Whether you’re a daily commuter riding to work or a weekend warrior getting your twisty fix on your off days, a motorcycle backpack is one of the most useful pieces of gear you can add to your quiver. Street-savvy riders know that a good riding bag should double as a versatile piece of safety equipment, which is why reflective motorcycle backpacks have become popular over the last several years.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much for a motorcycle backpack to “qualify” as reflective nowadays, and we’ve found that even bags from the most celebrated manufacturers often come up short on safety. To that end, we’ve put together what we believe to be the ten commandments every proper commuter bag should follow.
Starting with the obvious, every reflective motorcycle backpack needs retroreflective materials. Notice that we didn’t say “reflective materials” here: there’s an important difference between the two.
Retroreflective materials have special properties that allow them to reflect light directly back at its source regardless of angle. Reflective materials, on teh other hand, simply bounce light off in a single direction like a mirror. Choosing a pack with retroreflective materials increases your visibility from all angles rather than just a single direction, greatly enhancing your overall safety.
While retroreflective materials reign supreme after dark, daytime visibility requires a different remedy. That’s where high visibility (often abbreviated “high-vis”) colors come into play.
High visibility colors work by reflecting a larger spectrum of light than traditional non-fluorescent colors (UV light, specifically), making them much more striking to the human eye. We’re talking about a 100%-200% overall increase in visibility here, so this feature shouldn’t be taken lightly.
While many motorcycle backpacks incorporate a handful of reflective “details” into their construction, a few small strips or squares of the stuff isn’t going to do you much good. Consider the vests you see construction crews wear for road work: almost every square inch of these garments is either bright orange or highly reflective.
The same should apply to backpacks. The ideal commuter bag should have as much surface area as possible occupied by either high-vis or retroreflective materials. Anything less is more fashion than function, and shouldn’t make the cut if safety is what you’re after.
Nobody likes riding in the rain, but if you ride anywhere outside of sunny southern California, you’re going to get wet eventually. To that end, we believe any motorcycle backpack worth owning should keep your gear dry and protected, especially if you ride with expensive electronics like laptops and tablets.
Weather protection comes in one of two forms: Permanent, integrated weatherproofing and removable external pack covers. Both forms get the job done, but personally, we prefer a good external pack cover as they’re made from 100% waterproof materials and are almost always easier on the wallet as well.
While highly visible materials help prevent collisions from occurring, we all know that motorcycling is inherently dangerous and accidents do happen. Distracted drivers, road debris, and high-speed blow-outs are just a few of the things we riders have no control over, which is why we recommend looking for a backpack that provides both utility and protection for your body.
The best example of this we’ve found is riding backpacks with integrated back protectors. The efficacy of CE-certified back protectors has been well documented at this point, and adding one to your commuter bag adds a degree of protection regardless of what kind of clothes you choose to ride in.
Like it or not, most of us carry some form of electronics with us everywhere we go nowadays. Laptops, tablets, and smartphones have come a long way over the years, but despite the latest marketing claims, their screens seem to be just as breakable as ever.
That’s why we highly recommend choosing a motorcycle backpack with protective, padded storage for your laptops and other devices. You shouldn’t have to worry about destroying a $1000+ computer every time you set your bag down or stash it away, so a secure, padded interior pocket is a must.
Out of all the things you carry on your bike, the single bulkiest piece of gear you own isn’t something you put in your pack, it’s what you wear on your head. Helmet storage is an often overlooked feature in many motorcycle backpacks, but once you’ve parked and it’s time to explore on foot, you’ll need somewhere to stash your lid.
Helmets are among the most commonly stolen items on a parked motorcycle (trust us, we’ve had our fair share stolen on the street). Rather than simply hanging your helmet on your handlebars or “locking it” under your seat (helmet locks are easily cut with even the smallest hand tools), a good motorcycle backpack will include an exterior helmet sling, allowing you to lash your helmet to your pack without occupying any of your bag’s interior space.
Riding a motorcycle means constantly battling headwinds, and the faster you go, the stronger those forces become. Basic shoulder straps simply can’t provide the stability you need to keep your bag from shifting or bouncing on the move, which is why either a harness-style system or an adjustable sternum strap is a must.
By linking the shoulder straps together across your chest, you add stability to your pack by spreading out the load. In the case of the sternum strap, you’re also adding additional adjustability to fine-tune the width of the straps to accommodate your shoulder and torso width, so this design is our preference given the option.
Riding a motorcycle can be sweaty business. Whether it's heat from the sun, hot exhaust pipes, or a combination of both cooking you in stop-and-go traffic, it seems we’re always fighting that river of sweat running down our back as we move from A to B.
That’s where a well-ventilated motorcycle backpack becomes crucial. Look for bags with thick 3D mesh incorporated into the padding at both the back and shoulders, as well as large, open channels down the spine of the backpack which help to evaporate moisture even when your bag is fully loaded down.
Last but not least, any backpack worth having should incorporate some degree of volume adjustability. This typically comes in the form of adjustable straps at the sides and/or top of a motorcycle backpack, which are crucial for a comfortable and stable ride.
Adjustable volume straps remove the need for us to choose between a smaller, more “efficient” bag for days we’re carrying less stuff and a larger, more capable bag for rides requiring more gear like extra layers for insulation and rain protection. They also help to keep whatever gear we ride with from flopping around inside the bag as we move around on the bike, which can be a godsend for more spirited riders.
]]>For many of us, the electric scooter boom seemed to happen overnight. One day our downtown sidewalks were filled with pedestrians, the next they were stuffed to the gills with hundreds of Birds, Limes, Spins, and Lyfts dropped off by rental companies looking to cash in on the electric personal vehicle (PEV) boom.
On the one hand, it’s easy to argue in favor of electric scooters. They’re relatively inexpensive to operate, relatively easy to hop on and ride, and for every commuter opting to scoot their way around town, there’s one less car on the road slowing traffic or belching out harmful emissions.
On the other hand, there’s no denying the “electric scooter problem” either. A lack of laws, regulations, and standards can transform the streets of any city into a wild west of two-wheeled chaos, with scooters flying through traffic with zero regard for stop signs, right of way, or the general safety of others.
So are scooters really as dangerous as they seem, or does it all come down to the person riding one? To answer that question, let’s take a look at the data behind the problem, as well as what you should look out for to make your time on two wheels as safe as possible.
Electric scooters are a relatively new phenomenon, having first hit city streets around 2018 with the introduction of the dockless scooter from brands like Bird and Lime. Naturally, that means the data we have on scooter safety is limited, but there are a few good studies out there we can look to for objective data.
The most relevant comes from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which was published just a few months ago. This study looked at common patterns between e-scooters, hoverboards (powered skateboards), and e-bikes between 2017 and 2022, pulling data about emergency room visits from a nationwide sampling of hospitals.
Two striking data points emerged from this study. The first is that electric scooters account for the lion’s share of overall emergency room visits, making up 47% of the total cases between all three modes of transportation.
The second is that e-scooter-related injuries and deaths have continued to increase year-over-year, while both hoverboard and e-bike numbers have either remained fairly consistent or seen a regular decline.
So what gives? What makes scooters so much more prone to accidents? Here’s our take after digging through the data.
Clearly there’s a strong argument to made that electric scooters can be dangerous. While the current published information is limited, trends strongly suggest that e-scooters are more accident prone that other alternatives, so lets take a look at why that is and what we can do about it.
The findings of the CSPC study were so alarming that the organization decided to conduct a follow-up “special study” focused narrowly on electric scooters to help determine the likely causes of these injuries. One of the most common elements they were able to identify was that the majority of injury cases (51%) weren’t wearing any safety gear whatsoever.
Of the 51,700 estimated ER visits, only 13% of the injuries were sustained while the rider was wearing a helmet. This makes sense because while both motorcycle and bicycle culture is heavily pro-helmet, the seemingly casual nature of motorized scooters may lead new riders to believe wearing a helmet is overkill.
We’ll also point out that scooter rental companies don’t provide helmets for riders, and many states don’t even require helmets to legally operate scooters on public roads. The laws and regulations vary wildly between states (or even cities), but helmet requirements are rare, especially for riders 18 years or older.
The study also showed similar findings when it came to visibility. Fewer than an estimated 3% of scooter injuries happened while riders were wearing reflective clothing, which makes a strong argument for high-visibility gear as a preventative measure.
Another important takeaway from the CPSC study was that the leading cause of fatalities across all methods of micro mobility was motor vehicle accidents. Of the 233 fatalities reported between 2017 and 2022, a whopping 58% were attributable to collisions with other motor vehicles.
This number was particularly pronounced for electric scooters, where 68% of reported fatalities resulted from motor vehicle collisions. Whether these fatalities were directly attributable to insufficient safety gear, insufficient visibility, or some combination of the two is unclear, but considering the impact of helmets and reflective clothing against injuries, it seems likely this could be the case.
Most folks aren’t familiar with the laws governing electric scooters. To illustrate this point, just take a moment and ask yourself the following:
These are just a few examples of the complex issues surrounding scooter regulations, and no two states are exactly alike in how they define or regulate e-scooters. In our experience, there’s also been a lack of effective communication surrounding these regulations, which makes it harder for electric scooter and automobile owners to know how to interact with one another.
We often see e-scooters on streets, in bike lanes, and on sidewalks, often within the same city block. Problems like this, combined with the prevalence of scooters and the struggle to regulate them, has led many local authorities to outlaw them entirely within city limits.
We recommend checking your local laws and regulations at minimum before purchasing an electric scooter of your own. Even if e-scooters aren’t outright banned in your area, the rules may be so strict that they outweigh the potential convenience of commuting on one in the first place.
Lastly, we’d like to take a moment to acknowledge some of the inherent limitations of many popular electric scooters. The main issue we’ve experienced when riding scooters in our own cities comes from their inability to handle imperfections on city streets, whether that’s curbs, potholes, loose gravel, or uneven grading.
The prime culprit for these handling issues are the wheels and tires found on most electric scooters. Because scooter tires are much smaller and much less forgiving than motorcycle or bicycle tires, even small bumps can be enough to lose control on public roads.
This is why you’ll typically see either 19” or 21” front wheels on off-road motorcycles: larger wheels roll over obstacles easier than smaller ones. A very small handful of consumer electric scooters sport wheels as large as 16”, but the overwhelming majority are made with wheels measuring 10” or less.
We’ll also point out that most e-scooters utilize solid, non-inflatable wheels as well as fully rigid chassis that lack any suspension whatsoever. Many owners prefer this approach because it makes for less maintenance and longer-lasting components, but it also translates to rough handling over less-than-perfect pavement, which can also lead to accidents.
Based on the available data, it seems undeniable that electric scooters can be a dangerous way to get around town. While much more research needs to be done to nail down the root causes, scooter riders appear to be much more prone to injury than other alternative modes of transportation, particularly when sharing public streets with motor vehicles.
As if the case with any form of two-wheeled travel, we highly recommend doing everything you can to improve your chances out on the road. Preventing accidents starts with highly visible clothing and gear, while preventing injuries comes down to proper safety equipment like a DOT-approved helmet and impact-resistant clothing.
Ultimately the decision is yours, and different cities are more “scooter-friendly” than others. At minimum, you should familiarize yourself with the local laws wherever you’ll be riding, and “dress for the crash” rather than simply dressing for work.
Where to start? We highly recommend the Riderbag Reflective scooter backpack. Not only will it keep you visible day and night, but add a spine protector for extra protection. Click the image below and start riding safe!
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If those complaints sound a bit too familiar to you, we’ve got good news: All the above can be avoided by packing your reflective motorcycle backpack like the pros.
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If you’re commuting to work on two wheels, be it motorized or otherwise, carrying a backpack just comes with the territory. With that being said, one of the most common complaints we hear about riding with a backpack is that it’s unwieldy, uncomfortable, or just downright awkward to wear.
If those complaints sound a bit too familiar to you, we’ve got good news: All the above can be avoided by packing your reflective motorcycle backpack like the pros.
We know what you’re thinking: Who the hell would consider themselves an “expert” in packing a motorcycle backpack?
The short answer here is “absolutely no one,” but lucky for us, there’s another source of rock-solid expertise we can all lean on: long-distance backpackers.
Long-distance backpackers (also called thru-hikers) are those adventurous folks who spend four to six months a year hiking through the backcountry with heavy packs.
You’ve probably heard of the Pacific Crest Trail (2,600+ miles between Mexico and Canada) or the Appalachian Trail (2,200+ miles between Georgia and Maine), and we’d consider anyone who successfully walks the full distance of either to be an expert on the subject of packing and organizing a backpack.
So what do thru-hikers have to teach us riders? Turns out they all agree on five universal points for packing a backpack effectively.
The first universal commandment of packing your reflective motorcycle backpack is that the heaviest stuff should be packed as close to the center of your back as possible. By securing heavier items closer to our bodies, we reduce the impact of rotational inertia and thus reduce any unwanted swinging around of our packs on our bodies.
A helpful way to visualize this is to think of two swings on a playground, one with a short chain and one with a long chain. As you’ll likely recall from your childhood, the swings on longer chains were more fun because they’d swing farther and faster, while the swings closer to the bar weren’t much fun at all.
When it comes to your backpack, however, you want the “shortest swing” you can possibly get, precisely because it’s less prone to swinging in the first place. The closer your heavy items are to your body, the shorter that swing becomes, and the more stable your pack becomes in turn.
In this example, things like your laptop and drinking water are common candidates for “heavier” goods, which is why you’ll always find both protective laptop pockets and hydration sleeves sewn into the back wall of your pack. This is also a smart place to stash heavy stuff like a change of shoes, a bike lock, or Black Sabbath albums.
Following the same logic as point one above, you should also plan on packing your lighter stuff toward the outside of the pack further away from your body. The lighter the gear, the lower its mass, and thus the less susceptible it is to the forces of rotational inertia we described above.
Backpackers save these regions of their pack for things like sleeping bags, tent canopies, or puffy jackets, but two-wheeled commuters can apply the same principles to their packs. Every rider’s daily loadout is different, but this is typically the space we reserve for things like extra clothes, warm layers, or rain gear.
Keep in mind that the very bottom of your pack also counts as the “outside” in this example. Packing lighter/bulkier items in the bottom of your pack will help to suspend and support those heavier items we mentioned above, getting them closer to the center of your back and further stabilizing your load.
While we hope you aren’t trying to reach into your pack while actively riding your bike, backpackers also recommend packing all your “quick access” essentials at the very top of the bag so they’re front and center when you need them. Typically this will be where you pack your “walking around town” go-to's like a wallet, a hat to cover your helmet hair, or a rain jacket in case of a pop-up shower.
We’ll also note that most reflective motorcycle backpacks worth buying include some form of a rain cover for the pack itself, which you’ll certainly want to stash somewhere handy. If your pack includes a second exterior pocket/compartment like ours, this is another smart place to stash it if the main compartment is full.
Pretty much all good motorcycle backpacks nowadays include compression straps. These are the adjustable nylon straps found on the exterior sides of the pack, which are typically fastened from the very back of the pack to the very front with a set of quick-release buckles.
As their name suggests, the purpose of these straps is to “compress” your load as tightly as possible once you’ve got everything packed into your bag. Start with these straps completely open, load your pack up, then crank them down until everything inside is nice and snug.
Doing this helps to “condense” everything inside your pack as close to your center of mass as possible. This is particularly helpful when your bag is less than full, as it eliminates the open spaces around your gear that would otherwise allow it to shift around during your ride.
As any seasoned backpacker will tell you, even the most carefully packed and organized bag won’t do you much good if you don’t secure your backpack to your body properly. While the process of fitting a hiking pack is a bit more nuanced than your typical commuter bag, we can apply the same core principles here.
First, start by snugging down your reflective motorcycle backpack’s hip belt. A good backpack carries its weight predominantly on the hips rather than weighing down your shoulders, so this should always be the first strap you address. Drop the shoulder straps of your back down until your hip belt sits just below the crest of your hip bones, then pull it tight.
Next, you’ll want to snug up those shoulder straps. Our goal here is only to tighten the shoulders enough to pull the pack against our backs: Don’t overtighten them to the point that they pull your hip belt up above your hip bones.
Finally, with the bag secure on your hips and flush against your back, it’s time to snug down the sternum strap. Our goal here is to put just enough pressure on the sternum strap to remove any slack from the shoulder straps without actually pulling them closer together. Doing this correctly will prevent your shoulder straps from slipping further apart as you ride, which will further stabilize the pack on your body.
If your commuter backpack doesn’t include all the above, it might be time for an upgrade in the name of comfort and convenience. We may be a little biased here, but if you’re looking for the best reflective motorcycle backpack on the market, it's time to order a Riderbag.
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At first, this may sound like bad advice, but hear us out..READ MORE
While we understand gift-giving is regarded as a selfless act, we have a controversial recommendation for the motorcycle commuter on your list this year: Choose your gift selfishly.
At first, this may sound like bad advice, but hear us out.
Giving someone a gift you know they’ll love and use is great, but if that same gift also benefits you tremendously, isn’t it better? Enter the reflective commuter backpack, a convenient carryall for two-wheeled commuters that gives the rider in your life a useful tool, but also gives you peace of mind while they’re out on the road.
Sound too good to be true? Here’s how it works.
A good commuter backpack needs a few specific things: space to hold all your stuff, plenty of pockets to keep it all organized, a protective compartment for laptops and other sensitive electronics, and some degree of weather protection for when mother nature doesn’t want to cooperate.
The Riderbag delivers all this and more. As far as space and organization go, this reflective commuter backpack includes a healthy 35 liters of storage, which is more than enough for lunch, a change of clothes, and just about everything your commuter could possibly need for work. (Insert image here to show the space capacity and also how accessibly convenient it is.)
Organization-wise, the bag sports a well-padded laptop compartment with space for screens up to 16”, a large main storage pocket, and a smaller quick-access pocket on the front with multiple dividers for odds and ends. There’s also a special hidden pocket on the bottom of the bag, but we’ll get into that in the next section.
As far as weather protection goes, the Riderbag itself is highly water resistant, thanks to its tightly woven 600D nylon construction. When the weather really takes a turn, however, every one of our reflective commuter backpacks also ships with a full-length rain cover, rendering the bag completely waterproof even in the gnarliest of weather.
We’ll also note that the Riderbag includes a handy stashable helmet net, which tucks discreetly into the pack when not in use. This net is large enough to securely hold a full-sized motorcycle helmet to the outside of the pack, leaving the rider’s hands free around town when they’re on foot.
This is also a favorite feature of motorcycle riders everywhere because it means their helmet never needs to be left with the bike. Helmets are one of the most important (and expensive) investments we make as riders, which unfortunately makes them a prime target for theft, even when they’re “locked” on a motorcycle’s helmet hook. We’ve had our fair share of helmets stolen over the years, so was a must when designing our reflective commuter backpack.
Comfort is also an important factor for riders with long commutes or heavy loads, which is why we designed our reflective commuter backpack with thick yet well-ventilated padding on both the back and shoulder straps of the pack. By using a supportive foam that’s covered in 3D mesh, we keep air flowing between the bag and the rider, while still offering bounce-free support with integrated hip and sternum straps.
So, what’s in it for you? In a word, safety.
Safety is what sets the Riderbag apart from the competition, and safety is what’ll give you peace of mind knowing the rider in your life is safe on their commute. A few unique features make the Riderbag a standout option in this category, so we’ll touch on each here.
The single biggest risk any two-wheeled commuter takes is sharing the road with automobiles. While your thoughts might immediately go to things like road rage, tailgating, or other aggressive driving scenarios, the main culprit is actually much more obvious: visibility.
Visibility, or the lack thereof, is one of the leading causes of two-wheeled accidents on public roads. Drivers simply fail to see two-wheeled commuters coming through intersections, merging into traffic, or even sitting patiently at stop signs. In fact, the DOT has reported that the majority of motorcycle accidents are actually caused by another vehicle “violating” a motorcyclist's right-of-way simply because they didn’t notice them in the first place.
Do you want this to happen to you? Neither do we.
For this reason, one of the best gifts you can give motorcycle riders is high-visibility gear. High-vis colors (aka fluorescents) work by reflecting much more of the sun’s light than traditional textiles, which in turn makes them much harder to ignore and much more visible to others on the road. We offer the Riderbag in a variety of fluorescent colors for this very reason, which means your rider can look good out on the road without sacrificing style for safety.
While studies have shown that high-visibility garments reduce the risk of motorcycle accidents by as much as 37% in the daytime, high-vis colors are only effective while the sun’s rays are shining.
While you may not be familiar with the term “retroreflective,” chances are you’re already acquainted with this technology out on the road. You can find retroreflective materials in street signs, the painted lines on the road, and pretty much any occupational safety vest you see on construction sites or around the
So what makes retroreflective materials so special? Put simply, there’s no more visible garment for commuting in dark or low-light conditions. That’s because unlike regular reflective materials, which only reflect light at a fixed angle, retroreflective material is designed to always reflect light directly back toward its source.
In the case of motorcycle safety gear like the Riderbag, this means anytime a driver’s headlights shine on a rider, the bright illuminated material bounces directly back at the driver, all but guaranteeing the rider will be seen. This material is effective from hundreds of yards away, which gives drivers plenty of time to detect and avoid motorcycle commuters on the road.
While visibility is any two-wheeled commuter’s first line of defense, accidents can still happen, which is why we make every Riderbag compatible with our low-profile back protector insert. These soft armor pads are thin and flexible, yet still capable of dramatically reducing forces transmitted to a rider’s back/spine in the event of an accident.
We did this for two reasons: First, the effectiveness of back protectors has been well documented, and the safety benefits of CE level 2 back protectors in particular are worth every penny for the performance they deliver. Second, our goal in creating the Riderbag to was make safety so convenient and worry-free, that it just becomes second nature.
Our thought process here is simple. While every commuter’s gear, clothing, and location may differ, the one thing they all have in common is a backpack to carry their essentials. By making the one item they’ll always have on their person both highly visible and highly protective day and night, we make rider safety a constant in their daily commute.
At Riderbag, we're riders ourselves, and we understand your needs intimately. That's why our reflective commuter backpacks are designed to cater to the unique demands of riders. The waterproof and water-resistant materials ensure your gear stays dry even in unpredictable weather. The adjustable waist and chest straps keep the backpack snug and secure, preventing unnecessary shifting during your ride. Finally, we made the bag lightweight but with extra padding on the back and straps to help prevent excessive sweating.
We’ll also point out that despite its affordable price, the fabric of the Riderbag is considerably thicker and tougher than what’s found in most of the “premium priced” competitor’s bags. We’ve seen our fair share of bags from big-name brands that use fabrics well under 500D thickness, yet still cost twice the Riderbag’s price (if not more).
Well there you have it: when it comes time to choose gifts for a bike or motorcycle commuter, we say you can have your cake and eat it too with our reflective backpack. Your rider gets a handsome new backpack that’s specifically built to handle the rigors of a two-wheeled grind, and you get peace of mind knowing they’re riding as safely as possible every time they leave the house.
No other backpack for motorcycle or bike commuting protects as well as the Riderbag. Day and night, our bag keeps your rider safe with its combination of high-vis colors and retroreflective materials, giving any commuter the ability to prevent accidents before they happen.
Should they happen to go down in a crash, the Riderbag keeps on protecting with its optional CE level 2 back protector and outstanding abrasion resistance. You’ll find no better combination of safety and value on the market today, so do your rider a favor and get them the gift that keeps on giving .
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In a world where safety is paramount, Riderbag Sling Bags emerge as the ultimate solution to nighttime visibility and pedestrian/bicyclist safety. As the days grow shorter and fall sets in, the importance of being seen cannot be overstated. Pedestrian and cyclist fatalities are on the rise, and Riderbag is committed to addressing this concern head-on.
Reflective Brilliance: Your Shield in the Dark
Fall's reduced daylight hours and unpredictable storms amplify the need for visibility. Riderbag Sling Bags incorporate advanced reflective technology that ensures you stand out, both day and night. Our bags are not just accessories; they are a beacon of safety. As pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, it's our collective responsibility to enhance nighttime visibility, and Riderbag Sling Bags make that a reality.
A Federal Highway Administration-Endorsed Solution
Safety experts recognize the significance of nighttime visibility, and so does the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Their recent inclusion of nighttime visibility in the Every Day Counts Round 7 (EDC-7) Innovations underlines its importance. Nighttime visibility is a driving force behind reducing crash fatalities. Riderbag Sling Bags align perfectly with this initiative, promoting enhanced visibility at corridors, intersections, and pedestrian crossings. We're not just offering bags; we're offering a safety-conscious lifestyle.
Safety is a Shared Responsibility
The roads are a shared space where everyone plays a role in safety. Drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians all contribute to creating a secure environment. Riderbag Sling Bags empower you to be part of this safety movement:
Drivers: Always maintain safe speeds, and remain cautious in challenging conditions. Slow down near crosswalks and intersections. Remember, pedestrians and cyclists are part of the road ecosystem.
Cyclists: Obey traffic rules diligently. Equip yourself with reflective clothing and be mindful of other road users. Ride defensively and anticipate potential hazards.
Pedestrians: Cross streets at designated crosswalks and intersections. Make eye contact with drivers, especially at night. Wearing reflective clothing significantly boosts your visibility.
Your Safety is Our Priority
At Riderbag, safety isn't just a feature; it's the foundation of our products. With Riderbag Sling Bags, we bridge the gap between style and safety, offering a solution that benefits riders, walkers, and travelers alike. Join us in creating safer streets, protecting lives, and embracing the thrill of adventure.
To explore the Riderbag Sling Bags collection and become part of the safety movement, visit our website at www.riderbagusa.com. Together, let's illuminate the path to a safer future.
For media inquiries, product samples, or more information, please contact:
Media Contact
Company Name: Riderbag
Contact Person: Carlos Colarte
Email: Send Email
Phone: 888-324-3850
Country: United States
Website: https://www.riderbagusa.com/
When it comes to efficiency, convenience, and utility, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better way around town than a scooter. These affordable little two-wheelers are easy to ride, easy to maintain, and sip gas more frugally than pretty much anything else on the planet, making them a cost-conscious way to get a taste of the two-wheeled lifestyle without the added complexity of a standard motorcycle.
Most people also consider scooters to be a safer alternative to high-powered motorcycles, and there are a few good reasons for that. They’re lighter, less powerful, and easier to manage at low speeds, but unfortunately, that’s only half of the story when it comes to scooter safety.
In fact, a recent study out of Queensland, Australia, which has been experiencing a major boom in scooter usage over the last two decades, reported that there was no significant statistical difference between scooters and motorcycles when it comes to overall crash rates. Certain findings even suggest that scooters are up to four times more likely to crash over longer distances than motorcycles, which begs the question: What can we do to stay safe on our scooters?
Here at Riderbag, we firmly believe that two-wheeled safety starts with visibility. To that end, here’s why you may want to consider replacing your current travel bag with a reflective bag or backpack.
While the overall severity of scooter injuries has been shown to be lower than that of higher-speed motorcycles, both forms of transportation share one important risk: sharing the road with automobiles.
Even if you ride your scooter as safely and defensively as possible, you’re just as likely to go unnoticed by motorists as a roaring 1000cc motorcycle in this regard. Your first line of defense here should be visibility, but that doesn’t mean you need to ride around looking like a neon banana in a head-to-toe high-vis suit.
In fact, when we first designed our original reflective bag, the RiderBag Commuter, one of our major goals was to make visibility as convenient as possible. Because most two-wheeled commuters rely on either a backpack or a messenger bag to haul their daily essentials, why not start there?
And so we did. For daytime use, we designed our reflective bag with high-vis color options, both throughout the back compartment and on the straps themselves, giving scooter and motorcycle owners increased visibility from every angle.
Of course, even the brightest colors lose their effectiveness once the sun goes down, so we added high-tech retroreflective panels to every angle of the bag as well. Note that we say “retroreflective” rather than simply “reflective” here. This is an important distinction to make.
That’s because unlike regular reflective materials, which only reflect the light of headlights in a single direction, retroreflective materials always direct the light that touches them directly back to the source from any angle, which means vehicles in front, behind, or even to the side of you in traffic will take notice.
With the safety piece squared away, we set to work adding all the modern conveniences that commuters need to our design. In the case of our Riderbag Commuter, this included a generous 35L of storage space, a padded and protective laptop compartment, a waterproof cover for rainy days, and even a stashable helmet net, allowing you to carry your helmet hands-free when you’re off the bike.
Of course, several of these features are available in your typical bicycle commuter bags, which might have you wondering, is there really any difference between a scooter bag and a traditional commuter pack? Well, we’re glad you asked.
You’ll find a few different opinions out there on this topic, but for us the main factor is safety. At minimum, for a backpack to even be considered “motorcycle-friendly” we believe it should have a generous amount of retroreflective material included in its construction, as visibility is at its lowest after dark, and retroreflectivity is the only serious solution outside of actual flashing lights.
Ideally, we prefer a proper motorcycle backpack to also include high-vis fluorescent colors, as colors in this portion of the spectrum appear up 300% brighter to the human eye than any conventional color alternative. Of course we understand that not everyone is into bright colors, which is why we also make our Riderbags in a low-profile black and grey option, but if safety is your top priority, fluorescent is the way to go.
Another important safety feature that sets the Riderbag apart from a traditional backpack (and most motorcycle backpacks for that matter) is that it includes a compartment for a CE2-rated back protector. Again, our goal with the Riderbag is to make safety as effortless as possible, and by equipping our reflective bag with an integrated armored layer, we’re giving riders the ability to dramatically reduce impact forces to their spine without adding a single extra piece of gear to their daily commute.
This is a question we see fairly often, and although we make and sell both backpacks and compact crossbody sling bags, a full-sized backpack will always be our preference for a few reasons.
First, because a backpack provides a much larger coverage area over the rider’s back and shoulders, even if the two bags are made from the exact same materials, you’re getting much better visibility out of the larger bag. Backpacks also do a better job of signaling to drivers that they’re looking at a “human” shape, as they wrap around the body over both shoulders.
We’ll also note that in the case of the Riderbag Commuter, the ability to add a back protector to your daily routine is invaluable. CE-certified back protectors dramatically reduce impact forces transferred to your spine and lower back, which are common in rear-end accident scenarios. We’ve had customers tell us that our reflective bag has literally saved their life in a crash situation, and testimony like this is why we do what we do.
Unfortunately, messenger bags and smaller crossbody bags can’t include this crucial function, which is why we will always feel safer wearing a full-sized reflective bag. With that being said, if you’re still leaning more toward a messenger-style bag, make sure it carries a healthy dose of retroreflective material like that found on our Riderbag Sling at a minimum.
Make sure to order your Riderbag today. As a small business we carry a limited inventory. Click Here to order your reflective backpack now!
]]>Plain and simple: the thin sheets of padding in the back and chest areas of most motorcycle jackets are little more than placeholders for armor. They aren’t intended to protect you from impact or abrasion, and truth be told, they’re probably doing more harm than good by adding useless bulk and limiting your jacket’s ventilation.
Real armor is what you want here. While coverage in the elbows and shoulders is a great start, we’re of the opinion that protecting your spine is also a project worth undertaking. That’s where a proper CE-rated motorcycle back protector comes into play.
]]>Are you riding around with that useless piece of foam in the back of your motorcycle jacket? Do yourself a favor and throw that thing in the trash.
Plain and simple: the thin sheets of padding in the back and chest areas of most motorcycle jackets are little more than placeholders for armor. They aren’t intended to protect you from impact or abrasion, and truth be told, they’re probably doing more harm than good by adding useless bulk and limiting your jacket’s ventilation.
Real armor is what you want here. While coverage in the elbows and shoulders is a great start, we’re of the opinion that protecting your spine is also a project worth undertaking. That’s where a proper CE-rated motorcycle back protector comes into play.
Motorcycles are inherently dangerous. Good fun, but dangerous. Anything you can do to add more safety into the equation is worth doing, and we believe adding a back protector to your gear is one of the smartest ways to go about that.
Here’s why.
Unlike motorcycle helmets, boots, and abrasion-resistant clothing like leather jackets and pants, there haven’t been many studies on the effectiveness of motorcycle back protectors. Of the few that have been documented, the information is inconclusive at best, due largely to small sample sizes and questionable data.
That’s a major bummer because we know that motorcycle back protectors work in practice. Essentially every professional motorcycle racer on the planet wears a back protector from MotoGP to Motocross, and there’s plenty of good science out there explaining why.
In fact, you need to look no further than the safety rating on a given back protector to see that science in action. All CE-certified back protectors come with a rating, either the entry-level CE-1 rating or the more protective CE-2 rating found on the back protectors in our Riderbag.
CE certification is achieved in a laboratory following precise scientific standards. A third party does this lab testing, and the procedure itself is pretty rigorous: A standard 11 pounds weight is dropped from a height of one meter (a little over three feet) onto the surface of the motorcycle back protector.
To successfully earn a CE-1 certification, no more than 18 kN of force can be transmitted through the back protector into the surface below. For the more protective CE-2 certification, the back protector must cut that force in half to just 9kN. Anything that can’t meet these standards fails the test, and cannot legally be labeled as CE-certified.
In short, this means a back protector dramatically reduces the forces transmitted to the rider’s back from impacts like a rear-end accident, or from coming off your bike and landing on your back. It’s important to note that even among CE level 2 back protectors, however, not all armor is made equal.
That’s because there’s another rating that’s specific to back protectors you should be coverage area.
Coverage area defines the total amount of your back that a given protector shields from impacts. These ratings come in three types: type L/LB, type CB, and type B/FB.
LB back protectors are arguably the least protective of the bunch. That’s because the “L” stands for “lumbar” which means an LB back protector only covers the lower third of your back.
The second rating, CB, is short for “central back.” These protectors can be identified by their long rectangular shape which, as the name suggests, is designed to run the length of your spine straight down the center of your back.
Lastly, we come to B/FB protectors, which are by far the best of the bunch. B and FB ratings signify that a back protector covers the “full back,” which includes both the spine and lumbar regions, as well as the space between your shoulder blades.
A motorcycle back protector is a piece of safety equipment, plain and simple. As such, there’s really no good reason to want anything other than the most protection you can get as far as we’re concerned. That means that the ideal protector will provide CE-2 certified coverage for your entire back, which is exactly why we designed the Riderbag to accommodate a full-sized CE-2 protector.
You don’t have to be on a motorcycle to reap the benefits of a back protector. This is actually one of the major reasons we decided to design a backpack rather than a traditional piece of standalone safety gear.
Bicycles, skateboards, scooters, and even those nifty little one-wheeled contraptions all share one thing in common with motorcycles: they all operate on public streets, which puts them at the mercy of distracted drivers, bad pavement, construction debris, and the multitude of other hazards we encounter out on the road.
As many of you can likely attest, accidents can happen to anyone. Heck, an accident is what started our company in the first place: long story short, our founder got rear-ended by a car on his moto-commute home one evening, and while he got lucky and walked away injury free, most of us know friends or family members that haven’t been so fortunate.
While we’d never wish an accident on anyone, there’s no better feeling than hearing customers tell us something we made saved a life. Take a look at this message we received from a Riderbag owner earlier this year:
“I bought a Riderbag for my son, who rides his bike to work in North Carolina. He was hit by another bike, knocked off his bike, and hit the ground really hard. The ER doc said this spine protector and his helmet saved his life! He walked away with just a fractured clavicle. I'm so grateful I purchased this. Thank you to infinity and beyond for saving my son!!!!”
Testimonies like this are why we got into the business in the first place, but it’s also first-hand evidence that motorcycle back protectors are essential to safety. These relatively simple armored inserts save lives, and adding one to your routine can be as simple as throwing on a backpack.Riderbag has got your back, whether you ride, pedal, or push your way from A to B.
Ride visible and protected with the Riderbag Reflective backpack and add a ce level 2 protector! (Both sold separately) Click Here to order today, don't risk it!
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It’s tough to put a price on peace of mind when you’re staring down a rainstorm with a backpack full of expensive gear. A good waterproof backpack cover is indispensable in that regard, yet some folks are still on the fence for some reason when it comes to weather protection.
To that end, we’ve decided to put together a few of the most important talking points around the subject to help explain why we include a waterproof cover with every Riderbag we make. Below we’ll explain how pack covers work, why they’re important, and what you should look for when shopping for one of your own.
This is a question we hear a lot from our customers, and the answer is a resounding “yes.”
Typically, this question gets brought up because of the nature of our waterproof backpack cover, which stretches up and over the top, bottom, and sides of the bag, but doesn’t actually seal around the area of the pack that’s up against your back. Rest assured, this is an utterly proven design for keeping important gear dry, and you’ll find all the evidence you could ask for in the backpacking community.
The most highly rated hiking pack covers on the market from brands like Osprey, Gregory, and The North Face all share this same approach to waterproofing. Backpackers the world over have put thousands of miles in the pouring rain on pack covers like ours, and the results are well-documented and readily available.
The other common question we get about our pack cover is whether or not it will stay in place while we’re riding a motorcycle at speed. Again, the answer here is yes, as we’ve put hundreds if not thousands of rainy highway miles on our pack covers and have yet to experience a single failure.
Pretty much all waterproof backpack covers come in one of two materials: Nylon or polyester. Both materials have their pros and cons, so let's have a quick overview of each.
Nylon is a popular choice due to its excellent abrasion resistance and naturally stretchy properties. Both of these features bode well for motorcycle use, but nylon also has a major shortcoming: It’s naturally susceptible to absorbing moisture, which makes it much more difficult to effectively waterproof.
Polyester, on the other hand, is a much less pliable fabric and has almost zero stretch compared to nylon. Polyester also has the added benefit of being naturally hydrophobic (it repels water), which makes it a much easier fabric to waterproof using less expensive manufacturing processes. We’ll also note that polyester is naturally more UV resistant than nylon, which means it won’t break down and degrade as quickly as nylon due to prolonged sun exposure.
Regardless of which material is used in your backpack cover, there’s another crucial element that goes into the waterproofing process: Seam taping.
Seam taping is the practice of weaving waterproof synthetic tape into the exposed seams of a waterproof garment. By doing this, you effectively “seal” all the small holes created when sewing two pieces of fabric together, effectively closing off any potential weak points in a backpack cover’s construction.
It’s also important to note that although polyester has a distinct advantage over nylon from a waterproofing standpoint, neither material is fully waterproof on its own, even when fully seam-taped. This is why even the most tightly woven synthetic fabrics require additional chemical treatment to properly seal your backpack off from the weather.
By treating the surface of the fabric with a chemical sealant, you effectively “seal off” all of the tiny spaces between the threads, which transforms a synthetic garment from “water-resistant” to completely waterproof.
While both nylon and polyester have their pros and cons, polyester is generally considered the better material of the two when it comes to rain protection. Its limited stretch, natural water-repellency, and enhanced UV protection combine to make it a more reliable fabric in all weather conditions, which is why our Riderbag waterproof backpack covers are made entirely from seam-taped polyester.
You could certainly argue that the added toughness of nylon is better suited to the rigors of day-to-day use, but in practice, we’ve found the benefits simply don’t add up. The reduced rain protection of nylon combined with its increased vulnerability to UV damage just aren’t a great fit for our application, and by using a tightly woven polyester fabric in its place, we’re able to achieve similar abrasion resistance without compromising on the important stuff.
Rain and/or snow protection varies from pack to pack. Most traditional fabric packs are entirely vulnerable to water ingress, while your typical hiking pack is somewhat water-resistant, but not fully waterproof. To that end, you’ll likely want to check with your bag’s manufacturer regarding its protection, but if you’re wearing a Riderbag, you’ve got some of the best water resistance around right out of the box.
That’s because even before you put the included high-viz waterproof cover on, our bag is built to be highly water resistant using a combination of tightly woven 600D nylon and an additional retro-reflective surface treatment. In our experience, our bags keep your gear dry through drizzles and light rain without the need for a waterproof cover, but in an outright downpour, you’ll be glad you’ve got one handy.
We’ll also note that because the pack cover is exceptionally lightweight and compact, we generally recommend carrying it around with you wherever you ride just in case. Better to have it and not need it, as they say.
When we set out to design the original Riderbag, safety was our top priority. That’s why our bags are made as highly visible as possible, and it’s also why they’re built to accommodate life-saving back protectors as well.
When it comes to waterproof covers for your commuter pack of choice, we’d like to remind you to keep safety and/or visibility high on your priority list. As you already know, rainy weather dramatically reduces visibility, and if you’re throwing a generic pack cover over your high-vis or reflective backpack, you’re putting yourself in serious danger.
That’s why we designed the Riderbag’s waterproof cover in the same high-viz colors and reflective materials as the rest of the pack: You need more visibility in poor weather, not less, and throwing a trash bag, poncho, or rain jacket over your pack just isn’t a risk work taking.
Don’t hesitate, order one of our six hi vis reflective backpacks. They all include a Waterproof Backpack Cover!
]]>High-vis commuter backpacks are a no-brainer for anyone traveling the streets on two wheels. Their bright fluorescent fabrics reflect more than twice the light of conventional colors, forcing drivers to take notice of the motorcyclists and bicyclists who wear them.
DOT studies have proven beyond a doubt that high-vis fluorescent colors dramatically increase your visibility to drivers, and with higher visibility comes a lower risk of being struck by a vehicle. It’s a good start, but unfortunately, even the most brightly-colored backpacks share a common flaw: Once the sun goes down, they completely lose their effectiveness.
That’s why if you’re going to be commuting after dark, reflective materials are your best friend. Reflective commuter backpacks keep working when the sun calls it quits, but as you’ll read below, not all packs are created equal.
Ever notice how some road signs appear much brighter than others at night? There’s a good reason for that, and it’s called retroreflective technology.
Knowing the difference between retroreflective tech and regular reflective materials is crucial to understanding what makes the Riderbag one of the safest reflective commuter backpacks money can buy, so let’s take a moment to break down how it works.
See, standard reflective materials handle light the same way a mirror or a sheet of metal does: Light enters in one direction, and then bounces off at a fixed angle depending on the position of the material. If you’ve ever seen someone laying out in the sun with a tanning reflector under their chin, you’ll have a pretty clear picture of how this works.
Retroreflective materials reflect light too, but it’s the way they do it that makes them special: Rather than reflecting light at a single determined angle, retroreflective panels like those found on the Riderbag bounce light directly back at the source, giving them a bright and glowing appearance for anyone shining light their way. In our case, this means your reflective commuter backpack reflects the headlights of a vehicle directly back in the direction of the driver, and that’s a very good thing indeed.
This technology makes the Riderbag highly visible to nighttime drivers from any angle, even if they’re coming around a curve, sitting across an intersection, or merging into traffic from another lane. Normal reflective materials are only conspicuous when a driver is directly behind the rider, and according to the Department of Transportation, they completely lose their effectiveness when viewed from any angle more than three degrees off-center.
Our retroreflective panels also allow the Riderbag to take advantage of another proven method of visibility called “contrast.” Contrast refers to the visual effect of placing two starkly different colors directly beside one another, which has also been proven to draw the human eye and help you to stand out from your surroundings.
As an added bonus, the Riderbag’s contrasting characteristics work both day and night: By day, its bright fluorescent panels shine brightly, while the large retroreflective portions of the bag are a subdued grey. After dark, the fluorescent panels lose their brightness, but the retroreflective portions go to work, essentially reversing the roles of the two fabrics while maintaining the desired effect.
If retroreflective materials are your first line of defense against nighttime accidents (and believe us, they are), then bodily protection is your plan B. Don’t get us wrong, proactively avoiding accidents is always our top priority, but accidents do happen and you want to be prepared when the time comes.
This is another area where reflective commuter backpacks like the Riderbag come in the clutch: Because our bag includes an integrated compartment for housing a CE-approved back protector, you’re adding an extra layer of safety just by throwing on your backpack.
Regular safety gear can be bulky, expensive, and (let’s be honest) inconvenient. We’re firm believers in the “all the gear, all the time” ethos, but we’ve also been guilty of riding in casual clothes from time to time, especially for shorter commutes and errands around town. Who wants to spend ten minutes suiting up for a fifteen-minute ride?
Our solution? Make safety as convenient as possible. By integrating a back protector inside of our reflective commuter backpack, you’re effectively doubling up on your protection without adding any extra time or effort to your routine. If you’re going to wear a backpack anyways, why not make it one that protects your spine?
Dedicated motorcycle luggage has its time and place, and both hard and soft panniers add tons of utility to any motorcycle from the humble urban grocery-getter to big globe-trotting adventure bikes. When it comes to the daily grind, however, reflective commuter backpacks are a much smarter option than dedicated luggage for a few reasons.
The first reason (and the most important one for many riders) is cost. A good set of bike-mounted panniers can easily set you back anywhere from $200 to well over $1000, whereas even the highest quality backpacks like the Riderbag can be had for well under $100.
In addition to their outright affordability, backpacks are just plain easier to live with. They’re universally compatible with all bikes, require zero time and effort to install, and can be easily carried off the bike hands-free.
We’ll also note that both hard and soft panniers make popular targets for thieves. Gear gets stolen from luggage all the time, and even locking hard bags are routinely broken into (or stolen off the bike entirely) in a matter of minutes.
With a reflective commuter backpack, however, all of your gear is always with you. The Riderbag even includes a stowaway sling for your helmet, so you don’t have to choose between awkwardly carrying it around or having it stolen off your bike while you’re away.
We may be a bit biased here, but we’re convinced a high-visibility backpack is the perfect solution whether you’re commuting via motorcycle, bicycle, or scooter.
Proper commuter bags like the Riderbag bring all the convenience of a traditional backpack while also adding three degrees of safety to the mix: They’re highly visible both day and night, add bodily safety via impact protection, and also protect you from theft by the simple virtue of their design.
We’ll also note that while the Riderbag isn’t the only commuter backpack on the market using retroreflective technology, the overwhelming majority of options out there only use retroreflective materials in concerningly low amounts: Whether it’s a tiny patch on the bottom of the bag or razor-thin reflective piping around a zipper here and there, most brands focus heavily on design with minimal regard for safety, and that simply isn’t a risk we’re willing to take.
The fact that the Riderbag also comes in at well under $100 despite being loaded with convenience and safety features in equal measure is just icing on the cake. The best commuter bag on the market also happens to be one of the most affordable… What’s not to love?
Don’t put yourself at risk order one of our colorful reflective backpacks right now!
]]>It wasn’t so long ago that an electric bike was a rare sight, and a novel one at that. Fast forward to present day and just about every major manufacturer on the planet has thrown their hat in the electric bicycle ring. And we mean everyone.
Naturally, you can pick up an electric bike from big names in the cycling industry like Specialized, Cannondale, or Trek, but even luxury car brands like Porsche, Lamborghini, and Mercedes Benz will now sell you their own special take on the electric two-wheeler (for a premium, of course).
Electric bikes are convenient and fun to ride, but recent studies have shown they’re much more dangerous than traditional bicycles. So much so, in fact, that many feel eBikes are more dangerous than motorcycles themselves. In the article below, we’ll take a look at a few of the factors that could make electric bikes more dangerous than motorcycles, and what eBike riders can do to increase their own bike safety.
Motorcyclists and bicyclists have long shared a common problem: Visibility in traffic.
As you may have read in our previous article, the odds are against us when we hit public roads on two wheels. Between distracted driving (especially cell phone use), LBFTS (Look But Fail To See) accidents, and the huge knowledge gap on general cycling etiquette, the deck is stacked high against bike safety.
Combine those already long odds with the extra speed and power of modern pedal assist systems, and you’ll start to see what we mean: Drivers have much more time to notice and react to a bicycle entering an intersection at 10mph than they do to an eBike zooming along at 20mph+.
While electric bikes average higher speeds and much faster acceleration than traditional motorcycles, most state laws implement a “three-tier” system that regulates how fast an eBike travels. Most electric bicycles fall into either the “Class 1” or “Class 2” designation, both of which require the bike’s electric motor to stop providing assistance once it reaches 20mph.
20mph is more than enough for your typical city traffic, especially during heavy commuting hours, but outside of rush hour speeds often double that number. That’s not a problem for motorcyclists, who have no issue matching the speed of traffic (or far exceeding it) at just about any pace.
EBikes, on the other hand, often find themselves in dangerous situations when impatient drivers go to pass them at high rates of speed. Dedicated bike lanes help alleviate this problem, but there aren’t nearly enough of them, which brings us to our next point.
Some cities are packed end-to-end with generous bike lanes, often completely separated from the flow of automobile traffic. Indeed places like Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco can seem like an electric bicycle commuter’s paradise with their miles upon miles of bike lanes, many of which are completely shielded by protective concrete barriers. Other cities, however, don’t fare so well.
That’s why many electric bikes are faced with a decision motorcyclists don’t have to worry about: Should they hug the curb to stay out of the way of traffic, take up the entire lane to keep dangerous passes to a minimum, or try their luck on the sidewalk?
Without a dedicated bike lane (and the heightened awareness of drivers that comes along with it), many electric bike riders find themselves at risk every time they commute to and from work. The power, speed, and efficiency of electric bikes grow every year, while the costly and time-consuming project of developing bike safety infrastructure takes decades to implement.
Compare the average urban commute on a motorcycle to one on an electric bike: Both machines spend a fair amount of time sitting at stoplights or crawling between them at relatively low speeds. Some days taking your bicycle to work actually gets you there faster than the latest 200-horsepower superbike, especially if your town has the kind of bike-friendly streets described above.
Now, compare the average safety gear you see on a cyclist wears with your typical motorcyclist.
99% of the bicyclists we see out on the road wear little to nothing in terms of safety gear. Even the most cautious cyclists typically wear little more than an open-face helmet and some reflective clothing, and sadly many don’t even do that.
Motorcyclists on the other hand? Although they’re traveling at essentially the same speeds on the same roads, they’re much better protected. At minimum your average motorcycle rider has a full-face helmet that’s undergone rigorous safety testing as well as highly-protective footwear.
Most even go a step further and incorporate a riding jacket (which includes elbow, shoulder, and back protection) as well as highly abrasion-resistant clothing made from materials like leather, Kevlar, and Cordura. Which would you rather be wearing in an accident?
When it comes to eBike safety, we’ve got a few recommendations. Knowing what to wear and how to ride in traffic are your bare minimum requirements here, but there’s actually another step electric bike owners should take that we’ll share below as well.
Start with the basics: Never ride your electric bike without a helmet and clothing that is both highly visible (fluorescent colors are your friend) and highly reflective (especially important at night). If you do ride at night, you should have lights and reflectors mounted to both the front and rear of your bicycle.
Once you’ve got basic safety gear checked off your list, you should familiarize yourself with the rules of the road. In terms of right of way, eBikes should follow the exact same guidelines as standard bicycles. That means you need to yield to both pedestrians and all other vehicles on the road. There are no exceptions here, so don’t make the mistake of assuming you’re at the top of the pecking order because you’re not in a vehicle. Always ride in the same direction as traffic, and make an effort to match the flow of traffic as closely as possible.
Of course that doesn’t mean you should be pedaling full blast everywhere you go if it’s not safe to do so. Knowing your limits and keeping your bike under control at all times plays a huge role in bike safety. Keep one finger on the brakes at all times, and leave yourself as much room as possible front and rear for emergency stops.
Make it a point to make intentional eye contact with drivers on the road, especially at intersections. It’s your job to make sure you’re seen before pulling out into traffic, even when you have the right of way.
The idea is to ride as predictably as possible. Again, cyclists are already at a disadvantage due to visibility and the tendency of drivers to fail to perceive us out on the road. Don’t make any sudden moves in traffic like erratic lane changes or abrupt stops. When you do need to change lanes or make a turn, make sure to use hand signals early and often.
If you’re not familiar with cycling hand signals, good news: There are only three you really need to know (left turn, right turn, and slow/stop), and you do them all with your left hand.
To signal a left hand turn or left hand lane change, simply extend your left arm fully out to your left side. You’ll want to signal your turns early, so it’s recommended to begin signaling at least 100 feet before making a turn or lane change.
For right hand turns or right hand lane changes, extend your left arm to your left, but bend your elbow at a 90-degree angle as if you were waving to someone directly in front of you. Some states also allow a fully extended right arm as a signal, but we recommend sticking with left hand signals whenever possible as they’re the most common and most likely to be recognized.
To signal a stop/slowing, you’ll once again extend your left arm with a 90-degree bend, but this time your open hand should be pointing down to the ground, essentially a mirror image of a right turn hand signal.
Yes, motorcyclists wear higher quality and more protective safety gear than cyclists, but there’s a reason for that: They don’t have to pedal their bikes to get from A to B. Cyclists, on the other hand, need to prioritize mobility and breathability (even pedaling an eBike can be sweaty work), and that’s where the Riderbag comes into play.
We designed the Riderbag with cyclists in mind as a one-stop-shop to improve every aspect of bike safety. The Riderbag is highly visible thanks to its bright color options, and also comes with plenty of highly reflective panels to dramatically increase your visibility at night.
The icing on the cake here though is that the Riderbag gives electric bike riders access to motorcycle-level protection without impacting their mobility. That’s because every Riderbag features built-in compatibility with a CE-level-2 spine protector that greatly reduces the force of impacts transmitted to your spine in the event of a crash.
Click here to order yours NOW! Sign up to our newsletter and save 10%.
Want to learn more about ebikes? Check out #TeamRiderbag on YouTube:
Shreddie: https://www.youtube.com/c/SHREDDIEMCSKATE
Mr.E: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyi9qHpKPglkkY3hYxh26_g?
Ebike Fan: https://www.youtube.com/c/ebikefansfo
Rusty Roads: https://www.youtube.com/c/RustyRoads
YaTuChavez: https://www.youtube.com/c/YaTuChavezTV
Whether you’re commuting, trail riding, or just running errands around town, the best motorcycle backpacks on the market are indispensable for adding safety, storage, and utility to even the smallest motorcycles.
The problem most riders run into, however, is finding a motorcycle backpack that combines all three without breaking the bank.
Top-of-the-line bags can run well over $300 each, so to help you decide on the best bag for your ride, we’ve put together five key features all the best motorcycle backpacks should share.
Visibility is arguably the most important feature that the best motorcycle backpacks should all have.
Protection is important, both for your safety gear and your backpack, but preventing an accident in the first place is always a better option than putting your protective gear to the test in a crash situation.
As two-wheeled commuters, both on motorcycles and on bicycles, we can all agree that being nearly pushed out of our lanes or rear-ended by some distracted driver is an all-too-common occurrence.
There’s a reason this happens more on a bike than in a car, and that reason is visibility.
Drivers are less likely to see cyclists and motorcycles because our vehicles are much smaller and more agile, which means we spend a lot less time in driver’s mirrors and a lot more time in their blind spots.
The most eye-catching colors during the day are high-vis fluorescents like yellow and orange. That’s because they reflect a massive amount of the sun’s UV rays, which draws attention from the human eye.
After dark, on the other hand, fluorescent colors lose their power from the sun, which means the best motorcycle backpacks will also include large amounts of highly reflective material.
If your bag is missing either of these components, wearing it actually makes you less safe than leaving it at home.
That’s because even if your jacket is the brightest, most reflective piece of gear on the market, as soon as you throw your backpack on you become nearly invisible to anyone behind you in traffic.
99% of the moto backpacks on the market are either black, brown, or grey (the lowest visibility colors available), and have little to no reflective material to speak of. Don’t leave the house without both.
Let’s face it: Most of us wear a respectable amount of safety gear when we take our bikes out for a long day in the twisites, but when we’re just riding to work, school, or around town, we often just throw on our motorcycle jacket and call it a day.
An abrasion-resistant jacket is a good start, make no mistake, but it may not be as protective as you think.
The padding that comes in most motorcycle jackets is better than nothing, but it’s also a far cry from the level of protection that we want in the event of a crash.
Your average jacket will include “CE certified” padding at the shoulders and elbows, which is tested by a third party to ensure it absorbs a substantial degree of force upon impact.
The chest and back padding of your jacket, however, isn’t typically CE rated at all, and unless you spend money to upgrade both pads, neither is going to protect you from anything more serious than a pillow fight.
Which is a great reason to make sure your motorcycle backpack includes its own protection.
The best motorcycle backpacks on the market will double as CE-rated back protectors, and considering how important our spines are, hopefully that’s at least a CE level 2 rating.
That’s because CE “level 2” rated padding is laboratory tested to absorb double the impact of CE level 1 protection.
If you’re going to spend the money on a good bag, make sure you’re getting the back protection you need while you’re at it.
Think about the list of gear you should pack every time you take your bike out for a spin. If you’re covering all the essentials, it should look something like this:
Those four simple essentials can get pretty bulky, and they don’t even include any extra layers, a hat, or any of the tech or navigation gear you like to bring along. That’s why the best motorcycle backpacks usually start at no less than 15 liters of capacity.
Now, if you’re a motorcycle commuter like us, think of the things you’ll likely add to that bag for your daily grind:
The list goes on, expanding your bare minimum capacity to something closer to 25 liters.
And if you’re looking to add in any recreational activities like motorcycle touring, camping, or trail riding, you’re going to need even more than that, which means the absolute best motorcycle backpacks need around 30 liters to truly do it all.
It’s always better to have extra space and not use it than to need extra space and not have it.
Consider the full list of activities you use your two-wheeler for, and make sure the pack you choose can do it all. Aim too low, and chances are you’ll be buying a second bag sooner than later.
The best motorcycle backpacks are often distinguished by the little features that make living with them daily a real pleasure.
Comfortable padding that holds up over long rides is one of those features, and unfortunately it’s often one you have to take someone else’s word for before finding out for yourself.
Since you can’t exactly take a motorcycle backpack for a “test ride” before you buy it, there are a few things to look out for that will all but ensure a comfortable fit.
The first thing (and this may sound obvious) is to look for extra padding where you know you need it.
Of course you’ll want solid padding in the shoulder straps, as thinner straps quickly lose their cushioning as you add weight to your bag.
You’ll also want extra padding on the back of the bag, but not the entire back.
A quick look at any good hiking backpack will show one common characteristic of good pad design: There’s a split down the middle, about where your spine should be.
That’s an important detail to look for, because while thick back padding adds comfort, it can also generate heat.
If that heat has nowhere to vent, it won’t be long before you’ve got a nice river of back sweat trickling through your clothes.
Motorcycles are hot enough, and once you’ve got all your protective gear on, the last thing you want is a backpack trapping even more heat from your body.
Aside from padding, another one of our favorite features that many brands overlook are glove-friendly zippers.
If you’ve been riding a motorcycle for a while, you’re more than familiar with the routine of having to stop and pull off both your gloves to be able to do anything useful with your hands.
Large, textured zipper loops are super simple but also super convenient, and eliminate the hassle of fumbling around trying to get a grip on tiny metal zippers.
Comfort and storage are great, but both of these features have a tendency to add extra weight to your motorcycle backpack.
Throw in reliable protective armor and a good waterproofing system and chances are you’ll be feeling the weight of your pack before you even get your gear inside.
High-quality, lightweight materials are the only way to build a bag that’s both feather-light and long-lasting, which often means you’ll be paying top dollar if you want your bag to perform without weighing you down.
For that reason we recommend steering away from rubberized and PVC-backed materials as well as hard-case designs. These materials are used because they can provide 100% waterproofing, but they often result in a bag that weighs upwards of five pounds completely empty.
Water-resistant nylon is your best friend here due to its low weight, good abrasion resistance, and decent all-weather performance. These bags should come with a fully waterproof pack cover as well, just make sure it doesn’t cost you any visibility!Different moto bags come with different features. But even the most expensive bags on the market don’t come with all five listed above. There’s only one bag you can buy today that combines protection, visibility, storage, comfort, and low weight, and that’s the RiderBag.
You can pay for all the carbon fiber and extra pockets you want, but if your bag doesn’t include highly visible materials for both day and night, it’s just a liability.
There’s no other bag on the market that can compare with the Riderbag Reflecktor35’s list of premium features:
And that’s not even all that the Riderbag has to offer.
Other premium bags on the market may have protection, but lack visibility, capacity, comfort, or all three, and somehow still cost three times as much or more.
Pick up a Riderbag today and never ride without comfort, storage, and safety again.
]]>Introducing the Riderbag™ Reflektor35 – the best 35L bike commuter backpack on the market with unique safety features that are taking the world by storm.
This backpack is reflective, hi-visibility, waterproof, includes a helmet net, and you can add a spine protector for more protection.
There are thousands of accidents involving motorcyclists or cyclists every year. According to stats, In 2015 alone, over 4,000 motorcyclists and around 45,000 cyclists were involved in accidents throughout the United States. These worrisome statistics led to the development of a safe and visible backpack by Riderbag™.”
After two years of research, we decided to exceed everyone’s high expectations by bringing the Riderbag™ Reflektor35 Series to market. This is done to reduce the number of accidents involving motorcyclists and cyclists year in year out.” said Carlos C. on behalf of the company.
The features that give it an edge over other riders backpack include:Some customers have already purchased the product and can’t stop talking about how good it is, and how much safer they feel. A perfect example is Steven Adams that commented: “Perfect solution for storage and visibility! I love this backpack, and I use it every time I bike ride, even if I don’t put anything in the backpack. It provides super high visibility and nighttime reflectivity. It has lots of compartments and places to store stuff. There’s even a port put a wire through in case you want to use a charger or put your phone inside and use headphones while you’re walking with it on your back.”
Want to feel safer when riding? The Riderbag™ Reflektor35 is your best bet. Visit https://www.riderbagusa.com/ to order one or more today.
Media Contact
Company Name: Riderbag
Contact Person: Carlos C.
Email: Send Email
Phone: 888-324-3850
Country: United States
Website: www.riderbagusa.com
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Yes, you should always wear your helmet when you ride a bike, regardless of where you’re riding. That’s an obvious for all of us that want to preserve our brains...
]]>As bike commuters, we learn early and are reminded often that high visibility and bike safety go hand in hand.
For many of us, that means strapping a set of lights onto our bikes at night, and taking every opportunity we can to over-communicate our position through voice, direct eye contact, and signaling.
But visibility is a problem we need to be aware of day and night, and lights alone won’t keep us safe.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the challenges bike commuters face staying visible on the road, as well as some solutions you can implement today to ensure that you stay out of harm’s way.
Yes, you should always wear your helmet when you ride a bike, regardless of where you’re riding. That’s obvious for all of us that want to preserve our brains.
And when we ride our bikes on public roads, we should feel the exact same way about visibility. Here’s why:
Ok, let’s just go ahead and get this one out of the way first because sadly, it’s one of the leading causes of distracted driving, which claimed 3,142 lives in 2019 alone according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Some quick statistics from the National Safety Council may (or may not) surprise you here:
Which means that as concerning as those numbers are, they’re likely even worse than we know.
For many of us, the obvious solution is to do everything we can to make sure drivers couldn’t ignore us if they wanted to, but what would you say if we told you drivers may see you well in advance and still fail to react?
We’ve all seen some terrifying examples of distracted driving, and the thought of a driver in the car coming up behind us being halfway through both a cheeseburger and a text message is enough to keep many cyclists up at night, but did you know that even if an attentive driver sees you they may still fail to act?
In a 2019 study on driver psychology by the Australasian College Of Road Safety (ACRS), researchers found that even when a driver is looking right at you, their brains may fail to “perceive” you as a person, which can cause them to go on driving as if you weren’t there at all.
The phenomenon is referred to as a “Look-But-Fail-To-See” (LBFTS) crash, and it’s just one more brick in the wall between you and bike safety, whether you’re commuting daily, training for your next race, or are just out for a fun ride around the city.
Being seen by drivers is great, but being seen early by drivers is even better.
According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials, a driver traveling just 30 miles an hour needs over 100 feet to recognize a potential obstacle and come to a complete stop. That distance grows to over 300 feet by the time a driver reaches 60 mph.
Add to that number the fact that the NHTSA also found that the average behind-the-wheel text requires a driver to divert their attention for a full five seconds, during which time they will cover the length of an entire football field with their eyes completely off the road. That’s another 360 feet, which means that the gear you choose to wear needs to be highly visible from over 600 feet away to keep you safe.
Many of us will recall when we first started driving that finding ourselves in traffic behind a bicycle or two was an unexpected and often annoying experience.
It isn’t until we start cycling ourselves that we become more aware of bicycles or motorcycle on the road when we’re behind the wheel.
The same could be said for cyclist behavior.
While many of us quickly become well-versed in cycling etiquette like how to properly pass a cycle on the road, how many drivers do you think have spent even a fraction of the time you have learning how to properly share the road with their two-wheeled counterparts?
Yet another reason why we cyclists need to be as proactive as possible about our own safety and visibility.
Aside from wearing a helmet and any other gear that protects us from injury in the event of a crash, the most valuable piece of safety equipment a cyclist can have in his arsenal is one that prevents a crash from happening in the first place.
Fundamental biking skills and safety knowledge play a huge role in preventing crashes, as does a well-tuned bike with good brakes.
But unfortunately, even the most well-protected, highly-skilled cyclist still has to worry about the factors they can’t control: The motorists with whom we all share the road.
And that‘s where visibility becomes our first line of defense.
Regardless of how bright it may be outside, riding a bicycle on the road is an inherently dangerous activity.
While the behaviors of motorists are largely outside of your control, there are a few common-sense steps we believe every cyclist should take to ensure they are as visible as possible to everyone on the road.
There are some awfully strong opinions out there about wearing fluorescent colors as a fashion statement, but when it comes to bike safety, there’s no debate about the importance of fluorescents.
Workers on construction sites wear fluorescent yellow safety vests for the same reason hunters in the woods mix bright orange with their camouflage: Fluorescent colors aren’t common in the natural world, so our brains are more likely to pay attention to them when they enter our field of vision.
Which is exactly the reaction we want from motorists when we’re riding on public roads.
Yes, even during the day you should have some degree of lighting on your road bike.
There’s a reason that daytime running lights (or DRLs) have become fairly standard equipment on cars in the past decade: They increase visibility, and therefore safety.
While the lights on our cycles will no doubt be less effective on bright sunny days, they don’t hurt our likelihood of being seen either, and they significantly improve our visibility on cloudy or overcast days as well.
At a minimum, we recommend running a flashing, rear-facing light whenever possible for the same reason we all use our brake lights 24/7: Drivers will take notice.
Whether you like to get an early start, or often find yourself commuting home on your bike after the sun sets, chances are most cyclists will spend some amount of time riding after hours.
In addition to riding with increased awareness and caution, we recommend the following for nighttime bike safety.
While fluorescent colors are your safest bet during the day, they achieve their brightness by reflecting ultraviolet light, which means they’re dependent on the sun’s rays to be effective from a safety standpoint.
That means that even the loudest matching set of gear you can find won’t do you any good in the dark, and a separate solution is needed.
For many of us, that means we need to add enough lighting to both the front and rear of our bikes to make sure we’re visible from every angle.
And while a good headlight attached to your bike will help you see the path in front of you, ultimately the lights we install on our bikes themselves are for the visibility of others, rather than our own vision in the dark.
For this reason, it’s also a smart move to go ahead and add a helmet light to your gear as well, which will not only make you more visible to motorists, but will also make sure that you can see in the direction you’re looking rather than just the direction that your bike is pointed.
Your second layer of protection when you ride at night is the use of highly-reflective materials like 3M Scotchlite on as much of your clothing and gear as possible.
Special attention should be paid to making sure reflective material is used on the feet and ankles and again around the knees.
These areas are crucial because the human brain is more likely to recognize what is referred to as “biological motion” or the unique movements of the human body in motion.
By making the parts of our body that are constantly in motion while pedaling reflective, we increase our chances of being seen and recognized by motorists at night by up to 40% according to research from Queensland University of Technology.
Now it’s also worth mentioning that the same study found the most effective use of reflective clothing combined the moving parts noted above with an upper-body reflector like a vest or windbreaker, so keeping your torso as reflective as possible should always be part of any bike safety strategy at night.
While the best practices above will go a long way in ensuring you’re as safe as possible on the road, all the fluorescent colors and reflective material in the world won’t do you any good if you ultimately wind up covering it all up with a typical backpack or messenger bag.
And that’s what brought us to design the bike and motorcycle commuter backpack Riderbag™ Reflektor35, a lightweight 35L backpack that combines high-visibility for the day, and full-reflectivity for the night, all in a waterproof package that is perfect for bike or motorcycle commuters of all disciplines.
The Rider Bag Reflektor35 is also a laptop backpack with plenty of space for your change of clothes and includes:
Prevention is paramount, but because accidents do happen, we even built the Reflecktor to accept an internal armored back protector, which further enhances your safety by absorbing impacts and redistributing the energy away from your spine.
Our bags allow you to carry all of your essentials along for the ride on your back without masking the visibility of your upper body from motorists.
Check out our full range of reflective bags in a variety of eye-catching colors today to make sure you’re visible and safe whenever and wherever you choose to ride.
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