Brooks Scape Handlebar Roll

Brooks' Scape Handlebar Roll is a high-quality solution to carrying your bikepacking adventure kit on the front of your bike. The cradle gives loads of adjustment, is easy to set up and made of really tough and durable materials, while the included dry bag does what its name suggests. When fully loaded it can bounce around a bit, though.

The Scape Handlebar Roll is a cradle system, supporting the included dry bag rather than being an 'all in one' bag solution.

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This allows you to leave the cradle attached to the bike and just remove the bag to either empty/pack your stuff or for security, where you can easily whip the bag out to pop into a shop for supplies.

The cradle is relatively easy to set up. Two pieces of webbing loop over the handlebar and pass back through aluminium buckles; pull things tight and job's a good 'un.

To deal with any cable or hoses in front of the bar, you use the included EVA foam spacers to get a flat position.

Once that's in place you can offer up the dry bag and, using the straps, wrap the holster around the bag and attach the aluminium hooks through the daisy chain loops on the top of the cradle.

It really is very simple, and with multiple loops you have plenty of adjustment depending on how much gear you are carrying.

The only thing I would say the cradle lacks is straps that pass under the fork crown, like those found on the Alpkit Kanga Handlebar Harness and Restrap's Small Bar Bag. These stop the cradle and dry bag bouncing up and down when you're riding on rough terrain.

Unlike many, this double-ended dry bag has an internal compartment, which means you can separate kit – like keeping dirty clothes away from your sleeping equipment or something. It's a handy thing to have.

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It's made from 420D nylon with fully welded seams and has an IPX4 waterproof rating. That means it can cope with heavy showers, and to be honest, as long as you have both ends rolled up tight you are going to have to be riding in some very heavy prolonged rain before it gets through.

Overall quality is very good indeed. The materials used for the cradle are tough and it still looks brand new, even though it has been on my gravel bike on muddy gravel trails and through byways where it's come into contact with overgrown hedges and brambles.

It's the same with the dry bag. The nylon is very resistant to damage, and the clips used on each end feel strong – even though they are plastic I see no evidence that they'll let you down.

The Brooks has an rrp of £110 and that's in the same ball park as other top-end brands. The handmade-in-Yorkshire Restrap bag I mentioned above is £109.99. It has slightly more capacity at 14 litres, and also included in the price is a food pouch that uses magnets to clip onto the cradle, giving an extra 3 litres of storage for easy-to-grab essentials.

The Apidura 14L Expedition bag is cheaper at £104, while the Alpkit cradle mentioned earlier is £59.99 on its own, and you can add one of its 13-litre dry bags for another £12.99, showing you don't need to spend a fortune on bikepacking kit.

Conclusion

On the whole I really like the Scape. I own the Restrap cradle/bag system and I'd say the quality of the Brooks is very much at the same level – that is, very high. You aren't getting the little extras with the Brooks, though, and it would also be good to see those support straps added for riding rough sections of trail.

Verdict

Excellent quality and easy to fit, but can get bounced about on rough terrain