Kanpas #MTB-405 Series
Another relatively new manufacturer of map boards is the well known compass and orienteering supply maker, Kanpas. Along with a line of quick settling compasses, this company makes other essentials for orienteering athletes and they have now added their version of a bike map board.
Kael, the Kanpass Mascot
Report Card
Underside view
Installed weight
The Kanpas map board we tested found its way into the middle of the pack at 340 grams fully assembled.
Board material
The board is made of a sheet of 1/16” semitranslucent acrylic, similar to the Miry and Orifix models.
Top cover type
Keeping the map dry and secure is a polyvinyl sheet secured by a system of 5 press snaps. The cover sheet appears to be just slightly thinner than the others tested.
Bike attachment components (materials, design)
The Kanpas map board handlebar attachment uses a traditional ring and claw design with a throughbolt to connect to the map board. With the exception of the screws and nuts, the entire assembly is molded plastic, including the knobs on the tensioning screws. The mounting system comes completely disassembled and putting it together does require a bit of concentration, a couple of tools (included) and the reading of some instructions. This also means that it can be somewhat easily disassembled for travel - just don’t lose any of the tiny screws! Once assembled however, the plastic knobs allow for a tool-less installation. The system also comes with spacers in two sizes to help protect the paint on your handlebars.
Durability
The durability of the map board and cover do not seem any worse than the other boards on our list but the handlebar rack mount assembly pieces are alarmingly flexible. We feel that certain parts would be easily snapped if bent and it appears that the manufacturers feel the same way - they include a completely separate backup handlebar mount system as a spare. Once assembled and tightened however, the rig feels solid.
Cost
$89.00 plus s+h
Ships from / availability
Made in and ships from China, order at kanpas.com US dealer is Adengear
Expert trail test:
The version we tested has an integrated compass, which is a nice feature for keeping track of your bearing while riding technical terrain. However, it’s notable that this integrated compass fuses the top map cover and base together, which renders the top ~2” of the board unusable (i.e. your map can’t slide under the compass)
This board didn’t fit my handlebars well during trail testing, and it was very loose, though there’s a rubber spacer that can be used to improve the fit and secureness of mounting (we did not have the spacer with us during testing). The mount is also a slightly flimsy-feeling plastic and feels less sturdy than some other models.
I like their snap closure mechanisms, and they have toggles that are easy to grab for opening the snaps and flipping your map on the go.
Generally the board base feels robust and sturdy, so with proper secure mounting on the bars your map won’t be bouncing around too much.
This board installs without needing any tools, but the mounting screws need to come completely off during the mounting process and can be easily dropped and lost in the grass if you’re mounting this in a transition area during a race.
Wild Card
There is a basic orienteering compass built into the map board at the top center and the package comes with a free buff. You also get to meet Kael, the Kanpas mascot!
Overall impressions:
Borrowing from popular designs and adding their own twist, Kanpas was able to produce a mid range quality map board at a mid range price thanks to their existing manufacturing capabilities. The board loses a bit of favor from me due to the complexity and fragility of the plastic handlebar mount, but it comes with a spare rack.
Top view
The orange mounting screws used to tighten the board’s mounting system (right)
