. ![]() It’s completely waterproof, built to last, and comes with a lifetime warranty. There’s no questioning Chrome Industries’ Urban Ex Pannier’s construction and performance.
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