Extensive pocket system
It all started with the adventurous spirit of some New Zealand designers. They wanted to pack their luggage for several days on mountain bikes in their sparsely populated country and couldn't find a suitable rack. Suspension forks and many modern rear triangles simply don't allow for this. From 2007, they developed their "Freeload" pannier rack, which solved this problem very satisfactorily. In 2012, the Swedish transport specialists from Thule then bought the Freeload design - and developed a comprehensive bag system around it.
If you look at the result up close, the development budget must have been enormous. Detailed solutions were created that set Thule's bags apart from the majority of the range. This is exemplified by the large panniers for the front or rear. Instead of the usual hooks with safety catches, Thule uses rotating claws that grip the luggage carrier tube with spring force. These claws sit on an aluminium rail and can be moved without tools. The holding system becomes really complex thanks to the trick with which it can be completely folded away (for carrying the bags): The aluminium rail rotates away with a firm press of the thumb, the claws then concealed inside the bag. The sheer number of individual parts involved and the moulds required would have put a lot of strain on a small company. Other panniers have a hook at the bottom that grips into the luggage carrier and prevents the load from swaying. Thule uses a strong magnet instead. This is emblazoned on the luggage carrier strut and easily finds its counterpart, an invisible metal plate in the back of the bag. Even if the loaded bag comes loose for a short time, it immediately finds its place again - unlike a disengaged hook. Now, strong magnets do not get on well with laptop hard drives or chip cards. A loss of data during bike transport would be a stupid thing - and so the inside of the bag has been magnetically shielded! Technical perfectionism also reigned in the buckles of the compression straps and the thick, somewhat stiff base material. At the front of the bike, at the handlebar bag mount, this basic attitude culminates in a thoroughly functional but also colossal sculpture made of aluminium and plastic. It provokes a question: does perfectionism inevitably lead to perfection?
