The Finest Bike Handlebar Luggage of 2024

Why Ought to You Belief Us?

For the group at Bikerumor, writing about and driving bikes isn’t simply our job, it’s our ardour. Lengthy rides, brief rides, highway, gravel, mountain, we love being on the market. We additionally love being ready for no matter might come our method, whether or not we’re out for an hour or the whole day. Being ready means having the whole lot we have to keep comfy, nourished, and able to repair mechanical points which will come up, so we want house to maintain all the essential issues with us. Extra just lately, handlebar luggage have change into certainly one of our favourite methods to maintain our important gadgets shut at hand wherever our rides take us.

For our handlebar luggage purchaser’s information, we known as on the experience of Bennett Shane to check and examine a various number of the most effective handlebar luggage in the marketplace. Bennett has been biking severely for over twenty years and spends an inordinate period of time on the bike whereas driving for health, enjoyable, and plenty of product testing. He lives simply outdoors of Portland, Oregon, and enjoys each lengthy and brief rides all through the countryside and mountains of the Pacific Northwest (and all over the place else for that matter). Dwelling in an space with extremely variable climate and sometimes embarking on half to full-day rides within the mountains implies that he usually wants to hold a number of gear, meals, and instruments to be ready for altering temperatures and climate whereas remaining self-sufficient. Because it isn’t all the time attainable, or comfy, to stuff the whole lot into jersey pockets, Bennett depends on handlebar luggage to develop his on-bike storage capabilities and preserve necessities shut at hand. Having owned and used many various handlebar luggage through the years, Bennett has distinctive perception into this rising class of merchandise. Bennett additionally has a great deal of expertise testing and reviewing different merchandise like handlebar tape, biking shoe covers, winter biking gloves, highway bike sneakers, biking bibs, highway bike helmets, and extra.

After researching the most effective handlebar luggage in the marketplace, we gathered 19 completely different fashions for testing and side-by-side comparability. Our numerous choice features a vary of sizes, manufacturers, and worth factors, with fashions appropriate for any kind of driving or storage want. After inspecting the supplies and building of every mannequin, Bennett mounted them up on his small fleet of highway bikes, loaded them with jackets, gloves, snacks, telephones, cameras, keys, and extra, and hit the highway. Over the course of a number of months, Bennett rotated by means of these handlebar luggage on his day by day rides whereas assessing every mannequin’s storage, attachments, stability, zippers, ease of use, climate resistance, and all-around efficiency in real-world driving situations. When testing concluded, we zeroed in on our favorites and those who excel for particular causes in comparison with the remaining.

Shopping for Recommendation: Methods to Select a Bike Handlebar Bag

Handlebar luggage are pretty easy items of drugs, however with so many fashions in the marketplace, choosing the proper one will be more difficult than you may count on. Whereas many bar luggage share the same barrel-like form, sizes, supplies, and constructions range such that some are possible to fit your wants higher than others. As an example, some are impressively weather-resistant whereas others are easy however efficient canvas. Some use inner reinforcement to carry their form, whereas others supply much less construction and thereby shed weight. Many supply a number of options like exterior pockets, in addition to straps for attaching lights and securing light-weight clothes whereas others are extra easy. We’ll break down essential components to contemplate when selecting a handlebar bag beneath.

Dimension

Discovering the correct dimension handlebar bag is arguably a very powerful facet of getting one which serves your wants the most effective. Fortunately, handlebar luggage are available a wide range of shapes, sizes, and storage capacities to fulfill completely different storage wants and needs. We examined 19 completely different fashions with almost all of them having capacities ranging between 1.15 and three.4 liters (with one outlier at 5 liters), that are all nice choices for including a bit of additional storage to your bike for on a regular basis rides. After all, with these completely different capacities come various dimensions which is able to impression how they match and the way a lot house they take up in your handlebar.

Capability

The storage capability or quantity of handlebar luggage is usually expressed in liters and typically in cubic inches. The baggage we examined vary between 1.15 liters on the smaller finish and as much as 5 liters on the bigger facet of the spectrum. What dimension works greatest for you’ll rely upon what you’re intending to hold in it. After all, this may occasionally range relying on the size of your journey, the climate situations, or the season, so for some riders, having multiple handlebar bag to swimsuit various wants could also be mandatory. For others, discovering a flexible dimension that works more often than not is the most effective wager. And, along with a handlebar bag’s said capability, different storage options like exterior mesh or zippered pockets can successfully improve their capability.

For riders with low storage calls for, the smaller, 1.15 to 1.3-liter, choices could also be splendid for stashing journey necessities like a telephone, keys, vitamin, winter gloves, or different small gadgets whereas incurring the bottom weight and aerodynamic penalty. We examined six luggage on this dimension vary together with the Arundel Mini Bar Czar, Lead Out Mini, Ornot Mini, Orucase Smuggler, ALMSTHRE Compact, and the Blackburn Grid. Not surprisingly, these luggage all share comparable compact dimensions and are lighter weight than bigger choices.

Transferring up a step in storage capability are what we’re calling medium-capacity handlebar luggage. We examined eight fashions between 1.7 and a pair of.4 liters with most of them falling at or nearer to 2 liters of storage. These luggage fall into what might be known as the “goldilocks” zone the place they’re neither too massive nor too small, as a substitute, they’re “good”. These luggage simply accommodate the whole lot you’ll be able to match into the smaller fashions whereas having sufficient extra house to squeeze a packable jacket for variable climate and/or extra snacks to maintain you fueled on longer rides. These embrace the Mission Workshop Toro, ALMSTHRE Signature, Swift Industries Kestrel, Rapha Bar Bag, and several other others.

Transferring up as soon as extra, we examined 4 luggage that maintain 3 to three.4 liters. Whereas 3 liters is under no circumstances enormous, it’s fairly a little bit of space for storing and lots for many riders to sort out all-day rides and carry the whole lot they want with out being prohibitively giant or heavy. These luggage will assist you to deliver a number of layers, bigger meals gadgets, and even larger cameras. The 4 luggage on this dimension vary are the Ornot Handlebar Bag, Swift Industries Bandito, Wizard Works Lil Presto, and the Chrome Helix. For these with even higher storage wants, the 5-liter Highway Runner Luggage West Coast Burrito has you coated.

Dimensions

Together with their capability, the form and dimensions of handlebar luggage range too. As storage quantity will increase, so do the size of the bag. Eleven of the fashions we examined share a barrel form and have measurements for his or her size and circumference. The remaining eight fashions have extra of an oblong (or flattened oval) form that embrace measurements for size, top, and width. Most of the barrel-shaped luggage have inflexible inner constructions that assist them retain their cylindrical form which prevents them from sagging and helps preserve them extra secure, even after they aren’t full.

It is very important contemplate the size of a handlebar bag as it could impression how nicely it matches in your handlebar and whether or not or not it conflicts together with your hand positions. Relying on the form and width of your handlebars, some luggage is perhaps too extensive/lengthy. The fashions we examined vary between 7 and 11 inches in size, with most of them falling between 7.5 and 9.5 inches. It’s worthwhile to have a pal measure the house between your palms in these positions, so you should utilize the measurements supplied on this information to decide on a bag that’s ideally sized for you and your bars. 

Attachment

Most handlebar luggage connect to the handlebars in the same method though there are slight variations on the theme. The standard bar bag attachment system consists of two straps that loop across the handlebar on either side of the stem together with an elasticized tether wire that loops across the headtube or stem to anchor it and add some stability. The handlebar straps on some luggage are mounted in place, whereas others have a number of attachment factors that assist you to place them optimally to your cockpit setup.

Whereas all of them obtain the identical purpose, completely different manufacturers use completely different handlebar strap varieties to connect luggage to the bars. Some use hook and loop (velcro) straps, others use nylon webbing straps with plastic buckles, and a few use rubber (Voile-style) straps. All of them work in comparatively the identical method, though some make it somewhat simpler to put in and take away a bag and a few are extra grippy and secure than others.

Relying on whether or not you’ve gotten equipment like lights or a pc mounted in your bars, or the place you place your palms on the bar tops, having the choice to regulate the place of the attachment straps could also be worthwhile. If, for instance, the house instantly subsequent to your stem is already cluttered with pc and/or mild mounts, it’s good to have the ability to transfer the straps out and have them over your handlebar bar tape. Conversely, if you need all of the house attainable to your palms on the bar tops, shifting the straps nearer to the stem may give your thumbs extra room. The Ornot Handlebar Bag is an efficient instance right here, because it has two attachment factors for the Voile straps at 4 inches aside and 6 inches aside.

Water Resistance

Relying on the climate situations you journey in, water resistance might or is probably not a deciding consider your handlebar bag alternative. Luckily, there are many choices which can be extremely water-resistant (some even declare to be “weatherproof”) and are made with DWR-treated materials, water resistant linings, waterproof zippers, or all the above. Whereas few luggage declare to be utterly waterproof, there are lots of which can be fairly darn shut, just like the Mission Workshop Toro, Rapha Discover Bar Bag, and several other others. These can sometimes fend off showers, highway spray, and dust with ease whereas maintaining your treasured cargo good and dry. Others have easier constructions that aren’t fairly as water resistant however will often fare nicely in opposition to tremendous mild quantities of moisture.

Reflectives

Some manufacturers and fashions of handlebar luggage have reflective components added to them so as to add a little bit of visibility in low-light situations. Whereas we don’t really feel it’s a requirement, and many of the luggage we examined don’t have them, we do admire reflective options when they’re added to an adjunct like a handlebar bag if it will increase our possibilities of being seen by motorists. The Blackburn Grid is a standout for its reflectivity as the whole entrance face of the bag lights up when hit with a headlight. Another fashions have reflective strips built-in into the front-facing webbing like on the fashions from Ornot and Rapha. Many luggage even have daisy chain-style webbing attachment factors the place clip-on lights will be hooked up for these rides the place you’re flirting with darkness.

Model

Whereas many riders most likely don’t consider a handlebar bag as a modern accent, there are a lot who do, and it’s certainly one of some ways to simply and affordably add some private aptitude to your bike. Some handlebar luggage solely are available one or a couple of protected colour choices like black or gray that are straightforward to coordinate with nearly any bike, whereas others can be found in a spread of colours. ALMSTHRE, Orucase, Mission Workshop, and Wizard Works supply a number of the most colour choices among the many fashions we examined. Lowland Crafts is exclusive with reference to fashion since these luggage are handmade to order and the client is given the choice to decide on the principle cloth, entrance panel, and attachment webbing colours when buying.

Worth

In comparison with many issues in biking, handlebar luggage are a comparatively cheap accent. That stated, they arrive at a spread of costs with the vast majority of the fashions we examined coaching between $40 and $125. On the whole, the bigger the bag, the dearer it’s, and vice versa. Nonetheless, a few of these seemingly easy little luggage price somewhat greater than you may count on. One of many causes is that most of the manufacturers that make handlebar luggage (like Wizard Works, Swift Industries, Highway Runner, and Mission Workshop) are fairly small, produce in small batches, use recycled materials, and/or make their merchandise within the USA the place prices are increased. All these components make the value go up, however must also correlate to added worth with long-term sturdiness because of high quality supplies and constructions.

Regularly Requested Questions