For The Love Of Bar Bags (Review)
As an aspiring young cyclist, I often look at the pros for inspiration either to train or on how to set up a bike. I LOVE the aesthetic of a clean bike with no visible cables, skinwall tires, and the only accessories being a bike computer and a number holder with a number in tow. Last season I would leave the house with everything in my jersey pockets, it wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but the bike looked good.
My opinion has shifted since moving in with a pro (technically he just races continental but hey, it's a hard world). I realized just how many tools, layers, and snacks can be fit into a bar bag as I would leave the house with my jersey packed to within an inch of its life, and Oli would leave with a phone in his pocket, gotta keep it accessible in case you see something interesting. Beyond that, his bar bag looks fantastic, so naturally, I went and bought one myself. In an attempt to convert you, the reader, to the bar bag life, here's my review of the Farsik Handlebar Bag.
Pros
Looks is a great place to start. With 12 colour options, there's something to either match or contrast just about any bike on the market. I went for the Navy to contrast the punchy red (orange?) of my bike. I think it looks pretty fantastic, and so do the countless people who have commented on how good it looks.
This bag also claims to be water resistant. In my experience, it's more waterproof, but that's probably a liability thing. I brought it to Vancouver one weekend and it managed to keep my post-race croissant dry despite the fact that I accidentally left the bag on top of a car in the rain. I've also noticed substantially less rust forming on my multitool now that it's being kept in my bar bag.
Once you get out of the rain, the bag is incredibly easy to clean. I've gotten it caked in mud many times, but when I get home I can spray it down with a hose and it looks like new. No scrubbing required (in my experience at least).
As I've already mentioned, this bag also holds a LOT of stuff. I'll typically leave the house with 2 tubes, 2 CO2s, a CO2 head, valve extender, multitool, pair of gloves, wallet, jacket, snack, and lock with room to spare. Not a lot of room, but that's a lot of stuff to keep in a bar bag.
It's also fairly affordable for what it is. I was told that all Farsik products are made by one guy about 30km away and immediately expected it to be at least $100. Although it isn't cheap, I think it's quite the steal at $68CAD ($83 shipped anywhere in Canada). If that's still a bit rich, you can also use promo code Oli10 to make it even more affordable.
Cons
My biggest complaint about this bar bag is how it mounts. The string that holds the bag to the head tube has been slowly wearing away at the paint on my bike. This is easily solved with a frame protector but is a complaint nonetheless. On the handlebars, it also takes up a fair bit of space. I can fit the bar bag, my bike computer, and a light at the same time, but nothing more. Again, I don't know what else I'd want on my bars, but if there was something, I wouldn't have space.
This bag also allows the metal bits stored inside to clang around a fair bit. When I first started using I'd stop every time I went over a bump I'd stop in fear that my drivetrain was rattling somewhere. I've since started wrapping the metal bits in an elastic band or keeping them in the gloves also stored inside. A small hassle, but it keeps everything quiet.
The bag is also a bit hard to open while you're riding. I find you need to hold the tab and pull the zipper with more force than I'd like to exert while riding a bike though again, worthwhile compromise, I only use the bag while training, I can afford to stop for 15 seconds to grab snacks, and I'd stop anyway if I needed tools or a layer.
Finally, bananas seem to go bad really quickly inside this bag. I'm not sure why, although since you have all that free space in your jersey pockets now, you can just keep it there.
In Conclusion
It's a fantastic bag, most of my complaints are trivial or easily fixed... or both. If you'd like to pick one up, click HERE to go to the Farsik website.
My opinion has shifted since moving in with a pro (technically he just races continental but hey, it's a hard world). I realized just how many tools, layers, and snacks can be fit into a bar bag as I would leave the house with my jersey packed to within an inch of its life, and Oli would leave with a phone in his pocket, gotta keep it accessible in case you see something interesting. Beyond that, his bar bag looks fantastic, so naturally, I went and bought one myself. In an attempt to convert you, the reader, to the bar bag life, here's my review of the Farsik Handlebar Bag.
Pros
Looks is a great place to start. With 12 colour options, there's something to either match or contrast just about any bike on the market. I went for the Navy to contrast the punchy red (orange?) of my bike. I think it looks pretty fantastic, and so do the countless people who have commented on how good it looks.
This bag also claims to be water resistant. In my experience, it's more waterproof, but that's probably a liability thing. I brought it to Vancouver one weekend and it managed to keep my post-race croissant dry despite the fact that I accidentally left the bag on top of a car in the rain. I've also noticed substantially less rust forming on my multitool now that it's being kept in my bar bag.
Once you get out of the rain, the bag is incredibly easy to clean. I've gotten it caked in mud many times, but when I get home I can spray it down with a hose and it looks like new. No scrubbing required (in my experience at least).
As I've already mentioned, this bag also holds a LOT of stuff. I'll typically leave the house with 2 tubes, 2 CO2s, a CO2 head, valve extender, multitool, pair of gloves, wallet, jacket, snack, and lock with room to spare. Not a lot of room, but that's a lot of stuff to keep in a bar bag.
It's also fairly affordable for what it is. I was told that all Farsik products are made by one guy about 30km away and immediately expected it to be at least $100. Although it isn't cheap, I think it's quite the steal at $68CAD ($83 shipped anywhere in Canada). If that's still a bit rich, you can also use promo code Oli10 to make it even more affordable.
Cons
My biggest complaint about this bar bag is how it mounts. The string that holds the bag to the head tube has been slowly wearing away at the paint on my bike. This is easily solved with a frame protector but is a complaint nonetheless. On the handlebars, it also takes up a fair bit of space. I can fit the bar bag, my bike computer, and a light at the same time, but nothing more. Again, I don't know what else I'd want on my bars, but if there was something, I wouldn't have space.
This bag also allows the metal bits stored inside to clang around a fair bit. When I first started using I'd stop every time I went over a bump I'd stop in fear that my drivetrain was rattling somewhere. I've since started wrapping the metal bits in an elastic band or keeping them in the gloves also stored inside. A small hassle, but it keeps everything quiet.
The bag is also a bit hard to open while you're riding. I find you need to hold the tab and pull the zipper with more force than I'd like to exert while riding a bike though again, worthwhile compromise, I only use the bag while training, I can afford to stop for 15 seconds to grab snacks, and I'd stop anyway if I needed tools or a layer.
Finally, bananas seem to go bad really quickly inside this bag. I'm not sure why, although since you have all that free space in your jersey pockets now, you can just keep it there.
In Conclusion
It's a fantastic bag, most of my complaints are trivial or easily fixed... or both. If you'd like to pick one up, click HERE to go to the Farsik website.
very nice article
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very nice article..
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