The Michaux Club Lightening Rucksack

This is the first post in our New Product Review Section. Our business is about finding products that enhance your cycling experience by doing the following 3 things:

1. Helping you cycle safely
2. Helping you reduce the faff factor of cycling
3. Helping you cycle in style

So we will be testing all products and letting you know how they measure up and how they meet our strict criteria, here at Cyclechic.co.uk.

First up we have the Michaux Club Lightening Rucksack (£250)

1. How does it help you Cycle safely?  The most obvious safety feature is the reflective piping sown into the front of the bag. Most reflective fabric comes in grey but Michaux have gone the extra mile to find reflective piping in tan brown to match the leather exactly (when not reflecting). Nice touch. Having a reflective element on your back as you cycle is a great visibility aid as it will shine out to cars behind when the beam of their headlights catches it. A more general safety bonus of a rucksack is that it frees up you arms and shoulders so you can cycle in a comfortable position -ill fitting shoulder bags can be dangerous if they slip and slide and get in the way as your ride.

Great for night cycling

2. How does it help you reduce the faff factor? A rucksack can be a great faff reducer especially for those who don't use a rear rack and panniers. It may be that you don't like the look of a rack on your racer or that you have child-seat obstructing your rack, either way a rucksack means you can just hop and your bike, carrying your stuff with ease.
A rucksack is also good if you do a combination of cycling and walking in your day to day life. Rucksacks are more comfortable for walking, spreading the weight evenly across your back and shoulders than bags with handles or one strap. The straps of the Michaux rucksack are wide so sit comfortably on your shoulders and you can tighten them without taking the rucksack off, by just pulling the strap down.

Great for walking 

Another feature I LOVE is the secret pocket (facing your back) that you can zip open and slide things in and out whilst the bag is still on your back. So you don't have to swing the bag off when ever you want to get your phone or wallet out.

And last but not least you don't need to worry when cycling in the rain as the Michaux Lightening is waterproof. It doesn't look it - its not shiny or waxed but it has been treated and although it will get wet on the outside, the water will not seep through. It also has a roll down top to ensure no drips of rain will reach the contents of your bag (a big bonus when commuting with a laptop/ipad) 

3. How will it help me Cycle in Style? I don't need to rant and rave to much on this, the bag speaks for itself. It's beautiful. It has been expertly made and the attention to detail is second to none. The colour options are graceful an tasteful and the leather features give it a stamp of quality and a classic feel. The Claret seems to work like a dream with my entire Autumn/Winter wardrobe! This bag has bags of style.

Verdict
This rucksack exceeded my expectations. It's not cheap but that's because it is not cheaply made and the look and feel when you use it, sets it apart from cheaper versions you may find on the high street. Having never been a big fan of the designer handbag, this rucksack is my urban substitute, Beautiful, classic and less than half the price of a Mulberry handbag, I know which one I would choose.

Also comes in Olive

...and classic black

Check out the full range of Michaux bags in our new product section