Note about the Drybag: The Drybag is from Decathlon. Topeak Versacage: The fork bag can be used as an oversized bottle cage, e.g. for a 1.5 liter Nalgene bottle, or hold a 5L pannier securely on the bike fork. Thanks to the three-point attachment, the bag sits practically floating next to the handlebar. This dampens vibrations somewhat. The Topeak Freeloader is therefore one of the more suitable places for sensitive technical devices such as compact cameras. Does a lot of things right and sits reliably between stem and handlebar: The Topeak Freeloader stem bag As mentioned, there is a zipper on both the left and right sides. The zippers are water-repellent and at the same time covered by the fabric of the frame bag during the ride. This gives additional protection.

The length of the straps are quite long for my loading technique ie they hang down a bit which I do not find so nice. Functionally, there is no impairment here. Also, the straps are very far from getting caught in the spokes. I felt safe there for the whole ride. Secure hold: The handlebar roller is fixed in the holder with two straps. Once tightened nothing slips Properly attached, the Topeak Midloader frame bag holds bombproof in the frame triangle and nothing wobbles. Test & I have collected plenty of experience in the terrain Good The bag itself is rain-repellent. If it does rain heavily, a pull-out rain cover is integrated into the left side panel of the Topeak Toploader. Sturdy straps hold the mount securely to the handlebar and head tube. The rubber spacers allow the distance between the mount and the handlebars to be adjusted in three stages. Topeak Frontloader: The handlebar bag is secured to the handlebar with straps. Spacers provide enough space to grip the handlebarsThe Topeak frame bag uses the upper area of the bike frame. The Topeak Midloader is available in three different sizes: 3L, 4,5L and 6Liter. The range is thus quite broad to fill most frames well.

The bag holds six litres. So a lot goes into the Topeak Barloader. Overall, I find the bag already quite large. Practical & large 😉 The Topeak Barloader from above: A lot of gear fits in but the bag is also quite big The saddle bag is permanently installed on the saddle. The Drybag is filled with the equipment and can be slid into the saddle bag. The stable closure and the well thought-out tensioning mechanism ensure that the saddle bag and drybag are held securely. Large 6L variant could hold more dimensionally stable on the top tube e.g. with an additional Velcro strap or a wide Velcro strap in the middle. Conclusion No matter what type of bike product your buying, from the simple accessories through to the full setup of your custom built road bike, there are lots of important considerations that you should take into account, especially when you’re shopping online and unable to test the product first. This is especially true when you’re buying products like Bags. Commuting in winter and also travelling in countries with a lot of precipitation should not be a problem (e.g. Denmark in April).

Topeak FrontLoader Handlebar Bag reviews

The Topeak Freeloader can be mounted on the right or left side of the handlebar. If the stem is long exactly, then two freeloaders can also be mounted. The bag is attached to the bike at a total of three points: The inner lining of the Topeak Toploader is also yellow. This provides excellent contrast and the equipment inside is easily visible at first glance. Topeak Toploader by obe: The zipper can also be operated with one hand while riding The saddle bag itself is only water repellent, the Drybag inner bag itself is waterproof. So here you do not have to worry in the rain or dirt. The content is protected. Topeak is now launching the second generation of the Frontloader. Compared to the previous year, there are the following innovations: Then I fitted the bag to a drop bar bike with under tape brake cables but with external gear cables (see photo four in the above gallery). Prior to fitting I thought that this setup would be the most awkward as it often is when using bar bags. However I was surprised that it was really straight forward to fit and that the cables just sat over the top of the harness and bag.

If you want even more storage space, you can expand the Topeak Frontloader with an accessory bag. This handlebar bag is called Barloader and we’ll get to it in a minute 😉 The handlebar harness (mount) of the Topeak Frontoller is permanently installed on the handlebar. The caster can be removed Harness system or fixed handlebar pulley? Even fully loaded, the bag keeps its shape well and hardly expands. Thus, I never bumped the bag with my knees while pedaling. The access can be from the left as well as from the right: There is a zipper on both sides of the frame bag The handlebar harness itself is now attached to the handlebars bombproof. Even after several days of the roughest trails, I didn’t have to readjust the straps. That’s why you can see it was easy for us to give Topeak FrontLoader Handlebar Bag such a high overall score of 8.6 / 10. It seems to have the perfect combination of features, quality and price making it a great all-rounder. Mount to head tube is at the lower part of the bag and can lead to some sway with heavier items. Could be improved by having the mount strap higher on the headtube.The position of the Velcro straps at the bottom of the top tube bag is variable. Here there are several loops through which the Velcro straps can be passed. If this were not the case, the Velcro straps of the top tube bag could possibly collide with the Velcro straps of a frame bag. So the way it’s solved on the top loader is exemplary. Finance is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. Performance Cycling Limited FRN: 720557 trading as Tredz are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are a credit broker not a lender – credit is subject to status and affordability and is provided by Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC. Terms & Conditions Apply. The maximum weight of the reel is given with 5 kilos which is a lot. As an example, my tent and sleeping pad weigh about 1.7 kilos. That’s far less than half the allowable weight. With the Freeloader handlebar bag, the high-quality workmanship is immediately noticeable and the handling of the bag is also very well thought out. The Drybag itself has a correctly sized opening and can be closed firmly. I really liked the integrated valve: The remaining air in the saddlebag can be pressed out almost completely. This compresses the dybag to the maximum.

The handlebar harness has been fitted with an additional plastic brace on the top. This makes the shot even more stable and I think the new look is brilliant. Keyword optics In all three available sizes, the bag has the aforementioned three velcro closures at the top of the bag. I had the bag in 4.5 liters and in the photos you can see the frame bag in the 6 liter version. While the smaller 4.5 liter version hugs the top tube perfectly, the 6 liter version sags a bit. As seen in the photos. Here I would have liked a fourth velcro or a wider velcro in the middle. In addition, I must say: The bag I had also heavily loaded a little too heavy. Among other things, with a lot of tools and a 20,000 mAh powerbank with aluminum housing.The fabric is water repellent but not waterproof. In my opinion, this is hardly a problem in practice! Due to the mounting in the frame triangle, rainwater reaches many places on the bike but hardly the position inside the frame triangle. The Frontloader bag was often easy to fit as well as stable out on the trail. The addition of the air valve on the dry bag meant that you could compact the bag contents smaller and more solidly which in turn meant that the harness held the dry bag securely. It didn't slip or side while I was using the system. In brief, I tried the harness on several different bikes with as many different bar types and cable routing as I could - to try and get a feel for how simple or awkward each might be. I have used a WildCat Lion harness in the past and, although they are similar, there are differences too. Namely that the Topeak uses spacers for the bar section and that it is secondarily secured via the head tube. Now the plastic clips can be clipped tightly and will hold securely. With a rigging device you can pull the bag really tight on the saddle. Toploader (top tube bag): The top tube bag from Topeak has convinced me in the test. If you are looking for an inexpensive and at the same time reliable top tube bag, you should take a close look at this bag. The bag sits securely and centrally on the top tube. Even in the cradle you do not touch the bag and thanks to the rain cover, the toploader also defies the elements. I’ll give it a recommendation.