For nearly a year now, Friedel’s been searching for a handlebar bag. There are many to choose from but for a long time, none of them seemed ‘just right’.
They were all too big, too expensive or too hard to open and close. It wasn’t until she saw this – the Vaude Road I Handlebar Bag
Here are some of the features:
- Weighs 595 grams
- 5 liter capacity
- Klick-fix attachment (very sturdy)
- Includes a map case and rain cover
- Shoulder strap (removable)
- Reflective details
- Retails for €60 (about $80 U.S. dollars)
Inside the main compartment is a:
- primary storage space
- zipped pocket along one wall
- pocket with a velcro closure along the other wall.
The two side pockets are handy places to stash a passport or emergency cash. The whole compartment is padded with foam (behind the polyester liner), and this gives a bit of shock protection to whatever you put inside.
The main pocket is fairly spacious. Friedel typically carries a small camera, wallet, keys, sunglasses and a mobile phone inside. You could fit a small DSLR camera inside, though there wouldn’t be much room left over.
On top of the main compartment is another pocket. It’s perfect for a few papers, or a set of keys. On the front of the bag, you find another similar pocket, with more separated areas. These various pouches and slots make it easy to categorize and sort your stuff.
The bag isn’t waterproof but it does come with a rain cover. Even in fairly heavy rain (without using the rain cover) the inside stays fairly dry. It makes sense, of course, to put things like cameras and passports in a plastic bag, or remember to put the rain cover on at the first sign of a shower.
All in all, we really like this bag. It’s sturdily constructed, big enough to carry everything you need, and the zippers make it very easy to open and close – even while riding. Highly recommended.
*** Win A Vaude Road I Handlebar Bag! ***
Note: the contest is now closed. Click here to find out who the winner was.
For our wonderful readers, Vaude has agreed to give away a Road I Handlebar bag! It will be black with red trim, as you see in the picture below.
Want to win? Here’s what to do:
- Leave a comment below. Tell us why you’d love to win one of these bags.
OR
- Tweet the following message about the contest: Win a Vaude Road I Handlebar bag from @travellingtwo and @VAUDE_nl http://bit.ly/winvaudebag
Good luck! You can enter twice: once by leaving a comment on this page, and once by Tweeting about the contest. We’ll pick a winner at random from the comments and tweets. The deadline for entries is 5pm (European time) on Sunday, December 4th, 2011. We’ll announce the winner on Monday, December 5th, 2011.