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review

Polaris Pro Wheel Bag

8
£59.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Roomy, hardwearing bag that protects your wheels for a very reasonable price
Plenty of room for wide tyres
Good padding thickness
Hardwearing material
Storage pocket is quite shallow
Weight: 
1,180g

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.

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The Polaris Pro Wheel Bag is hardwearing and offers good padding to keep your wheels protected when they aren't on your bike. It's not a bad price either.

If you travel a lot with your bike in the back of your car, either for recreation or racing, then a quality wheel bag is a must to protect your wheels as well as your frame.

> Buy this online here

If you're lucky, when you bought your spanking new top-quality wheels the manufacturer threw in a wheel bag, but if they didn't – or you haven't got any top-end wheels – then something like the Polaris here is a good option.

2020 Polaris Pro Wheel Bag - open.jpg

You can pick up various branded wheel bags for a lot less than this one, but they are normally promotional offers that don't last that long and don't offer much in the way of padding.

Value

At £59.99 the Polaris is the same price as the Profile Design Padded Wheel Bag and the PRO Double Wheel Bag. It comes in cheaper than the EVOC Two Wheel Bag at £84.99.

Construction

The Polaris' 600D polyester construction is the same as they use on their cargo bags, and it's certainly standing up to some abuse.

It's been in and out of the car, scuffed around the ground on both road and gravel trails while I've put the wheels back into various bikes, and chucked unlovingly into the shed over the last couple of months.

2020 Polaris Pro Wheel Bag - handles 2.jpg

There isn't a scratch or mark on it, bar a couple on the plastic beading than runs around the edges for protection – but then, that's how that works.

It's a roomy bag too. Some I've used can be a tight squeeze when zipping in a wheel with fully inflated 25mm tyres, but the Polaris happily swallows wide gravel wheels with 40mm treaded tyres – in fact, there's room for larger.

2020 Polaris Pro Wheel Bag - detail.jpg

The outer faces have 8mm of foam padding which helps the bag keep its shape, while also stopping your wheels getting damaged if something is placed on top of them.

The bag is broken into two sections – one for each wheel, to the surprise of nobody – and there are protectors on all sides to stop damage from the axle ends.

2020 Polaris Pro Wheel Bag - pocket.jpg

Centre top sits a small pocket that will take a couple of quick releases or thru-axles (although I often leave them in the frame), but that's about it though. It's not very deep.

> 44 of the best road bike wheels — reduce bike weight or get aero gains with new hoops

Sometimes I like to take the discs off before travelling, so it would have been nice to have a larger pocket inside each wheel section the way some competitors do.

2020 Polaris Pro Wheel Bag - handles 1.jpg

Both sections get double zips, and there's a choice of handles: the small ones at the top for lifting, or the shoulder strap for carrying. On the outside, there's a small pouch for your details.

Overall

The Polaris bag does everything a good wheel bag needs to do. Some bags offer internal straps and the like, but you'll pay more for that. As it stands I think the Polaris offers good value for money, and being so scuff-resistant, it's going to last too.

Verdict

Roomy, hardwearing bag that protects your wheels for a very reasonable price

road.cc test report

Make and model: Polaris Pro Wheel Bag

Size tested: n/a

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?

Polaris says: "The new Polaris Pro Double Wheel Bag is our latest cycle storage solution. Whether you're a pro racer traveling the world or a club rider you'll know how important it is to keep your wheels in good condition."

Good levels of protection and plenty of room inside.

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

Polaris lists:

Outer 600D Polyester, Lining Woven PE and 8mm Foam

Two zipped wheel sleeves

Skewer and accessory pouch

Fits all wheel sizes from 26', 650b Plus, 29er, 700c

Grab handle and removable shoulder strap

(Note: it doesn't really fit 26ft wheels... Polaris means 26in.)

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
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 fits two wheels easily.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Loads of room inside.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

A slightly bigger storage pocket would be nice.

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

It is similarly priced to other bags from Pro and Profile Design, while a little cheaper than EVOC's offering.

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 Polaris comes at a sensible price against the competition while doing everything you need a wheel bag to do. It gives ample levels of padding for protection and loads of room for gravel tyres or 29er mountain bike wheels. It's very good.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 42  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!

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