For the past two months I have been intensely training for my bike tour (that is actually next weekend!) With all the spin classes, runs, and weekend rides, my body has been feeling achy. As part of my training, yoga has become an important factor in helping my body recover. With the good weather we've had recently, my practice has me outdoors more, thanks to Mogi, a yoga mat cycling pannier.
When Mogi reached out to me about reviewing their pannier I accepted with no hesitation. In the past, I had difficulty carrying around my yoga mat on my bike and while traveling and needed a solution. Usually, I would roll and strap the mat to the rack or in a back pack where I often worried about it falling out. With travel, bringing my yoga mat was often difficult to carry on flight where it became a nuisance. With Mogi, my problems have been solved with a yoga mat cycling pannier that is easy to transport on and off bike.
With Mogi, I can take my yoga mat anywhere, to Yoga with a View, yoga class, or anywhere around me to practice in nature. We have a saying in cycling that "Outside Is Free," why not take yoga to that level too?
Key Features Pros & Cons
Straps: Mogi has shoulder straps for carrying your mat on and off bike.
Pro: You can easily throw it on your back and go on your bike without needed to strap on rack. Easy to carry around anywhere. Adjustable.
Con: It's only a con because I'm a tiny woman, even adjusting the straps still made the pannier hang a little low on my body. I would label this as #tinycyclistproblems.
Zipper: The zipper is long enough for easy placement of the mat.
Pro: I loved that I could add a towel and sometimes my wallet in as I thought it was long enough to zip in other items.
Con: None.
Reflectors: Located at top and bottom of pannier for noticeability.
Pro: I think a reflective safety feature on panniers is key. While walking to yoga class, drivers noticed me better to allow me to cross the street, that's a win win for cycling and walking.
Con: None
Storage: Front zipper pocket for storing items.
Pros: Fits phone, cards, keys. I'm a minimalist when it comes to carrying things to yoga class and on my bike. This takes care of the essentials.
Con: If you prefer to carry a wallet, this won't fit unless it's a very small one. I also thought adding storage for a bidon or water bottle on the front would be a great addition if you don't have a bidon rack on your bike or just want to carry items all in one.
Buckles and Webbing: Mogi has 3 adjustable buckles and slide webbing to adjust on your bike rack or handlebars.
Pro: Great for adjusting on bike rack, wire baskets, or handbars to fit nicely away from tires.
Con: I did have issues adjusting straps high enough on my bike rack so the pannier wasn't hitting the foot of my heel and rubbing my tire. That's most likely an error on the bike rack itself but I thought it was important to point out that this is usually an issue with most panniers. Selecting the right bike rack for your bike is also key.
Size: Large enough for my mat and a few other things.
Pro: I often had extra room for adding a towel and a few other items.
Con: There was a bit of excess material rubbing against my tire and made a lot of noise. Again, that may be an error on the bike rack too.
A large part of this review is also to help raise funding to make yoga more cycling friendly and mobile for everyone. Mogi is aiming to raise a modest $5,000 in the next few days to go towards manufacturing and start up costs on their Kickstarter fundraiser here. Mogi allows you pledge from $5 and more, where your pledges can return from getting your own Mogi pannier to a yoga for cyclists video. For more information about Mogi you can visit their Instagram and Facebook page to see Mogi in action.
Thank you Mogi team for being part of my journey, can't wait to take my Mogi bag with me on tour!
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