[Review] Topeak MTX Trunk Bag and Topeak Explorer Rack

I recently decided that I require more storage on my bike, so I invested in the Topeak Explorer bike rack and MTX Trunk Bag DXP, which is Topeak's largest bag of this variety.

Installation-- It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

The internet reviewers of the Topeak Explorer rear rack made installation sound tantamount to slaying a dragon with a rubber spork. People on the internet are such exaggerators. It can't possibly be that hard. 30 minutes, tops, I think.

Well.

It turns out that installing the rack was more like slaying a herd of angry dragons with a rubber spork. The hardware that came with the rack didn't seem to make a lot of sense. I admit that I am not a hardware connoisseur, so it may very well be superbly elegant hardware far too sophisticated for my feeble mind to grasp. Whatever is was, those nuts were not fitting on those bolts. I did manage to make the bolts work with the holes in my chain stay (is that what it's called? Bikes are full of stays, so I will assume yes). And it only took me an hour!
I went to bed, leaving a pile of nuts, bolts, allen wrenches, and tattered dreams scattered about the living room floor.

The next day, I went to the hardware store to buy different nuts. This is where I learned that I am completely inept with regard to hardware. It was a humbling moment when the hardware expert showed me how to use the nuts that I already had. It turns out that they're locking nuts that are just really hard to screw on. It really does make sense-- with a bike being subject to so many vibrations, you don't want the fasteners on your rack to shake loose. He sold me a better wrench.

Armed with proper tools, I was able to install the rack in about 20 minutes. The adjustable arms that screw into the seat stay are to be bent slightly to fit your particular bike (mine is a Jamis Satellite Sport), and I was able to do that without a problem. The rack clears everything it should and appears stable.

The Trunk Bag of Holding-- more than meets the eye

The bag slides very nicely into the rack and can be removed in less than a second. I don't like that the top handle forces the zipper to bear the forces, so I use the shoulder strap when I need to carry it. The bag itself is very sturdy-seeming. The inside has a divider, so it's easy to keep my tools and spare tube in a separate area, leaving most of the compartment for whatever else I need to carry at any given point in time. The panniers are very simple to fold in and out, and they attach to the sides of the rack with a little elastic cord.

I took my first trip to Target with the bag, and I was impressed both with how the bag/rack rode and how much the bag carried when fully expanded. Here's a shot of the bag with the expandable top and panniers out.


And more awesomely, here's what I fit inside, with room to spare: