BTR Lightweight Corner Frame Triangle Bike Bag With Waterproof Zips

At only £15 BTR's Lightweight Corner Frame Triangle Bike Bag With Waterproof Zips (catchy name!) is well worth a punt if you're looking for a bit of extra, easily-accessible storage on your bike. It's a fair bit better than the price alone would suggest.

Pros: Inexpensive, well made, fairly rugged

Cons: You can't stow the straps so you have to cut them

At 25cm long, 4cm wide and between 6cm and 9cm deep this isn't the biggest frame bag you can buy, but there's room for a decent amount of kit in it. You could use it to stash spares and tools (I got everything from my well-stuffed Sticky Pod in it bar the pump), or snacks, or a cafe lock, or your phone and keys. It scores over a seatpack in that it's easily accessible from a riding position – just pull the zip back and have a root around – and it scores over a top bar bag (it's the same kind of size) because you don't knock your knees on it the whole time when you're out of the saddle.

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The BTR bag is simple to fit, with three Velcro straps. There's no way of stashing the ends, and they flap about when you're riding, so the best thing to do is cut them to length; obviously that means you might be limiting your options a bit down the line if you decide to swap it to a chunkier frame. The straps are rubberised on the inside to protect your frame, and the whole bag is nicely made. Seams are tight and tidy, the material is pretty waterproof and so is the zip: a good dousing with the hose didn't push any water into the bag, so you should be fine in the rain. A dab of silicone grease on the zip will both help with waterproofing and make it a bit less sticky when you're trying to pull it open from the saddle.

Overall I was impressed, really. At £15 you can't expect miracles but this is a nicely-considered and well constructed bag that's genuinely useful extra space on your bike. It's a good alternative to a top bar bag or a bigger seatpack.

Verdict

Cheap, effective extra storage for any bike