Note: Redshift S[ports sent over a Top Shelf Handlebar Bag for test and review to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge. Guitar Ted is not being paid, nor bribed for this review and all opinions are his own.
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| The Top Shelf Handlebar Bag |
What It Is: The Top Shelf Handlebar Bag is designed specifically to mount to the Top Shelf Bar with four hook and loop straps which can be positioned to accommodate the higher or lower rise versions of the Top Shelf Bar. The "four-point" attachment should make for a very secure and solid mount.
The bag is sort of a trapezoidal shape with the front being a bit narrower than the back and the top being larger than the bottom. Much like the Kitchen Sink Bag, the new Top Shelf bag has a magnetic closure for the lid which can also be zipped shut on each side. Riders can either leave the zippered sides open and use the magnetic closure for easy on-the-bike access to the bag's interior space, or zip the sides for the most secure containment of your cargo. You can carry a lot in this bag as well with its 1.75L capacity.
As for other pockets you will find the Top Shelf Bag has many ways to organize your stuff. There is a padded pocket against the back on the inside, two mesh "stash" pockets on the inner sides, and a zippered mesh pocket under the lid. Plus there is another pocket on the front inside. I have an image below that will help illustrate one way you could use the Top Shelf Bag to organize you things.
As you can see, there are a lot of ways one could organize inside this bag, or you could simply use the interior space as one open area if that suits you. Options are good to have at hand and the Top Shelf Bag has them. By the way, there is one exterior mesh pocket on the bag on the left side. I would imagine this as a place to stash trash, used gel packets, or something smaller you wanted at hand without opening the top.
We're not quite done with the versatility and features of the Top Shelf Bag though. Much like the Kitchen Sink Bag, the Top Shelf Bag uses Redshift Sports' GPS mounting system which is comprised of two halves in a plastic which connect into the bar-tacked strips on the Top Shelf bag's lid and which is held together by a single screw. There are mounts for both Garmin and Wahoo GPS units available.
There is also a bar-tacked strip across the front of the Top Shelf Bag allowing you to attach a small light, or another smaller bag via hook and loop strips.
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| Here you can see the strip you can attach things to along with the elasticized securing string in case you use this bag with other handle bars. |
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| The outer mesh side pocket has an elasticized opening |
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| The two open slots are where the attachment strips would go if you have the 70mm ride Top Shelf Bar. |
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| A close up of the GPS mounting system. This is a Wahoo mount. |
First Impressions: The Top Shelf Handlebar Bag came out of the box and was what I expected from Redshift Sports. This is a very high-quality piece and every detail has been attended to. The zippers work smoothly, the magnetic lid opens and closes faultlessly, the GPS mount is super-secure. Add in the features for organization and the bag seems like a bargain at its $110.00 retail price. (Actually, at the time of this writing the Top Shelf Handlebar Bag is on sale for under a hundred bucks!) I don't know how Redshift packs all this in at the asking price, but they do and it is impressive.
Redshift Sports also offers a "360° Ride Guarantee" which allows the purchaser to try the bag risk-free up to 90 days. See the site for details.
Ride Impressions: I attached the Top Shelf bag to my Top Shelf handlebar easily and could immediately see it was going to be super stable on rough roads and gravel. But my smile on my face was due to something else that the Top Shelf Handlebar Bag wasn't doing that a lot of other handlebar bags do. This would be how many bar bags rub on the top of the head tube.
Yeah....helicopter tape it. I hear you, but why bother when you can get a handlebar and bag system like this? This is probably my favorite thing about both of these products. Odd, I know, but somehow I found the way these two handlebar products worked together to be satisfying. You might not see it that way, and you may like the organizational possibilities of this bag, or the magnetic top. Both things are cool. I would agree with that.
Again, this bag is solid and stable on gravel, and with the lid design being so easy to operate, you can grab stuff from inside the Top Shelf bag easily while riding. I also like that the weight of my GPS makes it so that there is no way the wind is blowing this open and if it were to happen, well I'd probably be getting blown in the ditch anyway!
So, what's not to like? I really only have one minor issue with this bag. That relates to the GPS mount and to how I prefer my handlebar set up.
Since I lean more toward having the drop extensions being more parallel to the ground, this puts the plane formed by the Top Shelf handlebar's two cross members perpendicular to the ground as seen from the side, or nearly so. When I attached the Top Shelf Handlebar Bag to this set up it "leaned forward" just a bit. That in turn makes my GPS sit with the front edge of the unit slightly lower than the rear, kind of facing away from me a tiny bit.
That's not ideal. Not a deal breaker, as I love having the Wahoo there, but it also cannot be adjusted unless I change the attitude of my handle bar, and I'd rather not do this. I like the bar where it is. sigh!
But listen, there could be a lot worse things to have go against this bag and really, besides that tiny issue this bag is a winner. Especially if you are looking for a bag and already own a Top Shelf Bar. By the way, you can use this bag with other handlebars, but it won't be quite the same as it would be with the Top Shelf Bar.
So Far... The Top Shelf Handlebar Bag is a well designed, versatile, value-packed item that dovetails right in if you already own a Top Shelf Bar. The magnetic lid, GPS mount, and many pockets are very nice touches. The bag rides stable and is easy to use while riding making your rides more fun and enjoyable.
I'll be trying out this bag on more rides soon and will come back with a final word in a few weeks time. So far this is quite the impressive product, but I've come to expect nothing less from Redshift Sports.
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