Cycle bag recommendation

If anyone is interested, the Rivelo backpack in the original post is currently on sale at £39.99.

This looks like a bit of a bargain...https://aquapac.net/store/shop/aquapacs-on-sale/messenger-bag-026/?gclid...

Hi SpikeBike,

How about a bag from British company Restrap?

They do both backpacks/rucksacks whatever you want to call them as well as Messenger bags.

https://restrap.co.uk/collections/backpacks

https://restrap.co.uk/collections/messenger-bags

Good luck finding the right bag for you!

John

Used the Alpkit Tivaro a few times commuting in the pouring rain and it is superbly waterproof.  Roll tops on either end so pretty much packs down to the size of your contents which is good too.

SpikeBike, 

If you get a quality messenger bag (ie one specifically made by cyclists for cyclists such as Timbuk2, Chrome, Mission Workshop, BaileyWorks, LifeBehindBars, etc... vs just a fashionable messenger bag styled work bag) they won't bounce around.  If worn and adjusted properly it is more like a bag hugging you and hanging on vs a bag hanging/pulling on your shoulders if that makes sense. They are specifically designed to carry bulky loads securely while on a bike. Whereas a backpack is made to carry loads, but not necessarily designed for the bike (helmet contact/back of head contact when riding on lower bar setups, blind spots when looking over shoulder, carrying weight high which is good for hiking but not necessarily biking, etc...)

I ride off-road with mine, travel, road rides, commutes, you name it. It will lessen the area of contact on your back making it cooler than a backpack. Also, much less intrusive to helmet contact and blindspot/over the shoulder site line checking. 

I also like that I can swing it around and access it without have to take the pack off. Also it is easily adjustable from ride mode to loose/walking mode.  Plus much easier to access items inside without having to burrow down a vertical hole as most rolltop backpacks. 

That being said, they aren't for everyone. Some people just prefer backpacks and that's all good. I happen to prefer the messenger bag for on bike use. On a drop bar roadie style bike you are a lot more stable as the weight is lower and better balanced. I noticed this when I first used a Timbuk2 backpack to carry a 25lb bag of dogfood home by bike. Cornering and riding across the short off-road trails connecting streets was sketch at best. With my messenger bag, it was heavy but didn't affect the riding negatively.  

I'd swing by a local shop to see and wear one before jumping in, just to see for yourself. 

Oh, and I stop for red lights and yield to pedestrians despite my messenger bag use.

The reviewers on here know even less about backpacks than the cycling accessory companies who make some of them. 

There is only one bag designed to be worn while riding a bike, the messenger bag. It keeps the weight low and away from the shoulders (arms should not be supporting anything but you), it lets your back breath (no ventilation system is very effective when leaning over your bike), you can quickly check over your shoulder without getting a face full of bag to name but 3 reasons.

However, if you still prefer a rucksack then the last place to look is a company that mostly makes cycling accessories. We all know cycling kit is somewhere between expensive and unbelievably expensive for what it is (yes Rapha, I mean you) but at least the clothing and other truly cycling specific things are not only fit for purpose but also better than offerings by non-specialists. This is not true for rucksacks.

For example this https://www.alpkit.com/products/gourdon-20 is better than the bag in this post and a third the price. It's hi-viz, very light, has somewhere to keep your helmet and carries water where you can reach it and guess what, it's from an outdoor pursuits company (they also do bikes as of fairly recently).

The only thing you'll get when looking to buy a cycling specific rucksack is ripped off. They don't exist, only rucksacks aimed at cyclists which is a different thing entirely.

I bought the Rivelo bag last August. Have used it twice a week since then for the commute to take/bring home a weeks worth of clothes. Bag still looks like new. It's a good shape for cycling and completely waterproof. The little clip on bag isn't big enough for my phone but will take keys and cards. My only criticism is a lack of scuff guards on the base. Got mine for £55 after checking the web page regularly for a few days.

I recently got one of the Life Behind the Bars Echelon Messenger bags, not a backpack, but does offer an X strap to be supported like a backpack. I've been using custom Timbuk2 messenger bags, but recently gave one of these a try. It's similar to a Chrome bag but with a lot of the options omitted by Chrome crossed with a Timbuk2 bag. Digging it so far, but haven't really gotten a chance to test it in fowl weather yet as I've only had it a few weeks. Best thing about it so far is the laptop goes in the front of the bag vs against your back, making poratge much more comfortable as the bag is able to adapt to your back better. 

It is also 32L so a bit more grocery or kit carrying capacity than a Large T2 Bag. The way the top of the bag is cut really helps with keeping water out unlike the T2 bags, however the stickyness of the newness of the truck tarp inside can make sliding things in and out a little more cumbersome than a T2 or Chrome bag initially. 

They also have backpack options as well. 

Anyway, I'd never heard of the brand before and the bag has all the little extras that I have been searching for in a bag but couldn't find all in one place before (such as the external bottom compression straps to carry coats/stuff sac/odd shaped items, the abilty to strap on larger items with the long external straps, 30L+ capacity, X-strap (internal/no need to remove the pack access of a messenger with the weight distribution of a backpack), and a cobra buckle. 

I'd put the build quality up close to a T2 custom. Only real nit is some of the strap adjusters don't allow the excess to be pulled through easily one handed while on a bike as my custom T2 bag allows. Easy enough to do with 2 hands though and I am hoping with time the bag works in a bit and those nits will subside. 

This might be helpful:

http://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/219033-13-best-cycling-rucksacks-%E2...

and

http://road.cc/content/forum/229065-what-rucksack-size-commuting

Dunno if this is any use, it's a shoulder bag https://www.athleteshop.co.uk/new-looxs-alba-single-bike-shoulder-bag-17..., comes with pannier hooks apparently.

I use an Abus Dryve but it's a messenger bag, bloody fantastic though and I'm a pannier bag man through and through.

Timbuk2 courier bag, custom, my second one is coming to an end, both gave me about 10 years of hauling a lot of stuff, neither dead but gets tatty.  I'm waiting for them to do truck tarp before I get a new one.  The first one was in waxed cotton and they are back, they was built stronger back then, my current one I just had to get in vinyl, which did not wear as well.  Just love them.

Try "Overboard" I've got two backpacks and the content stay dry and it doesn't obscure vision

I forgot about my other recommendation... look at the Ortlieb backpack options such as the Velocity or much larger Messenger. They fit one of your criteria at least.

They are as waterproof as you can get, but Ortlieb don't tend to "do" outside pockets which is a bit of a faff with panniers like the Back Roller (again my experience is pannier based). You may be able to add an outer pocket as they do make them as extras, but I don't know if they fit all styles.

All good advice from froze.

I've always used panniers and had no issues with waterproofing, but I do use bags to keep clothes/electronics etc seperate and the pannier bag itself clean. It's just good practice.

I can't comment on the bag you've linked to, but what I will say is that I have found Rivelo kit in general to be very, very good. I first tried a jersey a couple of years ago and now have several clothing items that are in my first choice pile.

If you can wait, it will drop in price as they run through their discount cycle.

No I don't have one of those but it seems cool if you want a bag you can attach to your bike and be able to wear it as a backpack.  

A word or warning about any bag, don't trust the water resistance of the bag to keep valuable electronics safe from water, or anything else you don't want to get wet.  Either buy a waterproof cover designed for your phone, or put the phone in a zip lock plastic bag.  Also get some waterproofing spray and spray the entire outside of the bag as an added caution, though this spray will need to be repeated once a year or after washing it.

I do some touring, I got really nice bags that are suppose to be waterproof, and as far as I could test them with a forceful spray of water from a garden hose they didn't let any moisture in, (I just got the bags and haven't used them in a wind driven rain storm).  However, I don't trust anything that says it's waterproof, so I use plastic ziplock bags for stuff I don't want to get wet, my phone as a waterproof case so that's good, I also put a cinch plastic trash bag inside the panniers and then everything goes inside the trash bag instead of directly into the pannier, why did I do that?  mostly to keep something from spilling or maybe something that is dirty inside the bag and then have to clean the inside of the bag, but also as a minor added benefit to keep moisture out.