The Buds RTMBag Pro bike bag’s design revolves around keeping the bike’s rear wheel in place, providing better protection for key components, and saving on some packing hassle. Although it’s a large bag, it’s easy to manoeuvre with plenty of usable grab handles and smooth-rolling wheels. The bag’s rigidity isn’t the best, although it’s improved with the stiffening plates fitted, and it handily packs down very neatly for storage. Overall, for the money, it’s a great entry-level bike bag that’ll keep your bike safe and secure.
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Buds RTMBag Pro bike bag – Technical Details
The RTMBag Pro is a little different from other bike bags, storing a bike with the rear wheel fitted. Aside from the reduced faff, with the rear wheel fitted, the rear triangle remains braced and the rear disc is better protected – all good things.
Externally, the bag features sturdy roller wheels at the rear and includes reinforced areas underneath to resist wear and tear. Three grab handles aid man-handling the bag, one low down at the front for wheeling it, with the other two on top to lift. Made from PE600D, a durable and wear-resistant synthetic fabric that is incorporated with 8-10mm high-density foam for protection.
Packing with the RTMBag Pro is a fairly simple affair. The front wheel slots into a built-in sleeve behind the bike with velcro tabs to keep the sleeve closed. Included with the bag are a couple of extra items to help protect the bag during packing – a handlebar cover, frame wrap, and fork protector.
These extra covers form a secure and damage-free packing for the bike, securing the handlebars alongside the fork. To secure the bike further, internal hook-and-loop straps are used around the seat post and fork. An internal zipped pocket is included, handy to store pedals or tools.
Buds also offers extra protection options to keep the bike as safely padded as possible, such as a complete frame wrap and seat cover.
Weighing in at a claimed 7.8Kg, it’s light enough to keep your luggage within the usual oversized baggage 32kg limit, too. When not in use, the RTMBag Pro folds down into a smaller package, which is super handy for storage. Two straps keep the bag rolled up, and an extra storage cover keeps the bag fresh and clean for its next use.
Buds RTMBag Pro bike bag – Performance
Getting the bag unpacked is a simple affair, and it became obvious quite quickly how each of the protective items fitted to the bike. Fitting the fork protector was a cinch, although the bottom strap was only just long enough to fit around the MTB fork and brake caliper. Next, four bolts on the stem faceplate release the bar and then get wrapped in its own protective bag. The handlebar bag is plenty long enough for 800mm bars or wider. It’s a little fiddly to fit with all the cables, but it’s securely fixed in place with hook-and-loop straps. Wrapping the headtube junction with the final protective cover gives the handlebars a secure home thanks to more hook-and-loop straps.
With the bike all wrapped up, it can be slotted into the bag. The size large 29” wheeled Cube AMS Zero99 was used for testing, and it fitted with no issues. With a relatively short wheel base of 1181mm, it was a comfortable fit, and I believe larger mountain bikes like my Deviate Highlander 2 (with a 1258mm wheelbase) in size large also fit with a bit of a squeeze. However, big XL-sized bikes will struggle.
Moving the bag around the airport was no issue, however, it is noticeably longer than the usual bags, which require both wheels to be removed, so it takes a little more attention to not run over other airport lemmings. I did run into an issue with oversized baggage in Heathrow, where the bag got rejected by the automatic scanner twice because of its size. After some nervous looks at the baggage handlers, we managed to get it through, and I didn’t have any issues flying home, so maybe I was just unlucky.
Initial impressions weren’t overly positive, with the bag lacking any structural rigidity and leaning over. Two plates are included with the bag, one is flexible, whilst the other is T-shaped and reinforced, but these weren’t mentioned in the instructions, so I couldn’t figure out where they went. Turns out, these slot into the front and back of the bag, giving it improved rigidity. With these plates fitted, the bag rigidity is much improved, standing up straighter.
When not in use, it’s satisfying to pack the bag down into a smaller item, which can be easily thrown in the loft. I particularly like the thin zipped cover, which keeps the bag looking fresh even when it’s been left in the loft between yearly outings.
Buds RTMBag Pro bike bag – Verdict
At £548, it’s certainly on the cheaper end of the market, and whilst the RTMBag Pro bike bag has some good features, it is playing in a market of well-refined bags.
Evoc has been doing bike bags for a long time, and you can see it in the refinement on offer. The Evoc Pro Bike Travel Bag has all the protection nailed, but you’ll need to remove both wheels to use it. Coming in at £700, it’s not cheap, but it’s one of the best soft-case options. Evoc also does their standard Bike Travel Bag, which has fewer features – mainly the lack of an internal frame – but comes in cheaper at £500, solid value for money.
The Buds RTMBag Pro bike bag is a great entry-level offering to take your bike on a plane. The packing process is simple, thanks to not having to remove the rear wheel, and the provided protective covers are well thought out to keep everything secure and safe. The bag is on the big side, which takes some careful manoeuvring around the airport, but it’s easy to man-handle with well-placed grab-handles. For the money, it’s a well-thought-out bike bag which protects the bike in the right places and packs down neatly for storage.
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Product purpose:
Build extra:
Folded bag dimensions: 155 x 40 x 32 cm
Manufacturer’s weight: 7.8 kg
Product construction
Product construction extra:
Zips are tough
Wheels seem tough enough
Product performance
Product performance extra:
Extra padding included helps with the packing process and protection
Large bag to manoeuvre
Product durability
Product durability extra:
Product weight
Product weight extra:
Product comfort extra:
Easy to wheel around the airport
product value
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Product value extra:
Overall performance:
Product likes:
Better protected with rear wheel fitted
Easy to store when not in use
Product dislikes:
Packing protection could be refined
Large bag to handle and manoeuvrer
