Seeking a “hardware” solution in the otherwise soft-goods field, the Anchorage-based Greenwell brothers designed a hardshell bike-frame “box” to protect supplies from outside objects.
Taking his experience as an aircraft mechanic, Cody Greenwell prototyped AK CODEPAK’s flagship aluminum bike “bag.” It bolts inside the bike’s main triangle. The Greenwell’s are also working up a carbon-fiber version.
These frame bags/cases are custom fit to the buyer’s frame dimensions. A buyer provides the dimensions and also the desired box depth (the most popular is 3 inches). The cases are bolted to the frame using the bike’s fillet braze-ons — the same attachment points for water bottle carriages.
Large side-wall door shuts with a push-button latch mechanism commonly used in airplanes. The Greenwells say this makes getting to your supplies easier while wearing bulky gloves. Add a locking latch for $25.
AK CODEPAK looks like it may have some very real market applications for commuters and urban riding, where you need to securely lock up valuables. But for the same reasons we don’t see hardshell backpacks, I’d be hard pressed to find these applied to the rigors of bike-packing.
Interested in the hard box? Give them a look through the company’s Kickstarter campaign. Aluminum boxes go for $250. Carbon models are available for $350.
