Cycle bag recommendation

If anyone is interested, the
If anyone is interested, the Rivelo backpack in the original post is currently on sale at £39.99.

Hi SpikeBike,

Hi SpikeBike,

How about a bag from British company Restrap?

They do both backpacks/rucksacks whatever you want to call them as well as Messenger bags.

https://restrap.co.uk/collections/backpacks

https://restrap.co.uk/collections/messenger-bags

Good luck finding the right bag for you!

John

Used the Alpkit Tivaro a few

Used the Alpkit Tivaro a few times commuting in the pouring rain and it is superbly waterproof.  Roll tops on either end so pretty much packs down to the size of your contents which is good too.

SpikeBike wrote:

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

Dunno if this is any use, it’s a shoulder bag https://www.athleteshop.co.uk/new-looxs-alba-single-bike-shoulder-bag-17-l-folla-black, comes with pannier hooks apparently.

I use an Abus Dryve but it’s a messenger bag, bloody fantastic though and I’m a pannier bag man through and through.

 

Got a bit of a slating by Road CC but I will take your recommendation over theirs

http://road.cc/content/review/29048-abus-dryve-messenger-bag

Not sure which size they were reviewing but the 50cm wide one isn’t 16l, mine is the 50cm version and the same as the one I linked to so is the 32L version. This is big enough to consume my ‘desktop’ 18.4″ lappie sideways, plus plenty of other kit, for shopping you can fit 3×4 pint milk bottles in easily and have plenty of space for 2 loaves of bread and other bits plus a shirt and trousers when you use the extending section.  Also the reviewer failed to mention it’s padded at the sides and bottom so even better for protecting laptops, as for the comments about it moving around with weight in whilst cycling, frankly I’d say that’s down to operator failure, the retaining strap isn’t for the waist, this puts the bag far too low down on your back for a start off which can induce pendulam swing if it isn’t fitted snugly with the excellent straps/backles.

Goes all negative with the paranoia about the outside pocket being pick pockatable which basically applies to any bag with a zip and is high enough up you’d likely see an arm in your peripheral sight if stationary at lights long enough for someone to snake one over, plus the zip is nice and sturdy (taped seams so very waterproof) that you’d feel someone tugging it open in any case. 

Again the reviewer goes all negative about the fact there is too many compartments on the internal ‘office organiser’ and says it’s too confusing you’ll forget where stuff is, what a melt.

Fails to mention the excellent shoulder strap which is also padded and has a handy detachable pocket for a music device or even a work/travel pass.

I gave my son one (I bought three as a job lot from Spain for silly money) and he loves it, I don’t use mine often but as far as a protective, secure and reasonably capacious shoulder bags goes I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

I recently got one of the

I recently got one of the Life Behind the Bars Echelon Messenger bags, not a backpack, but does offer an X strap to be supported like a backpack. I’ve been using custom Timbuk2 messenger bags, but recently gave one of these a try. It’s similar to a Chrome bag but with a lot of the options omitted by Chrome crossed with a Timbuk2 bag. Digging it so far, but haven’t really gotten a chance to test it in fowl weather yet as I’ve only had it a few weeks. Best thing about it so far is the laptop goes in the front of the bag vs against your back, making poratge much more comfortable as the bag is able to adapt to your back better. 

It is also 32L so a bit more grocery or kit carrying capacity than a Large T2 Bag. The way the top of the bag is cut really helps with keeping water out unlike the T2 bags, however the stickyness of the newness of the truck tarp inside can make sliding things in and out a little more cumbersome than a T2 or Chrome bag initially. 

They also have backpack options as well. 

Anyway, I’d never heard of the brand before and the bag has all the little extras that I have been searching for in a bag but couldn’t find all in one place before (such as the external bottom compression straps to carry coats/stuff sac/odd shaped items, the abilty to strap on larger items with the long external straps, 30L+ capacity, X-strap (internal/no need to remove the pack access of a messenger with the weight distribution of a backpack), and a cobra buckle. 

I’d put the build quality up close to a T2 custom. Only real nit is some of the strap adjusters don’t allow the excess to be pulled through easily one handed while on a bike as my custom T2 bag allows. Easy enough to do with 2 hands though and I am hoping with time the bag works in a bit and those nits will subside.