Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

review

Woho X-Touring Top Tube Bag

7
£29.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Good quality, durable top tube bag that carries a fair amount of kit
Secure fitment
Quite a bit of room
Outer pockets not much use
You'll need at least 30mm of spacers below your stem
Weight: 
68g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

Woho has got things pretty much spot on with its X-Touring Top Tube Bag. It's narrow enough to not get in the way of your legs too much, and it's held securely by the two straps. The only quibble I have is the point of the two outer pockets – they aren't that deep and have no way of closing them so it's difficult to see what they can be used for.

The X-Touring Top Tube bag is a lightweight option, but being made from a rip-stop fabric is surprisingly tough, and I really can't see long term durability being an issue.

> Find your nearest dealer here

The fabric is waterproof, although the seams aren't taped and the zip isn't sealed either, so water does get in eventually if it's raining really heavily. I wouldn't say my kit ever got soaked, even on long rides, but you could see that some moisture had broken through the barrier.

WOHO X-Touring Top Tube Bag - zip.jpg

Capacity is pretty good at 0.85l and there is plenty of room for essentials. I could get my phone in there along with some snacks, and if you travel light you'd get a tube and a multi-tool in as well.

You can fit the bag to your seatpost, as in the photos here, but I used it up front. Woho has kept the bag narrow at 65mm, which meant I had no issues with my knees hitting it while pedalling in the saddle, although I did catch it occasionally when out of the saddle.

WOHO X-Touring Top Tube Bag - other side.jpg

No matter how full the bag is, its two straps keep it very secure, so it doesn't tend to flop from side to side.

A single strap at the rear underside of the bag and another at the front to wrap around the fork steerer spacers was all it took to keep it in place up front, as I used it. You'll need at least 30mm of spacers beneath your stem to get a snug fit, or you can always flip it around and use the bag at the seatpost end – as shown here.

The X-Touring bag has two external pockets, one either side, and while great for being able to grab things on the fly, they aren't very secure. At 90mm long and 50mm deep they won't hold a lot but the biggest thing for me is that they can't be secured, so if the terrain is rough there is no way to stop things being jettisoned out.

WOHO X-Touring Top Tube Bag - front.jpg

That aside, it's a good quality piece of kit. At £29.99 it looks better value than the Apidura Expedition Top Tube Pack at £47, although that one is completely waterproof.

Priced similarly is the Zefal Z Race Frame Bag at £33.99. It's a little smaller but does have compartments inside to stop your kit sliding about.

> Buyer’s Guide: 16 of the best bikepacking bags

On the whole, the Woho bag is a good all-round compromise of quality, storage space and value. The main thing for me is how securely it sits on the top tube – just forget about those extra pockets.

Verdict

Good quality, durable top tube bag that carries a fair amount of kit

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Woho X-Touring Top Tube Bag

Size tested: 20 x 6.5 x 9cm

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Woho says, "The Xtouring top-tube bag is a must-have for any ultralight bikepacking system and is also great for every day riding and commuting.

"Constructed from high quality, waterproof materials and optimized for durability and weight. the rubberized strapping provides firm attachment to the frame while paracord zip pulls offers easy access, even riding even with gloves.

"The Xtouring top-tube bag is designed to fit on either ends of your top tube and enables easy access to snacks, camera, phone, or anything else you may need while in the saddle. It has minimal interference with your movements or the bike's steering: we leave ours attached permanently to the bike, so you've always got those little essentials with you."

It's a decent sized bag that can hold all your essentials for a day ride or longer treks.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Woho lists:

> Body Fabrics - Double TPU coated eco-friendly fabric

> TPU Straps - Anti slip and stays reliable under extreme weather

> Rip-stop yarn - Provides additional strength against wear and tear.

> Waterproof - Double layered waterproof fabric that can stand robust uses and 15000mm H2O pressure. With long lasting water/dirt repellent coating, so mud or water won't accumulate on the bag.

Capacity

0.85 Liter

Color

Grey

Size (L x W x H)

20 x 6.5 x 9 cm / 8" x 2.6" x 3.5"

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It can carry a fair amount of kit.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Secure fitment to the bike.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Outer pockets aren't much use.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Price-wise it sits somewhere in the middle of some of the others we've tested. The Apidura mentioned in the review is an extra £17 but Deuter goes the other way at half the price of the Woho with its Energy Bag.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

The Woho X-Touring bag is a good size and has been well designed to make sure clashes with your knees are kept to a minimum. The quality is good too, although it lacks the waterproofing of some other models on the market.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 41  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

Latest Comments