Ortlieb Velo-Sling Flex

The Ortlieb Velo-Sling Flex is a sleek, waterproof, and durable pack that doubles as a handlebar bag. It features a smart selection of internal pockets and is built impressively well, but it’s not cheap – and that’s before you add the necessary mount to get it on your bars.

As with anything Ortlieb, this bag offers a great design and the sort of durability that promises years of heavy use. It’s PU-coated nylon which, in conjunction with the roll top closure, delivers a waterproof rating of IP64. That means it’s ‘dust-tight and protected against splashing water from all directions.’

There’s a reassuringly strong magnetic closure that clicks satisfyingly into place, and it’s easy to use with just one hand.

Inside there are two mesh pouches, a larger zipped pocket and a main compartment. This 2.5L version can easily hold a phone, wallet, puncture kit, spare tubes, gilet, gloves, an extra buff and a couple of flapjacks too. If you need more flapjack space there’s a 5L version.

Both options come in black, a very bright Cyber Pink, or a fetching blue called Petrol, even though petrol is not blue.

Not only will this carry everything you need for a day’s ride, but those pockets mean you can organise things efficiently, which I find essential for my cycling sanity at the end of a long ride. And as an added bonus it looks pretty good when you throw it over your shoulder at a cafe stop.

If I was more of a hipster, I’d be inclined to wear this as an over the shoulder man-bag whilst tearing around town on my singlespeed Langster. There’s a stabilising strap that holds it in place while you’re trying to track stand at the traffic lights.

I struggled to work out how to attach the straps, so was delighted to find an Ortlieb video explaining how on YouTube. It’s wordlessly delivered and somehow one of the most relaxing things I’ve watched in a long time. It’s recommended viewing whether you decide to buy the bag or not.

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I commute with a rucksack, so the Flex went on the bars for most of my testing. I’ve already got two bikes with Rixen-Kaul KLICK Fix attachments, so this immediately rolled into action on a host of rainy mid-week club rides.

For my main audax bike however I needed to set up Ortlieb’s own Barlock Mounting System. This uses two strings that lock into place, making it (supposedly) easier to remove and transfer to another bike.

It’s certainly a lot easier to mount than the KLICK Fix adaptor with its crosshead screws, but lashing it on felt less intuitive to me. It requires you to weave each string around the handlebar in a certain order before locking each into place, and the end result isn’t as visually pleasing.

The bar mounts start at £20.50 and go up to £35 for the quick release version, so if you plan to use the Flex as a bar bag you’re looking at around £100 all in. Note that it’s not recommended for carbon handlebars, as abrasion or constant rubbing can cause structural damage.

Over the first few weeks, I moved this bag between three different bikes. It was great on wider handlebars or when riding a fixie, but its 16cm width did cause a few problems with narrow ones when I needed to change gears. That would get annoying at the end of a 200k-plus ride.

Here comes the rain again

One of the wettest winters in living memory means I’ve had no problems assessing the waterproof qualities of this bag. It passes with flying colours.

No matter what the weather throws at you, this will keep your valuable electronics safe and stop your clothing getting soggy. As with lots of Ortlieb kit, it’s the roll top that really ensures a watertight seal, and it works well.

And whether you’re honking your way to the top of a ride, tearing down the other side or weaving through Britain’s artistically pothole-strewn roadways, this bag stays perfectly in place with not a hint of a rattle or bounce. It has an upper weight limit of 3kg, and even when I was approaching that, everything stayed perfectly in place.

One small issue I had was on a night-trip to the local pub, when I wanted to carry a bulky D-Lock. For some reason I struggled to get the (otherwise super powerful) magnet closure to click into place. I ended up looping the lock over the handlebars instead.

I love the sleek looks. At just 2.5L it’s not for really long-haul rides or the first choice for a bikepacking trip, but I really did appreciate being able to organising my kit and keep my cardboard audax brevet card dry too.

It’s surprising narrow from the top given the large surface (16 x 28cm) you’re pushing through the air, and while it being about as aero as Welsh dresser was not an issue for me, it may bother anyone obsessed with wasted Watts, speed and efficiency.

Value

At £75 this is really not cheap, though it is robust, waterproof, brilliantly designed and a joy to use. Ortlieb offers a five-year warranty too, so you know they’re confident in their work. For me that means the value isn’t as bad as it might look – you’re paying, at least in part, for the quality. It’s a shame there’s not even the most basic bar mount included, however, especially as that’s a £20+ extra.

Of course you can spend less if you want to. The Madison Roam Waterproof 3L Handlebar Bag costs £39.99 and scored a solid seven when Steve reviewed it. He gave it a thumbs up in terms of its performance, but was less impressed with its looks. It’s only £5 more than Ortlieb’s QR mount, though, and almost half the price of the Flex bag, so perhaps you won’t mind. There’s no option to wear it, of course.

The Oxford Aqua Evo Adventure Daytripper Pack is bigger at 3.5L, mounts with simple tabs and is entirely impervious to rain for just £29.99, though it doesn’t double as a sling pack either.

If you’re looking for something a little more classic, the Carradice Harrop Barbag scored a very impressive nine and gained a ‘road.cc Recommends’ when Sam reviewed it. It’s gone up £5 since then, but even at £59.95 it’s cheaper, doesn’t require an additional attachment, offers 4.5L of storage and is impressively waterproof. Once again, though, it doesn’t work as a wearable.

Overall

The Ortlieb Velo-Sling Flex is not a cheap option, especially when you factor in the additional attachment required to actually mount it to your bike. But it performs brilliantly, is exceptionally well designed, looks good and promises years of really solid service.