{"product_id":"hike-a-bike-straps","title":"Hike-a-Bike Straps","description":"\u003cp\u003ePaper Roads' Hike-a-Bike straps was born out of New Zealand's hardest bikepacking ultra race, Tour Te Waipounamu, and one of the most challenging bikepacking routes out of Sydney, Australia; Race to the Rock Entree. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eField tested and developed on actual bikepacking hike-a-bike sections\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePacks down to the size of a spare tube and can be stored anywhere on the frame.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStuff sack made of ULTRA Stretch, a UHMWPE 4-way stretch fabric.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdjustable mounting points on the frame depending on the frame shape and how you want to balance the load.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePlenty of adjustable extra strapping for extra tall riders at each 4 ends of the straps, or to accommodate backpacks.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCross-strap (makes a huge difference for support)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMinimalist shoulder pads – the design allows a small amount of comfort for the task it's meant for.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFast hook on, hook off mounting points\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMade using 4 aluminium G-hooks rated at 114kgf tensile strength each (twice that of the G-hooks used for Prototype #1)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Story: Serious field testing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt all started with multiple requests for carry straps from Tour Te Waipounamu starters. A few very simple and rudimentary straps were made on request, with removable shoulder pads. One feedback from the aftermath was that one of the aluminium G-hooks had snapped during a several hour long hike-a-bike ordeal. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmy at Paper Roads herself tested a pair of these Prototype #1 straps on Race to the Rock, where the firetrails were too steep to push with arm muscles that had already been burnt out, 3 days into the event. It was way easier to carry the bike uphills and switch up the riding muscles in the legs. However, when it came to crossing a gushing flooded ford, she opted NOT to cross with the bike on her back – and even then, resulted in a brush with disaster, almost swept downstream off her feet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFurther design exploration and field testing was carried out with Prototype #2, made using G-hooks with twice the tensile rating than the old ones. The second iteration was tested by Amy and Brent on a fast-paced night mission in Auckland's Waitakere hiking trails – a literal staircase up a mountain, an extreme test of endurance. The design was unsatisfactory when used under time pressure in semi-darkness, and the generous sized shoulder padding made it impossible to pack. Amy's poor installation resulted in a week of neck pain, so you'd be glad to know that sacrifices had been made to ensure the final product does not inflict injury. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DZjb0PkkzlB\/?img_index=1\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eHere's the Instagram post of the overnighter.\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe final Hike-a-Bike Straps solves all of the above problems, as well as the pack-down size issue apparent in existing carry straps from another brand.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BIKEPACKING BAGS | Paper Roads Aotearoa","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54541922697495,"sku":null,"price":159.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0690\/1864\/8855\/files\/HikeaBikestraps-1.png?v=1785033092","url":"https:\/\/paperroads.co.nz\/products\/hike-a-bike-straps","provider":"BIKEPACKING BAGS | Paper Roads Aotearoa","version":"1.0","type":"link"}