Search Term – Change
A few weeks ago, Porcelain Rocket announced they were selling their bag designs and technology to the Ashville, NC brand Rockgeist. Over the weekend, Porcelain Rocket and Rockgeist posted on their Instagram that they now have two Porcelain Rocket designs for sale, the Nigel bar bag and the Meanwhile Wald Basket Bag. Both of these bags use welded seam technology, resulting in a waterproof portage option from a small company. Head to Rockgeist to see more.
For fans of the Porcelain Rocket Mr Fusion, you’ll notice some key updates to this stable saddle pack platform. The support bar is now curved to match the line of the pack. Now, Mr. Fusion comes in a 12 or a 15 size. Mr. Fusion 12 is the same size as the old Mr. Fusion. The included drybag has a capacity of 8-12L. Mr. Fusion 15 is the new Mr. Fusion XL. The included drybag has a capacity of 10-15L. See Porcelain Rocket for clearance requirements. These are in stock now, although the XL is momentarily sold out… Head to Porcelain Rocket for more!
Porcelain Rocket has taken their Nigel handlebar bag and olivized it. Olivactivated? OD from OD? Whatever you call the process of making a solid product a little more fashionable by making it out of olive drab, that’s what they did and they call it OliveIt. These handlebar bags are amazing. They’re weatherproof, easy to swap from bike to bike, and make access while riding simple! These are in stock now at Porcelain rocket for $150 CAD. See some more specs below.
Porcelain Rocket has redesigned the Nigel Handlebar Bag. This redesign aims to distill the design elements that made the original Nigel unique and practical, into a much simpler, sleeker package. The new Nigel is smaller, which will allow for use on a larger variety of bikes. However, at 4.5L, it is still larger than typical burrito-style bar bags. Its wide opening and one-handed bungee closure make for extremely easy access on the bike.
The whole thing has been made much sturdier, with Voilé Nano Straps main straps, a semi-rigid back plate, and a removable EVA foam “bed liner” in the base. Also included are die-cut foam spacers, so that people can space the bag out for clearance for their hands on the tops, or for cables/hoses.
By paring down the design Porcelain Rocket is now able to sell the Nigel for $150CAD / US$115. They’re in stock now at Porcelain Rocket.
Panniers can be an interesting pickle for bag designers. With so many racks out on the market, being flexible in terms of mounting is of the utmost importance. With their new Microwave Panniers, they have solved that problem, creating a cradle pannier which holds onto individual dry bags. The system itself is secure, adaptable, modular, and practical, as all panniers should be. Check out their mounting instructions, and rack fitment for answers to your questions before heading to Porcelain Rocket to check them out!
Why I Love the Porcelain Rocket Meanwhile Basket Bag
Photos and words by Morgan Taylor
Porcelain Rocket’s Meanwhile basket bag has a lot going for it. It’s lighter than their previous basket bag, fully waterproof rather than mostly water resistant, has tote handles for off-the-bike use, and costs less to produce. Hello, progress! I ordered one for my Wald 137 basket as soon as they became available. Yet, when I started using the bag, I wasn’t immediately taken with it.
One common theme you’ll see on traveling bikes ridden by contributors to the site is Porcelain Rocket‘s Mr. Fusion seat pack, and there’s a reason for that. With its 4130 chromoly mini-rack made by Hunter Cycles in Santa Cruz and a removable RF-welded dry bag, Mr. Fusion is the most solid bikepacking seat pack on the market, with literally zero lateral swing, and also the easiest to pack, since you stuff the bag off the bike.
New to the Porcelain Rocket lineup is Mr. Fusion Mini, a smaller version of the same bombproof design we love so much. Mr. Fusion Mini takes up less space between your saddle and rear wheel, has a smaller capacity of 4–9L, and retains all the features of the big Mr. Fusion including the 2:1 Trucker Hitch side straps and Double Back seat post attachment introduced in the most recent update.
Mr. Fusion Mini is in stock and ready to ship at Porcelain Rocket.
Things don’t always go as planned. That’s what I have to tell myself all the time. Last winter, Clayton from WTB and I planned on doing the Tahoe Rim Trail, the week of Interbike, not with any political agenda in mind, just that it worked for both of our schedules. It was the only week where neither of us had anything penned in our calendars.
While you can do the TRT on a rigid bike, you’ll probably have more fun on at least a hardtail. Clayton’s route includes a lot of singletrack on the eastern side of the lake and like everything up there, it can be rowdy at times. I planned on bringing my Stinner Frameworks, with a few component upgrades, which would make the long days and high elevation gain a bit easier. All I needed were some bags.
I’ve been using Porcelain Rocket bags for quite a while now and while my trusty frame bag fits my road or cross bikes, even my 44 UTE quite well, it wouldn’t cram into my hardtail. Around the time I was planning for this, Scott from Porcelain Rocket launched his sealed waterproof bags, with the first special color offering being “Prolly Gold,” or Coyote as the rest of the world calls it. I was honored and slightly amused at the playful nod to my obsession with various shades of tan, so I reached out to Scott, with the emphasis on the byline: nothing special, just want to buy a bag.
Projects like this always pique my interest and tap into my Paypal account:
“Together with Vince at Ponderosa Cyclery in Omaha, I’m excited to announce the launch of a project that is near and dear to both of us, and has been in the works for a while. The Anylander Pannier is a bag system that has been born out of a fondness for the style and function of traditional panniers combined with the need for technology that can handle the rough and tumble lifestyle of a backroads tourist.
As a pack system, we’ve found that we really like the usefulness, versatility, and size of panniers, as opposed to the popular, rack-less “bikepacking” style bag systems. However, when riding the rocky, extremely rough backroads of Western Nebraska, many panniers available do a less than perfect job handling the demands that we put on them. While we have found the durability and simplicity of bikepacking bags to be advantageous in some situations, the extremely stripped down nature of rack-less bags, as well as the detailed “tetris-styled” pack plan necessary to use them cramps our relaxed, easy going, “bring-a-few-luxury-items-if-not-the-entire-kitchen-sink” touring lifestyle.”
Check out the new Anylander Panniers at Onion Velo and pre-order these $325 panniers by hollering at Carl’s Email!
The name of the game is innovation. Scott from Porcelain Rocket has been brainstorming ways to incorporate his saddle packs into a dropper post-friendly design for some time now. Working with collaborator Rick Hunter from Hunter Cycles, these two came up with a new system, which I’m assuming will be available shortly. It appears the pack is a bit smaller than the popular Mr. Fusion design, but since its a prototype currently, I’m sure they’ll be addressing that in the near future. For now, follow along at Porcelain Rocket’s Instagram. As for the beer can, well…
Edit: Scott just posted a photo of the rail attachment on Flickr.
Here I was thinking the Mr Fusion was as good as it gets. Like all great minds, Scott at Porcelain Rocket wasn’t satisfied with V1, wanting to make he and Rick Hunter’s collaboration project even better.
Mr. Fusion V2 is the evolution of the Porcelain Rocket bag system. It uses the same support rack design, is 100% waterproof, and with the snap of one buckle, it’s insanely easy to load or unload. The included RF-welded Porcelain Rocket drybag has a 5–13L capacity, just roll it as your crap seems fit.
Porcelain Rocket’s Moots Fatty with Hunter Fork
Words and photos by Morgan Taylor
Our recent trip through the Rockies to visit Porcelain Rocket’s shop was months in the making. The plan was to start with the shop visit in Calgary and then backtrack for a ride with Kevin Tweed in Banff the following day. I was excited to experience first hand the majestic Canadian Rockies, and to ride with Kevin on his home turf – but we were skunked.
In the days approaching our visit, massive wildfires burning south of the border combined with stagnant weather patterns to send a blanket of smoke over much of southern BC and Alberta. I had imagined shooting Scott’s Moots with a breathtaking Banff backdrop that I knew Kevin could lead us to, but that idea was out the window. Fortunately, Scott’s Moots holds its own. The haze lifted just enough to let an orange sun bring out the depth in the titanium, and we made some magic.
Repeating Patterns at Porcelain Rocket
Words and photos by Morgan Taylor
Spending a few hours at Porcelain Rocket’s Canadian headquarters, I got a sense of just how much Scott Felter has invested in this business – and in the culture surrounding it. Scott began stitching bags for bikes while living in Banff, at the head of the Tour Divide Route. After a few years working out of a basement in Victoria, BC, he’s been in his current shop in Calgary for three years. On this particular day, Tim was working on a production run of frame bags for Rocky Mountain Bicycles, while Scott and I perused the layers of Porcelain Rocket’s history.
Let’em hang from your saddle pack, or clang around in your frame bag. Fill ’em with coffee, tea, or bourbon and bring on the patina. These Bunyan Velo and Porcelain Rocket camp mugs are in it for long haul. In stock now at Bunyan Velo!
If Froome and Porte decided to take on a bit of soul riding, they might don these new collaboration Charlene seat packs. Whether you’re actually trying to KOM hard climbs, or just want to take on the Mountains of Madness within, these MultiKOM packs will inspire both heckling from friends as well as personal badassery. Made in Canada by Porcelain Rocket, printed on licensed MultiCam fabric and the perfect size for everything from commuting to road riding to light bikepacking trips.
Oh and Happy Bastille day!
Limited Edition of 21 only for 21 stages of the Tour. Each bag is $150 USD and costs $5 for shipping to the USA and $10 International.
See more information and pick one up below SORRY, SOLD OUT.
White MultiKOM? What’s this? You’ll have to pester Scott on Instagram to find out!
Scott from Porcelain Rocket launched a small run of DSLR Slingers on his site yesterday. These on-the-go camera bags allow you to drop in a mid-sized DSLR, rangefinder or Micro 4/3s camera, and simply pull them out to get the shot. There’s no need to stop and open a backpack or a handlebar bag.
While they’re not big enough for a pro DSLR with a battery grip, they fit a 5Dmkiii and a smallish lens. I fit a 5Dmkiii in mine with a 24-70 mkii lens but it felt a lot better on the bike with my Mamiya 7ii, Leica M7 or my little Fuji x100t. Remember, you’re putting weight on one side of the bike and they tend to hit your knees while climbing, so the smaller the camera, the better in my opinion.
The DSLR Slingers are in stock now at Porcelain Rocket for $150.
Porcelain Rocket’s line of bikepacking and touring bags continues to grow and improve upon itself. Replacing the Mission Control bar bag comes the MCA, which utilizes a front-loading 5-15L dry sack, rather than the old side-loading bag. Also new to the lineup are the Micro Panniers. Intended for rear-racks only, these bags are perfect for commuting or when you need just a little more room for those longer expeditions.
Both are now available for ordering at Porcelain Rocket.
