With bike touring, you are always learning and looking for better ways of doing things.
One persistent niggle on previous tours and day trips has been my lack of easy access to my wallet and iPhone. Sure, you can stuff them in your bike jacket, but what about when it is too hot to wear the jacket or raining so hard that you risk getting water in them? (And this actually happened to me three years ago and led to my buying my latest iPhone.)
The obvious solution is a handlebar bag, but frankly up to now, I have not been impressed with what is on offer. I tried an Ortlieb handlebar bag for a few months but it came with a very heavy and rigid mount that could only be fixed – once – onto one bicycle, and the bag itself left no space for bike GPS, video camera or any of the modern paraphernalia of cycling. It was not very easy to release and was held shut with a magnet, which often gave way, flinging the bag and its contents everywhere. I took it on precisely one bike tour before removing the mount and throwing it away.
Since then, I have stuck all my valuables in the backrack at the back of my bike, guessing that no one is going to nab an innocent looking bag but still annoying to have to stop the bike, dismount and search through the bag for my phone every time I see a good photo or want to check something on my iPhone and still vaguely nervous about the whole thing.
About nine months ago, my Google Newsfeed alerted me to a story about an American start-up called Route Werks who had just got crowdfunding for a new handlebar bag with a hard flat front with a dedicated mount for GPS and plenty of other neat ideas. I mentally noted it as a potential solution, but since it was not yet on the market, there was not much I could do.
In March, again the newsfeed reported that the bags were now on sale but selling out quickly. I went for it, found their website and duly ordered one. There was a big delay because of production problems so it finally arrived only a few weeks ago.
The bag
The bag comes in two colours: black and khaki green though the CEO is clearly thinking of more colours.
My rough measurement is that it is 24cm wide across the handlebars, 13cm long and 14cm deep, though the bag tapers down to about 20×10.
It comes with a sturdy metal lid with a circular insert in the middle into which you can install the mounts for a bike GPS or phone. The bag itself is rough waterproof fabric similar to that used on some bike panniers.
It has four pockets on the inside. One appears to be designed for a phone, one in the top is apparently for batteries, and the other two small ones at the front? Well I am stuffing my AirPods in one and keys in another. There are two small pockets on the outside, held shut with small hooks. I have stuffed my multitool into one and my emergency small bike lights into the other.
Across the inside and outside of the lid, they have criss-crossed bungee cord, allowing you to stuff things in there such as bike gloves or arm warmers though these can get in the way of the GPS.
It comes with a mount that needs to be fixed onto the handlebars and screwed into place. This is good: very unobtrusive and relative easy to unscrew if you need to pack the bike for travel or decide to use on another bike (though I bought a second for one of my other bikes and that makes things easier). You really do not notice it when you are riding the bike without the bag.
To use a GPS, you have to buy the relevant mount. A little fiddly to screw on so really not a question of being able to switch mounts easily. It sounds as though they are working on a variant which would allow you to fix more than one object on top: a phone and a video camera for instance.
They also sell a mount to fix on the side for a bike light (see below).
Is it any good?
I have not yet taken it on a bike tour so these are early days, but so far, I have to report that it is GREAT, and I am getting some very envious looks. There is a good chance that I am the only person in Belgium with one.
For a start, it does exactly what I wanted: a bag with enough space for wallet, phone, passport if I need, AirPods, keys, my multitool, sunglass shades and dear God, sanitiser gel, tissues and a face mask. And with my GPS on top and plenty of space for a bell and GoPro mount. It is one of those bags that you keep on seeing if you can fit more in. Indeed I am now using it alone for day rides, packing in a spare inner tube, pump, tyre levers, and my very small emergency lock.
The lid locks down securely, so no chance of things coming apart when moving it around, though occasionally I have had to press it shut (see below). It is easy to put on the mount and take off for a quick trip to the shops or a bite to eat.
And I can testify that it is waterproof, having ridden 20 minutes through a thunderstorm the other night on my way home from dinner at a friend’s house and not a drop inside when I got home.
The negatives? Well in truth, when it arrived, it was a lot smaller than I was expecting. It is designed for mountain bikers, road bikers and gravel bikers rather than the comfy bike tourist or even the bikepacker. It can fit an iPad mini at a pinch, but diagonally and with not that much space for other things. It wouldn’t hurt to be a few inches bigger. As the actress said to the bishop. Perhaps a larger touring version in the future?
And on gravel, cobbles or even on a downhill, there is an annoying rattle. I tried to sort it out by sticking on felt adhesive shock absorbers… only to find that I could no longer shut it. Not the end of the world, but a little annoying. And either because of that or because it fell off the bed, the lid no longer automatically clicks into place. I can close it, but really bike bags need to be designed to take wear and tear, so we will see.
It comes with a carrying strap which you cannot remove and which rather gets in the way. I tried stuffing it in the lid but that made it difficult to close. Again, not the end of the world, but rather annoying.
With that heavy top, the bag is inevitably a bit unstable and falls over easily. Fine for having it beside you while stopping for a coffee or a bite to eat but not something I would want to take out with me to dinner when off the bike. I will stick with my fine Bulgarian man bag.
And you really do need to buy the separate light mount because otherwise it completely gets in the way of any light. Or have a bike light that you mount on your helmet. A short term solution if you have to go through a tunnel or have a short night ride would be to remove the bag and sling it round your shoulder and back, but not ideal.
Over all though, I love it. It is a thing of beauty. I want to show it to everyone…
My only regret? Not buying the light mount and not buying a third mount for my road bike. I will wait until they release more accessories later in the year and then buy some more goodies. Boys and their toys…
A question of price
So at this point, you are probably thinking “Great! Where can I buy it?”. But there is one final thing that you need to know that might slightly shock you and put you off. The price.
What were you thinking? $60? $100? Well it is actually $180 and that is before you add the cost of extra bike mounts, adapters and the like, and the shipping cost.
That is not cheap. This is a quality piece of equipment designed to look cool and appeal to the booming bike market. If I were setting out on a first bike tour or kitting out a new bike, I would probably hesitate. You certainly don’t need it for a happy bike tour or riding.
But if you have the money, are sure that you will use it, and feel like a treat, then go for it. And in these dark days, why not treat yourself?
Finally, a professional reason. My job is about supporting entrepreneurs, start-ups and small companies. I absolutely love the spirit and mindset of entrepreneurs. Googling the Route Werks handlebar bag, I came across the podcast below in which the CEO explains how it came about and all the thinking that went into it. If you have time, listen in from about the eight minute mark as he explains his passion for cycling and the different aspects of production. It is quite a long interview but really worth it.
Verdict
So my verdict so far is: great.
But let’s see how it handles the rigours of bike touring… I will update this post when I come back.
Update: 29 August 2021
I promised to update this post after my next bike tour, which took place in July and which I am busy writing up the notes from. The truth is that the handlebar bag proved to be an excellent addition: it meant that I could carry around pretty much all my valuables with me when I stepped off the bike for any reason or when checking in to a hotel, the only exceptions being my iPad mini and Kindle without all the stress and worry. I also started packing a small HipLok lock in it, which again meant that I could quickly lock up my bike for a few minutes without having to rummage to the bottom of the backrack for my heavy U-lock.
More importantly, I felt secure when cycling through cities or taking the bike through four train stations and when loading the bike onto trains. I had my keys, my phone, my wallet, my passport all right in front of me. (And sadly also my facemask, my disinfectant and my tissues.)
And just as importantly, it encouraged me to stop and take more photos or take more notes while I was on the road without the annoyance of having to get off my bike and again rummage around in my backrack for my phone or notebook. And I even stuffed some sweeties in there to refuel on the go.
And that annoying rattle? I inadvertently found a solution. It turns out that it goes away when the bag is absolutely stuffed full to the gills with all the stuff that I wanted in front of me.
I still do not like that strap and did not feel comfortable that it would not snap under pressure. I still think that the bag could be slightly bigger. And yes, one really does need a light mount. When cycling back through Brussels at midnight at the end of my trip, I ended up tying my small emergency front light round my GoPro. It sort of worked and would be enough for tunnels or emergencies, but not for night rides or winter rides, so worth shelling out for that light mount.
And one further mini-gripe: the iPhone pocket at the back of the bag is not very practical as the phone is hard to get at when stopping briefly. I ended up using the space for my passport and vaccination papers, and putting the phone on top of everything else.
But overall, I found myself wondering how I had managed without it and discovering that my backrack had magically managed to fill itself up with other things instead… So well worth it for bike touring and I have seen from the company’s website that I am not the only person who had the idea.