Customer Reviews

Topeak MTX Trunk Bag EXP Bicycle Trunk Bag with Rigid Molded Panels

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This whole product line from Topeak is great. The rack is set up so that the bag can be removed and carried with you (shoulder strap provided!) quickly and easily, and snapped securely back into place. The ones with the fold up pannier bags make for a very versatile and compact cargo unit that can handle, one way or another, just about anything. I chose the model with the rigid sides because, apparently some of the earlier models with soft sides kind of scrunched when the pannier bags carried heavier loads. It seemed a reasonable upgrade and worth the price different. I haven't yet really tested the load limits, but so far it has been able to handle everything I have needed for around town shopping etc..But it seems as though it would be perfect for commuters as well, with room for extra clothing, shoes, lunch, laptop, and whatever. They deserve a design award for this baby. They have pretty much thought of everything.

The reviews for this item were very accurate. This is a well made product. My intended usage for the product was transporting work clothes to my office when I ride to work. So, will they fit?

The main compartment will barely fit two size 13 dress shoes. This is with a little shoving. Size 11-12 should fit perfectly. However, there was then no room for anything more than a single pair of pants. No room for the shirt. I was going to have to unzip one of the side panniers.

A single side pannier fits both size 13 shoes. They take up approximately 3/4 of the horizontal space in the pannier. There is still approximately 2-3 inches left vertically. The front-back depth fits them comfortably with no shoving, pushing, or any stress at all on the material or zipper.

Putting both shoes in side pannier, now leaves the main compartment free for comfortable packing of pants, shirt, belt, wallet, cell phone, etc. I still have the second side pannier completely free for "incidentals.

One final note: The side pannier will in fact fit a 17" MacBook Pro laptop in it. If you intend to do this, I would get a padded slip cover for it, as there is very little protection on the side. But, it is nice to know it fits!

Years ago I bought this bag with the same name and I really liked it (that was a 5 star).
Eventually one of the zips wore out, so I decided to get a new one. This time around there seemed to be less selection, but I found my bag with the same name, and the shape on the little picture was even more elegant. Great.
After I received it, I noticed, that the velcro clips were not present any more, so I only could use my new bag on the bike that had the topeak rack, the back basket was not present any more, the top area was simplified and I didn't have place for my tools there any more, and the whole body of the bag was quite a bit smaller. The items that used to fit don't fit any more (like a half-gallon or gallon of juice for example is now too tall. The expandability was retained (still too small) and the side paniers were there too.
All in all, the company is going towards cheapness and occasional use, and the bag is much less appropriate for commuter use with the left-out features.

I bought this bag for my commute to and from college everyday. It holds my books for the day, computer if needed, and a lunch in the top along with pencils and the bike tire tools. Quite a lot of space and I'm not ever concerned of overloading it. The only thing that I don't like are the zippers. They appear to be cheap and bind if you don't get everything lined up exactly. If they break I'll try to replace them because I like the bag and really like the track system to lock it on.

It is a pretty easy bag to carry around when loaded, but even loading is essential. The pannier frames were not necessary for me, just the bag rack. I also got the rain shield which is nice, but the bag is resistant to sprinkles by itself so I've only experienced a couple of hard rains which required it.

The design of this bag is really great. It would have suited my needs as a grad student perfectly if only the quality was better. It held my lunch, a change of clothes and my laptop perfectly. I went all out and purchased this bag along with the bike rack and rain cover and it ripped after the 6th use! The material used for the side panniers is thin (almost paper-like) and feels very cheap. This bag would be perfect if it were made out of nylon or some other sturdy material. Now I have a rain cover I've never used and a bike rack designed for a bag I can't use because of the huge hole in it. It was a huge waste of money and I'm seriously considering going back to the milk crate/bungee cord method I was using before.

Bear with me. I may still be on a honeymoon with my bike. I started commuting via bike this year and it's all still very exciting to me. I first bought a Topeak rack and just recently this bag. My previous experience with carrying a bag was primarily using bungee cords and backpacks. Lame, scary, inefficient.

What initially allured me to Topeak was the QuickTrack setup. No tying anything down or bungee cords or anything. You simply slide the bag in place and ride. What interested me in this specific bag was the side bags, which can fold into the bag. This is excellent for picking up a few groceries, transporting books, you name it. On a normal grocery run, I can carry the bag on me into the store (via included shoulder strap), with side bags put away. When I am ready to ride; bags come out, groceries in, click and go. Sooo easy.

When the side bags fold out, they Velcro to the hard flap which contains it when zipped. The bag also ties to the bottom of the rack. In the end, the bag is tied down and doesn't slide around at all.

My ONLY beef with the bag is that when I bike, my foot will occasionally brush the bag if it's full. This hasn't been a huge deal, but a slight annoyance.

Otherwise, everything else is great. Lots of space to store stuff, good quality, portable. Everything I could currently ask for!

I waited a very long time and read lots of reviews before selecting this and I am very glad I did. This bag is exactly what I was looking for. You can install and uninstall it in seconds when paired with the Topeak Explorer Rack. The included shoulder strap makes carrying it around much easier. Although it is a bit bulky when full packed with the paniers out, wearing the strap over your head and across your chest makes it more comfortable and helps distribute the weight better. The paniers are the most versatile you will find. You can have them both fully extended, have just one extended, or have both tucked away neatly when not in use. And when they are extended they can be secured to the rack with the included bungee cords so they won't flap when you ride. There is a plenty of space with all the included compartments. To give you a good example of what it can do, here's a list of the items I needed to carry around on particularly busy days:
-flash drive (fits in mesh bag on underside of lid of trunk compartment)
-wallet (fits in second mesh bag on top of lid of trunk compartment)
-lunch in cooler pack (fits in the trunk compartment)
-bike tools (also fits in trunk compartment, can position the removable compartment seperator to seperate the bike tools from the lunch)
-laptop and charger (right panier)
-change of clothes and shoes/sandals (left panier).

I don't agree with some of the other reviewers regarding the quality of the panier bag material. I feel very comfortable toting my expensive laptop and other valuable items in them. And I have biked in moderate rain twice with the pack without the special waterproof cover available for seperate purchase. All of my items were just fine and dry. So you probably only need that cover in fairly heavy downpours. All in all, one of the best purchases I've made for my bike.

I've been using this for a month now, both around town and for my 28-mile RT commutes to work. This thing just rocks. I even took it up on some really rough backwood logging roads last weekend (in the rain, mind you) and it performed very well (while keeping everything inside dry). I love the fold-out pannier set up, so that they are there only when I need them to be. Others have mentioned stitching problems with the panniers, but I have not eperienced anything of the sort.

One thing to note: because my commute can be on some pretty rough road, the trunk will move a few cm's making a bouncing sound that bugged me a little (although it was firmly attached). So I bought a mini 8-inch bungee cord and ran it through the upper loop on the back of the trunk and around the lip of my rack. Worked like a charm. This is a really great product.

This is an outstanding product but it has to be paired with the custom rack. Together they can't be beat. Slides on and off easily and is completely secure while on the bike.

I can't imagine one without rigid sides either.

The only gripe I have is that the zippers are very likely not going to hold up as long as the rest of the piece and I would have gladly paid more for them to be a better grade. (see review additon below)

I have owned TUMI bags my whole life for this very reason and the zippers on this bag are the only weak link.

I bicycle commute daily 15 miles round trip in Brooklyn, NY so between the elements and riding style necessary to stay alive out there it will need to be tough and I am confident that it will be. (except possibly the zippers...)

One final thing: I ALMOST bought the one with an expanding top but I was afraid that it would have been too big. That was a minor mistake on my part. The bags look much larger in the photos on Amazon than they really are. It is just the right size and I LOAD it up with clothes, computer, food, large Kryptonite lock, camera, dog (just kidding...).

Great product. Well done Topeak.

ADDITION 9/24/09: I have used this bag daily for 17 mile round trip rides in brutal New York City conditions and the zippers and the rest of it have held up beautifully. One of the zipper pulls came off but the zippers themselves have been no problem. I came back to this page as I now need to order the rain cover, something that should really be ordered as part and parcel in the beginning as you will want it if you spend any time at all riding in the rain. The bike's tires kick up all kinds of road dirt and other junk and the bag arrives at the end of the rainy ride filthy and soaked. An almost must-have for anyone who rides with this item in inclement weather.

I've had this bag for about a year, and its exactly what I was looking for. As a bike-commuting grad student, I needed everything to fit and be protected. I could easily fit my 16 inch laptop, several books/notebooks, water bottle, coffee mug, and a lunch in all the compartments. I never sustained any water damage to my possessions when biking in the rain, which is great. Its incredibly sturdy, and hadn't yet shown any signs of wear. The molded panels help the panniers from getting weighed down, and protect the sides from swinging too much. The bag itself isn't terribly heavy, so it doesn't slow me down when biking without all my school items. I love the sliding track (but you have to already have the Topeak rack) and that it locks in place; even on the few occasions I took a spill, the bag stayed on the bike. I definitely have gotten my money's worth out of this.