Why ROK
Why ROK
A strap that stretches, holds, and never scratches.
Most straps fail in one of two ways. A bungee is a hook on a rubber band: it scratches your tank, goes slack when the load settles and fires back at your face when it slips. A ratchet strap has no give at all, so it crushes a soft bag or works loose on a rough road. ROK is the third option, designed in Australia in 1996 and copied ever since.
What makes a ROK different
Loop ends, not metal
Each end is a soft webbing loop that wraps your rack or frame. There is nothing to scratch paint, nothing to snag and nothing to launch at you if the strap slips.
A short elastic section
A solid rubber core inside a tight nylon braid. It stretches enough to hug the load and keeps pulling as the bag settles, so it is still tight at the end of the day. Low recoil, no slack.
A buckle you can work with gloves on
Flat webbing through a side-release buckle. Pull to tension, press to release. No knots, no unthreading, no fighting a hook with cold fingers at the fuel stop.
Loop. Buckle. Tighten.
Loop
Pass the strap around your rack, frame or grab rail and feed the end through its own loop. It locks onto the bike without a hook.
Buckle
Run the strap over your bag and clip the buckle. The flat webbing sits on top of the load, not against the paint.
Tighten
Pull the free end until the elastic section is working. Ride. At the next stop, one press on the buckle and the bag is off.
ROK vs the alternatives
| Bungee cord | Ratchet strap | ROK strap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with the bike | Metal hooks | Metal hooks | Soft webbing loops |
| Tension after the load settles | Goes slack | Works loose or crushes the bag | Stays tight, 50% stretch |
| If it slips | Recoils at you | Drops the load | Low recoil, no hook |
| Release | Unhook and unwind | Open ratchet, unthread | One press, gloves on |
| Rated load | Unrated | High, but rigid | Up to 65 kg (143 lb) per strap |
Two widths, one idea
Motorcycle Straps, 25 mm: the main load on a motorcycle, ATV or snowmobile. Wide enough for a 60 L duffel, adjusts 450 to 1,500 mm (18" to 60"), rated up to 65 kg (143 lb) per strap.
Pack Straps, 16 mm: the strap you keep in a pocket. Same stretch, slimmer buckle, 93 g a pair. Adjusts 300 to 1,060 mm (12" to 42") for jackets, tents, dry bags and the second helmet. Rated up to 27 kg (60 lb).
Every ROK is made from UV-stable polyester webbing with a natural rubber core, tested in the Australian outback and sold with the ROK barcode and original packaging. Thirty years on, it is still the strap riders measure every copy against.