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Attachment system on the Arkel Bug. Did not fit my Zefal rack, dissappointing, since it's one of the most widely available rack brand in France and Spain.
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A much anticipated comparison between two pannier/rucksac products from two of the leading brands (a pity Ortlieb hasn’t come out with a good solution yet).
So I got the Arkel Bug a couple of years ago, and was extremely disappointed with the result. The fitting hooks did not fit my Zefal rack (one of the most widely available brands in France and Spain), so I had to replace the rack. Then I discovered that the aluminium hooks were so sharp that they literally destroyed the metal part of the rack on the contact point.
As a rucksack is not very comfortable either, the metal hook that attaches the bag to the bottom part of the bike rack is always on the way (that’s on your back); you got two clunky bits of aluminium up your neck (the bag is really tall), there’s no chest strap, and to make things worse, the bottom of the bag is shaped as a wedge, so the bag is never ever going to stand, it just falls (ok for a pannier that you are not going to be putting anywhere but on your bike rack…but not very clever for a rucksack that you are to take with you anywhere, librarly, class, office, sports centre, etc).
On the fabric/material side comes the only plus of the bag. The entire product oozes quality (at 179 $ / 100 GBP is the least you can get); for the ridiculously high price you don’t even get a rain cover. Result: I haven’t used the bag for 2 years. The inside of the bag is “Spartan” to say the least. The back is not padded and there is no pocket/keyring/pen holder of any kind.
Same goes for the outer pocket (there is an extra hidden pocket that is supposed to house the raincover). So it seems that they took a pannier and tried to double it as a rucksack adding some features; a complete fail (since it simply doesn’t work), obviously in my opinion.
So last month I bought a Vaude Cycle 25, another pannier/rucksack combo I had been looking at for years (after wasting a lot of cash on the Arkel Bug, I didn’t exactly felt like spending more on another bag, so I stuck to my Ortlieb panniers until now). So I got the Vaude. What a nice surprise.
The bag is almost 400 gram lighter that it’s Canadian counterpart (which is nearly 50% of its weight). The bag comes with plastic hooks that fit into my Tubus rack AND it comes with an extra pair of hooks for thicker tubed racks (say a Zefal or a German/Dutch bike). The fitting on the bike is fast with a black adjustable rubber band. The fabric not the Vaude is not as sturdy as the Arkel’s Cordura, but it’s tons lighter AND comes with a raincover, that it’s neatly stowed on a lower compartment. This same compartment houses the “pannier system” ; you simply undo the zip, and the pannier hooks disappear of sight under the bag leaving you with a proper rucksack (way more comfortable than the Arkel), a bag that no one would actually suspects is a pannier.
The inside of the bag looks also like a proper rucksack, there is a padded compartment for a laptop/books, a keyring hanger, and the outer pocket has lots of little pockets for coins, mobile phone, etc.
The Vaude comes with an extra flexible attachment to carry a helmet. All in all, a really well made bag, light, comfortable and nice. But most of all, a product that delivers (at a reasonable price, you could actually buy more than 2 Vaude for the price of the Arkel).
Arkel Bug: 1365 gr (3 Lb): 179 $ (100 GBP)
Vaude Cycle 25: 980 gr (2 Lb 2 Oz): 45 GBP
A review of someone who likes the Arkel Bug: EcoVelo
A review of someone who does not like the Arkel Bug: Why I hate my Arkel Bug
Horatio Caine & Antonio Banderas are very happy because with the wet spring (it rains everyday), the bugs (flies, horseflies, mosquitos, hornets, scorpions, ants...) are on the increase. I'm not so happy :-))
Update:
Horatio Caine crossed the Rainbow Bridge on Nov 7th 2011.
Antonio Banderas crossed the Rainbow Bridge on Sept 8th 2021 caused by a tumor on his nose.
Bugs 'n Flowers Birthday Cake
2 Flowers with 20 Cupcake petals, 2 cupcake Lady Bugs, a cupcake Caterpillar and a cupcake Butterfly
Detail of the bottom pocket on the Vaude Cycle 25. Very cleverly made. You can quickly stow the raincover (not provided on the Arkel Bug) and the pannier mounting system.
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A much anticipated comparison between two pannier/rucksac products from two of the leading brands (a pity Ortlieb hasn’t come out with a good solution yet).
So I got the Arkel Bug a couple of years ago, and was extremely disappointed with the result. The fitting hooks did not fit my Zefal rack (one of the most widely available brands in France and Spain), so I had to replace the rack. Then I discovered that the aluminium hooks were so sharp that they literally destroyed the metal part of the rack on the contact point.
As a rucksack is not very comfortable either, the metal hook that attaches the bag to the bottom part of the bike rack is always on the way (that’s on your back); you got two clunky bits of aluminium up your neck (the bag is really tall), there’s no chest strap, and to make things worse, the bottom of the bag is shaped as a wedge, so the bag is never ever going to stand, it just falls (ok for a pannier that you are not going to be putting anywhere but on your bike rack…but not very clever for a rucksack that you are to take with you anywhere, librarly, class, office, sports centre, etc).
On the fabric/material side comes the only plus of the bag. The entire product oozes quality (at 179 $ / 100 GBP is the least you can get); for the ridiculously high price you don’t even get a rain cover. Result: I haven’t used the bag for 2 years. The inside of the bag is “Spartan” to say the least. The back is not padded and there is no pocket/keyring/pen holder of any kind.
Same goes for the outer pocket (there is an extra hidden pocket that is supposed to house the raincover). So it seems that they took a pannier and tried to double it as a rucksack adding some features; a complete fail (since it simply doesn’t work), obviously in my opinion.
So last month I bought a Vaude Cycle 25, another pannier/rucksack combo I had been looking at for years (after wasting a lot of cash on the Arkel Bug, I didn’t exactly felt like spending more on another bag, so I stuck to my Ortlieb panniers until now). So I got the Vaude. What a nice surprise.
The bag is almost 400 gram lighter that it’s Canadian counterpart (which is nearly 50% of its weight). The bag comes with plastic hooks that fit into my Tubus rack AND it comes with an extra pair of hooks for thicker tubed racks (say a Zefal or a German/Dutch bike). The fitting on the bike is fast with a black adjustable rubber band. The fabric not the Vaude is not as sturdy as the Arkel’s Cordura, but it’s tons lighter AND comes with a raincover, that it’s neatly stowed on a lower compartment. This same compartment houses the “pannier system” ; you simply undo the zip, and the pannier hooks disappear of sight under the bag leaving you with a proper rucksack (way more comfortable than the Arkel), a bag that no one would actually suspects is a pannier.
The inside of the bag looks also like a proper rucksack, there is a padded compartment for a laptop/books, a keyring hanger, and the outer pocket has lots of little pockets for coins, mobile phone, etc.
The Vaude comes with an extra flexible attachment to carry a helmet. All in all, a really well made bag, light, comfortable and nice. But most of all, a product that delivers (at a reasonable price, you could actually buy more than 2 Vaude for the price of the Arkel).
Arkel Bug: 1365 gr (3 Lb): 179 $ (100 GBP)
Vaude Cycle 25: 980 gr (2 Lb 2 Oz): 45 GBP
A review of someone who likes the Arkel Bug: EcoVelo
A review of someone who does not like the Arkel Bug: Why I hate my Arkel Bug
This is the Lychee stink bug, the bane of many farmers, look for them as they infest trees like Longan and Lychee trees and suck the sap.
A great place to find these are in Tai Po Kau nature reserve.
These are the colourful juveniles. The adults are almost uniform in appearance and quite drab by comparison.
Fascinating fact: The females always lay exactly 14 eggs!
Their name comes from their foul smelling, and long lasting excretion, to ward off predation.
be sure to sign up for a daily blog as this series will cover some of the strangest, most colourful and amazing bugs we have in Hong Kong.
wildcreatureshongkong.org
It works very well from mosquitoes. it was tested in mosquito woods for several days in summer.The only essential oil, that I used, and didn't have anymore to put in the picture, is tea tree oil.
Recipe:
Bug Repellant
* 2 ouces or more(depends on the container) distilled witch hazel
* 10 drops each(for larger than 2 ounces use more):
eucalyptus, citronella, tea tree, and rosemary essential oils.
You can also use peppermint, cedar, lemongrass, catnip, clove, cajeput, lavender essential oils -any combination.
Mix, shake in atomizer spray bottle.
Novelty bug cupcakes custom made to order for a 3rd birthday party. Featuring snails, caterpillars, dragonflies, ladybirds and bumble bees.
At the "Rolling Sculpture" car show, I always gravitate towards the vintage VWs. The 60s style bugs with the headlight covers and double bumpers are such classics.
Been slowing down on shooting & scanning lately, sorry. Summertime, house-repair distractions, etc...
An engineless VW Bug in an Mojave desert yard.
Exposure: 2.4 minutes @ f/8, 200 ISO. Full moonlight and AA maglite
I believe this to be the leaf-footed bug. Its classification is within the family of Coreidae and more specifically, it is within the species Acanthocephala declivis. This name translates from Greek meaning ‘sloping thorn head’. This bug was found on February 23, basking in the sun outside of the Village apartments at UNCW. This bug demonstrates the concepts of Intrasexual selection. The males will fight competing males by delivering a powerful squeeze in order to deter them from mates or food. The length of the back femur and its largest tooth are proportional to its body size. A larger A. declavis would have larger femur and tooth compared to a smaller one. The female femur and tooth ratio has not been studied, but it is assumed that they play a role in the female-female battles and that the scaling is also increased with size. However, it was found that the females use these hind legs as warning display and as a visual signal for other A. declavis. More information can be found here: www.stri.si.edu/sites/publications/PDFs/1998_Ann_Ent_Soc_...
I cropped the heck out of a previous shot of this interesting little critter in hopes that someone can tell me what it is! The legs made me think of the munchkins in the Wizard of Oz...and the antennae match!
Oh...and thanks to MindMeld for identifying this little guy as an assassin bug nymph.