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review

Cordo Tafelberg Office Bag

9
£49.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Good looking and incredibly well thought through commuter bag offering good laptop protection
Weight: 
1,004g
Contact: 
www.i-ride.co.uk

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Cordo Tafelberg is a sturdy cycle-specific laptop bag that'll protect a laptop up to 15in either over your shoulder or mounted on your bike.

Made from incredibly tough fabric, it's clear that this is a bombproof bag right from the word go. It's no lightweight at over 1kg empty, but that's because it's got all the bells and whistles to protect your computer, including a whole lot of padding at the front, back and bottom.

It's a simple flap-over design but there are some nicely considered fold-in sections at the tops of the sides to prevent water ingress if it rains. The flap fastens to the body of the bag with a simple but secure Velcro tab, as does the laptop sleeve section inside. There are four zipped pockets as well as pouch pockets on the inside to keep pens and whatnot in, and there's a pocket in the lid that you can tuck the carrying strap into when it's not in use. A section of the stripes on the bag are reflective and there are reflective patches at either end too, so you can use the bag on either side of the bike without sacrificing visibility.

Designed to work either as a shoulder bag or as a pannier, the bag has adjustable solid Rixen and Kaul pannier fastenings to fit any rack, as well as a neat flap that pulls over those and secures in place, hiding them away if you choose to use it as a shoulder bag instead. These fastenings hold onto the rack securely and they're easily adjusted, while a Velcro strap acts as a simple backup. A sturdy handle makes for easy removal from the rack and basic carrying.

The strap is broad and made from high quality webbing. It's adjustable and has a decent-sized shoulder pad that you can move up and down. While the shoulder strap is useful for prolonged periods of carrying the bag off the bike, it isn't strictly designed to work as a courier bag on the bike. Lacking any extra chest strap, it can move when you ride. That means it's better to use this as a pannier on the bike and as a shoulder bag off it.

I found that at 19 litres the Tafelberg offers just the right capacity for a laptop and other office bits and pieces. It's large enough to carry a basic change of clothes (not shoes), but not so large you're tempted to cram everything but the kitchen sink inside. It offers a really good level of protection for a laptop with lots of cushioning, a secure fastening and no bumping on the rack, and you get a decent level of water resistance too. The features are well thought through and genuinely useful, and it's a good looking bag too.

Verdict

Good looking and incredibly well thought through commuter bag offering good laptop protection

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Cordo Tafelberg Office Bag

Size tested: Red

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Aimed at commuters, it might also be handy for students or school kids. Spot on for those carrying a laptop anywhere.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Tough fabric

Cushioning for laptop front back and bottom (up to 15in laptop)

Zipped pockets

Reflectivity front and back and side

Shoulder strap

R&K pannier mounts - adjustable

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

Really well made from good components.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Sturdy, secure and protected the laptop well.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

This bag's going to last. Very tough.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
6/10

Not the lightest, but that's the penalty you pay for all the cushioning and the sturdy fabric.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Performed really well. No bumping or bouncing, very secure and safe feeling.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Level of padding for laptop, nicely featured, style

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Definitely

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

Tough, stylish and very well designed. A great way to transport a laptop.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 1.65m  Weight: 67kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, general fitness riding, mtb

 

Lara has been riding bikes for longer than she'd care to admit, and writing about them nearly as long. Since 2009 she has been working as part of the road.cc review team whilst championing women's cycling on the side, most notably via two years as editor of the, sadly now defunct, UK's first and only women's cycling mag, erm, Women's Cycling. 

Believing fervently that cycling will save the world, she wishes that more people would just ride a bike and be pleasant to each other. 

She will ride anything with two wheels, occasionally likes to go fast, definitely likes to go far and is always up for a bit of exploring somewhere new and exciting. 

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1 comments

Avatar
workhard | 12 years ago
0 likes

No chest strap.

Ship

Ha'porth

Tar

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