Tailfin Announces Universal Thru Axle, New Mount, Triple Bosses, and More

We’ve covered a number of Bristol, UK-based Tailfin’s products in the past, from their AeroPack to their recent Cargo Cages. After a year and a half running the AeroPack, I’m continually impressed with this rack-style seat pack’s solid build and ease of use.

Still, as refined as its products may be, it’s always good to see a company striving for improvement, especially if it’s gear that can be retrofitted to existing products, details of which can be found below. Also worth mentioning is an update in product naming, which should make navigating Tailfin’s many variations more manageable – though it still takes some deciphering. Customers can now choose between the AeroPack Carbon or AeroPack Alloy. The AeroPack Carbon range remains the lightest option, whereas the AeroPack Alloy benefits from the triple boss upgrade for added versatility. Buyers can still also opt for pannier mounts or the lighter non-pannier-compatible version.

And about those eyelets. After extensive feedback – and suggestions in our own review – alloy arches across the whole range (that means both the X and S series rack systems, as well as the AeroPack Alloy we tested) are now fitted with triple bosses as standard. Apparently they’re not just any old eyelets, either.

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According to Tailfin: “Firstly, we haven’t settled for the industry-standard aluminium rivet nuts, our inserts are stainless steel. The result is a thread that is much harder to damage and an insert that is less likely to fail. Secondly, these inserts have an ED Black (Electrophoretic Deposition) coating. This coating offers three benefits: it inhibits galvanic corrosion with the aluminium rack, helps to reduce the chance of a seized bolt when using the bosses, and lastly, it provides a black surface to match colour of the rack.”

The triple bosses use standard 64mm spacing, so can be used with any brand of water bottle or cargo cage. Plus, the update sees an increase in load rating – a further 3 kilograms whilst off-road or 5 kilograms whilst on-road, per leg. Apparently, “This additional 6-10 kilograms of carrying capacity takes the system maximum weight capabilities to 15-19 kilograms for non-pannier-compatible models (pannier compatible models remain at 27 kilograms).” Not that we’d recommend or see a need to carry that much on a general basis. Still, we welcome the additional mounting points, particularly for desert excursions where an extra 3-4L of easily accessed water will come in handy, or perhaps long-range rides where opportunities for resupplies are limited.

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The newly updated Alloy Arch with triple bosses is available now. Weights and pricing as follows:

S THREE Alloy Rack Specs

• Construction: 6061-T6 Aluminium
• Weight: 480g (for axle mount), 420g (frame mount)
• Price: From £99/$147

X THREE Alloy Rack Specs

• Construction: 6061-T6 Aluminium
• Weight: 540g (for axle mount), 480g (frame mount)
• Price: From £129/$192

AeroPack Alloy Specs*

• Construction: 6061-T6 Aluminium
• Options: With or without pannier mounts
• Weight: From 800g
• Price: From £189/$283

*AeroPack includes integrated 20-litre seatpack/top bag

If you want to retrofit a new arch to your current system, an alloy arch without pannier mounts is £69/$105 and an alloy arch with pannier mounts is £109/$165, so not a great saving but one nonetheless. Although a replacement arch does include the lower mounting hardware and spacers, it might be better, even, to buy a new frame-mounted option – the least costly build – and have a backup.

Tailfin AP Mount

Of particular interest to current owners is the very nifty AP Mount, which bolts to the back of the AeroPack. “The AP Mount’s concave shape and double Voilé strap-compatible guides allow it to snugly carry a water bottle. Integrated triple bosses further increase carrying capacity and enable all standard bottle and cargo cages to be fitted. A low weight of just 34 grams and an extremely low profile ensures that the AP Mount is most definitely a fit and forget piece of kit.”

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I’m not sure I’d choose to place a standard water bottle in such an exposed spot unless I was running fenders/mudguards or perhaps road riding in the summer. But aside from providing a home for a fuel bottle or a Kleen Kanteen, as shown, I imagine it would be perfect for a tool roll, keeping it out of the way until it’s needed. Here’s the details:

Tailfin AP Mount Specs

• Construction: CNC machined 6061-T6 Aluminium
• Weight: 34 grams
• Price: £20/$30

Next up is Tailfin’s Universal Thru Axle. As you can imagine, given all the growing popularity of thru axles and their various standards, compatibility between accessories and bikes can be a real headache.

Tailfin Universal Thru Axle

The new patent-pending Universal Thru-Axle takes the guesswork out of choosing your axle and also future proofs you in case you swap bikes or indeed have different bikes with differing axles. Four swappable threaded ends cover almost all axle thread pitch standards from 1.0mm – 1.75mm and 1.0mm double lead for Mavic Speed Release. The whole thing can be easily installed with a couple of 5mm hex keys. One neat feature of the new Universal Thru-Axle is the ability to extend the width to accommodate the wider 148mm rear wheel BOOST spacing found on most modern mountain bikes.

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Tailfin Universal Thru Axle Specs

• Construction: 6061-T6 Aluminium
• Weight: from 65 grams
• Price: £49/$69

To round of this spate of upgrades and new releases, you can now run your Cargo Cage or AP Mount with matching black Voilé straps. Tailfin has opted for the heat-treated aluminium buckle version, so it should definitely stand the test of time. They’re sold in pairs, be it the 15″ or 20″ version, as below. Being a UK company, note that the cost of these is higher than purchasing Voilé straps directly in the US, but on par for UK pricing.

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Tailfin + Voile Strap Specs

• Construction: Polyurethane with a UV-resistant additive. Heat-treated aluminium buckle
• Weight: from 21 grams
• Price (per pair): £15/$20 (15”), £17.50/$25 (20”)

For more details on these updates, and pricing around the world, visit Tailfin. Expect products to be in stock towards the end of March.

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