At a glance High quality but pricey handlebar-mounted bag with reflective panel, an internal pocket, a fully waterproof construction and a locking quick-release attachment
Tested by
Jon Adams, tester for The Bike List
Performance
If you've never used a barbag, you're missing out on one of the most convenient ways of carrying all the essentials you need when you're out on a ride. As the name suggests, a barbag clamps to your bars giving you quick and easy access to the contents, but it uses a quick release bracket, so when you stop at the shops, the café or the pub (or of course, your place of work), you simply take the whole thing off the bike and carry it with you.
Ortlieb are renowned throughout the world for making superb biking and outdoor kit, and the Ultimate 5 Classic bar bag offers a fully waterproof bag that locks to your bars and has press stud fittings for extras like a waterproof map cover or a GPS/phone case. The bag comes in two sizes - Medium and Large - and the most popular Medium (£66) comes in 5 different colours (Black, Red, Blue, Yellow, Grey) and offers 7 litres of storage space. The Large (£70.50) is in Black only and offers an additional 1.5 litres of volume thanks to its extra depth.
The bracket fixes to bars up to 31.8mm in diameter via an ingenious wire attachment. This wraps round and uses the stem as a support, though it must be stressed that carbon bars and stems are not suitable for use. Additional brackets for those with more than one bike can be bought for £15, and if you have 'butterfly' or touring handlebars, there's an extension unit available for £8.50. The quick release mechanism is easy to use, and features a lock that deters anyone from stealing the bag. The bag itself doesn't lock though, so thieves can easily open the press stud closures and steal whatever's inside. If you've already got a Rixen Kaul KlickFix bracket on your bars (as used by Altura, Agu, Vaude, Karrimor and Rixen Kaul bags, baskets and attachments, then you won't need to swap everything over, as the Ortlieb bags fit those, too.
The Medium sized bag's 7 litre capacity gives plenty of room for wallet, phone, lightweight waterproof, arm and leg warmers, Buff, toolkit, mini pump and some food, and there's a separate internal zipped pocket for coins, keys or any other small items you want to keep isolated. A four-section divider is available for £5 (and for £18 you can even get a camera compartment that fills the entire bag), though the divider is thrown into the deal if you want the Plus version which sports two small exterior mesh pockets and costs about £10 more. Whichever version or size you go for, you'll find a big retro-reflective patch on the front of the bag, and this shines like a beacon for oncoming headlights. A nice touch is another retro-reflective patch on the face of the bracket, so even when the bag's removed you've still got a forward-facing reflector.
In use, this bag really works well. The hinge for the lid is on the far side, so you can open the bag and access the contents when you're on the move - provided you're confident about doing that sort of thing, of course. The bag is fully waterproof, and kept out everything the UK weather threw at it over the test period. It's not immersible, but provided the lid is on properly, any water coming from above, front, back or sides can't get in. You could probably just about force water into the bag by directing a hose upwards into the join between the lid and the body, but you'd need some pretty peculiar weather conditions for that to happen on a ride!
Closing the lid can be a little bit fiddly at first - especially if you're doing it one-handed while on the move - and the two press studs that fasten the lid aren't as secure as a zip if you're unlucky enough to crash. To be fair though, the latter is more than offset by the ease of opening, and you'll be doing that far more often than falling off! Another slight downside is the lack of any loops, clips or brackets for lighting. Bar bags present real problems for those riding at night, because they make a handlebar-mounted front light impossible, and we'd like to see an LED tab as a minimum, or preferably an accessory lighting bracket that allows a couple of headlights to be mounted underneath the bag.
Niggles aside though, this is a top-notch bar bag that really takes some beating. It is pricey though, especially when you add another £14 for the map case or £23.50 for the GPS case, but once the investment is made, you won't need to think about another one for many years. It's not uncommon to find tourers and commuters with Ortlieb bar bags purchased in the nineties or even the eighties, so choose your colour wisely - it'll serve you well for a long, long time!
Buy from www.wiggle.co.uk
Ortlieb says:
Stay on the right track! A mapcase or GPS cover can be fixed onto the lid of the Ultimate5 Plus and Classic. Both products are part of the Ultimate accessory program. The handle bar bags have stiffeners to keep them standing and feature a rigid lid. They are available in size M and L. The integrated valuables pocket helps organize small items. Both models feature a 3M Scotchlite reflector for safety in the dark. Maximum allowable weight is 3kg/105oz. Designed for a handle bar diameter of max. 31,8mm/1.25 in.
- Internal divider available as accessory
- Handlebar bag in two sizes made of PD620 / PS490 fabric
- Integrated valuable pocket with zip
- Fits to handlebars with a diameter up to 31,8 mm and to conical handlebars
- Stable and rigid lid
- Push buttons for attaching the ORTLIEB map case or GPS bag (optional accessories)
- An invisible reflective foil covering the front of the fixing plate ensures more safety when cycling in the dark
- without the handlebar bag
- Highly reflective 3M Scotchlite reflector
- Lockable mounting set protects handlebar bag from being stolen
- Maximum load capacity 3 kg/ 105 oz.
- All ORTLIEB handlebar bags are compatible with the KLICKfix fixing system by Rixen & Kaul
- Accessories: extension adapter (including long cable) for mounting onto extremely curved handlebars such
- as Modolo, YUMA, Humpert CONTEST, mounting set (e.g. for a second bike), padded camera insert (for sizes M and L), mapcase, GPS cover, internal divider
- Bag comes with shoulder strap, inner pocket and lockable mounting kit
- Height: 21cm
- Width: 23.5cm
- Depth (M): 14cm; (L): 17cm
- Weight (M): 650g; (L): 670g
- Volume (M): 7 litres; (L): 8.5 litres
Find out more www.ortlieb.com
