Miss Grape Node Road

The Miss Grape Node Road offers an unusually slim design and a useful 0.75 litres of space that's very easily accessed. It is well made with good materials, but this quality comes at a cost.

At 4.8cm in diameter, the Node Road is narrower than many top tube bags, especially those aimed at bikepacking.

The bag has a large non-adjustable Velcro strap that goes around the top tube, and a removable front strap that secures around the stem/headset with a camlock buckle. For many bikes the location of the top tube strap will be fine, but it is fixed, so does have the potential to interfere with cabling or cable stops.

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The strap has some very sticky fabric sewn into the bottom, while the bag itself has silicone dots for grip. This helps make the bag more stable, preventing it from rolling side to side.

The bag is made from incredibly strong and reasonably light nylon polyester, which is very water-repellent and also very hard wearing. On the inside is a second layer of fabric that helps smooth the bag, and a sheet of firmer material lodged between gives a firm shape that holds well.

While it isn't officially waterproof, the material stands up fine, even against a hosepipe.

Pockets

On each side is a section of smoother fabric with a gap that could potentially give a place for a map, audax card or something thin that doesn't need water protection but does need easy access.

The main compartment is opened with a large zip. Opening the zip is very easy with the big looped puller making it simple, but while closing is still possible single-handed, it does take a little more effort. Once closed the zip is kept quiet and out of the way in a large zip garage.

There is no cable port, though, which some may find a shame.

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When loaded full the bag can flop a little from side to side, but careful packing to ensure weight sits lower down does help. When pedalling I had no problem at all, with legs and knees staying well clear of the bag.

Although 4.8cm makes is reasonably narrow, there are some that go further, such as the Apidura Racing Bolt-On Top Tube Pack and Restrap Race Top Tube Bag, which are both 4cm.

Value

At £60, the Miss Grape Node Road is up there with the most expensive options of all: that Apidura is £52, for instance, while the Restrap is £64.99 (it's gone up £5 since our review last year).

At the other end of the scale, it's worth looking at the LifeLine Adventure Top Tube Bag which offers a similar size and performance – and is 20g lighter at just 80g – for £15.

Overall

The Miss Grape Node Road offers a useable amount of storage that is easy to access, and it's good in poor weather. It stays in place well, not moving much thanks to good fabrics in key areas, and it's reasonably light and narrow.

The straps might not be the perfect location or size for all bikes, though – and there's no denying it's expensive.

Verdict

A strong, stable pack of a very useful size, but expensive