The following review was posted to the Beer Forum at mtbr.com on 16 Apr 2024.
Being the inventor of the original on-bike beverage-transport system, the DIY
Cooziecage™, I felt that I should be the one to volunteer to purchase and review the
Canclaw, a $23.00 (+$5.00 shipping) 3D-printed on-bike beverage transport system akin, if not in design then no-doubt in spirit and intention, to the Cooziecage™.
Seeing as how spring has just-now finally arrived in my neck of the woods, this past Monday morning I removed the Cooziecage™ and mounted my recently purchased Canclaw to the downtube of my
Coconino singlespeed for an early-season early-morning sortie into yonder public lands.
Together (my bike, my beer and I, natch) we rode exactly 9.4 miles, up singletrack and a wee bit of forest-road, to "the top" of the day's loop wherein (no matter where "the top" may be) it has long been my habit to stop and sit, atop a humpy rock, or upon the bark of a blown-down tree, or nestled within a tuft or two of brownish braken or bunchgrass, to imbibe a favorite bevvy (thanks always, up 'til today, to my Cooziecage™) whilst contemplating the brevity of my existence, or the shapes of the clouds over head, even perhaps just to anticipate the soon-to-be-had thrill of the downward-facing homeward-bound trail that awaits me.
Following this first-shakedown ride, I am pleased to be able to report, it appears the Canclaw
excels at can-holding and
also at can-transporting. A standard 12oz beer can easily snaps into the retainer with a positive audible click. To remove the can requires quite a bit, but not an inordinate amount of force, which must applied with one's thumb and pointer-finger to the integrated release-lever. My chosen beverage for this particular test-ride, a 12oz can of
Modelo Especial (an excellent inexpensive lager of Mexican origination), arrived safely at today's drinking-point, unscathed and with zero premature ejections. Unscientifically, it did seem that there was just a bit more head-foam upon opening than one typically sees when using a Cooziecage, but not at all an excessive (or, god-forbid, eruptive) amount.
As so, to summarize: while the Canclaw is
not a DIY on-bike beverage transport system, á la the Cooziecage™, it is, nonetheless, for just $28.00 shipped, a super clever, super low-profile, super stable and remarkably well-designed beverage transport system nonetheless. It works, and to this point, it appears to work well.
Thus, to all my fellow outdoor mid-ride bike-beer imbibers who might be interested in procuring one, I'm stoked to say: I can(claw) recommend.
UPDATE: 21 April 2024
The comment below, perhaps one of the greatest compliments I have ever been paid as a writer, appeared in the Beer Forum thread a few days after it began...
Update July 2024
Riding with the Canclaw during our rainy summer season I did encounter one vexing concern with the unit's design. When the integrated release lever gets wet mud/sand/grit in it, it is nearly impossible to operate. Dispensing water directly onto the lever from one's Camelback or bottle to remove the obstructing particles appears to be the only way to resolve issue.
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