Xootr Crossrack

Concept: 4 out of 5
Execution: 3 out of 5
Yeah, but: Perhaps I need more trust.

The Long Version: The crossrack is the only pannier I've seen with this design: it only attaches to the seat post, but holds a regular pannier instead of a rack-top bag. This is a fantastic idea, since panniers are easy to find in a variety of styles and styles. Rack-top bags are much more limited, and typically only range from small to not-very-large. The crossrack also puts the load vertically, closer to the centre of gravity for the bike, while the rack-top styles are long unsupported beam that stick out into space. I wonder why the crossrack didn't happen sooner.

I've put a pannier from Mountain Equipment Co-op on mine; it attaches with a zip-off panel that hides backpack straps. The crossrack is adjustable, and I've angled mine so that it's canted slightly forward, thinking that it would put less stress on the attachment points on the pannier. Xootr's page shows it tipped the other way, which will let the rack and bag be mounted on bikes with less space between the rear wheel and seat. The Xootr Swift, as a 20" wheeled bike, is quite generous in this respect. I'd be hesitant to put it on a bike with big wheels and a small frame, but for larger vehicles, it should be great.

The crossrack is rated for 25 pounds. It's a two-piece design that's joined with a pin, so I do hesitate a teeny tiny bit when I add too much weight. The counter benefit is that it makes it easy to pull the rack off of the bike when it's squeezed into a narrow space for storage. Unfortunately, leaving the clamp on the seatpost means that it can't drop down and lock the Swift in its folded position. That huge dilemma was solved with one of my many reflector-and-velcro ankle bands, several of which I carry in my pannier for no particular reason. Other than that, I have no complaints. The bag carries everything I need, and it being on the centreline of the bike means that it's protected if I fall over. Having no rack below it means that my camera-du-jour isn't bouncing off of a solid platform all of the time. Even if I had a standard bike that could take a standard rack, I'd still choose the crossrack for small loads and day-to-day use.

LaCie Rugged Triple Interface HDD

Concept: 3 out of 5
Execution: 2 out of 5
Yeah, but: Just one word: Plastics.

The Long Version: LaCie is an established maker of hard drives, computer displays, and accessories. Their displays are noted for being hard-core high-end devices, and their accessories are stylish with frequently good industrial design. You would think that their storage division would get the best of both worlds, and produce hard-core drives with good industrial design - and sometimes you'd be right. Unfortunately, the Rugged drive really isn't all that impressive.

Designed by someone who quotes the wikipedia entry about himself for his bio page, the Rugged drive does look very impressive from afar. Rubber bumpers and a silvery case looks very resilient, and its 2.5" (laptop-sized) drive makes it portable despite its padding. But the silvery case is plastic, not heat-dissipating metal, and I've seen one of these drives with its case bowed inward from heat.

I have no doubt that LaCie knows a whole lot more than I do about laptop hard drives and heat management, so I'm not worried about the construction from a long-term reliability standpoint. A metal casing might be prone to bending if it does get dropped, while plastic can be more resilient. But considering the robustness of the other LaCie drives that I've seen, and its compact metal-bodied competitor from G-Tech, it's a disappointment just the same.

(As an aside, the sticker says that the warranty is "Void if Broken". I'm sure they mean it's void if the sticker is broken, not the drive....)

This Rugged drive is the "Triple Interface", which means USB, Firewire 400, and Firewire 800. Firewire is the fastest, but since it's designed to be a portable drive, it's nice to be able to connect with a printer cable if I need to. It draws power from the computer, so there's no A/C supply needed, which is another major advantage for portability. For laptop users this is perfect, and it's a great way to shuttle files between multiple computers. But for people with a single desktop computer that does most of the work, there are other (better/cheaper) options out there. For mobile users, there are also other (better/pricier) options as well.

By my own criteria, I'm not someone who should be using one of these drives, but I bought two of them. They're my "In Case of Fire" backup disks, so it's important to me that it's easy to grab in a hurry, I can fumble it on the way out the door, and then plug it in anywhere. A second Rugged drive lives somewhere safe off-site, and I switch them every month. These do the job even if they don't leave me inspired, and I suppose that's enough.