Review: Velo Orange Burrito Supreme Handle Bar Bag

If you look closely you can see the Burrito Supreme on my bike here.

Note: The handle bar bag mentioned in this post has been paid for out-of-pocket by Guitar Ted. Velo Orange has no affiliation with Guitar Ted Productions, nor are they aware of this review. Hey! Maybe they will get tipped off to it later, but all I know is I am independently conducting these reviews and I will give you my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

I recently gave a first impressions of this bag HERE, in case you missed that. Please check that out as I won't go over some things I wrote about there in this Final Review. 

I used the Burrito Supreme on two different bikes. The last ride before this review was done on my Honeman Flyer custom steel single speed gravel bike. The bag fit fine with just a little interference from the front brake cable. It wasn't a big deal, but it was there. This is something that comes up a lot with front handle bar bags that dangle off the bar and have no solid connection to the bike other than straps. I noted that the Burrito Supreme did sit without contact to the head tube though, which is important if you want to preserve your bike's finish.

The ride I used the bag for on this bike was a 52 mile gravel ride with some pavement thrown in here and there. The bag was stable and never caused me any concerns, The only time I knew it was there was when I had to bunny-hop a few transitions from asphalt to concrete due to the different levels of the two surfaces and then the contents of the bag would get rattled. But other than that, this bag was not a problem at all. 

Between using the Burrito Supreme on the Raleigh and now my custom bike, I have some "Good" and some "Not-so Good" to share about this accessory bag. 

The Good:

The Burrito Supreme sits under the handlebars in a way that makes sense. The opening is where it should be. The straps to attach a front light or other smaller bags is facing forward. These details are important and the Road Runner made bag is done correctly. 

Speaking of the construction, it is impressive and the bag should hold up for years if treated with a due amount of care and respect. The zipper is sewn in very well and the seam-work looks to be done at a high level of craftsmanship. 

I had my doubts about the plastic buckles, but so far those doubts have been unfounded. If the buckles were prone to opening or allowing the straps to loosen I would have experienced that by this point. I have noted none of that sort of thing here at all. 

I did also like the size of this bag. It is big enough to stuff an extra layer in but not so big that it gets to be in the way. As a for instance, if the Burrito Supreme were longer, it might be an issue for a person with narrower drop bars. If it were mounted to a bike with a short head tube and the bag was larger, it wouldn't be a good fit for smaller bikes. I think Velo Orange spec'ed a perfect size here that should accommodate most rider's needs and fitment situations. 

The Not-so Good:

The beefy zipper is a little difficult to operate one-handed while riding. Especially when trying to close the bag. I opted to not try opening it while riding because of this. The other things that were a bit of a negative here was that the opening of the bag was a bit tight for my average-sized hands. The stiff zipper and the double stitched border were not helping here either. That construction gets a big thumbs up from me, but it does become a bit of a hassle to get your hand in the bag to grab stuff because of that.

Finally, because the bag was made with a dark colored fabric in the interior, it is harder to see what you've got in there. I would have preferred a brighter and lighter colored fabric which would have contrasted the items I had in the bag in a better way for me to to be able to see what I had in there. 

Then there is always the issue with any bag that uses the "marsupial pouch" approach to carrying accessories and nutrition. You'll have to fish around to find what you want which may not be right where you thought it should be. Things in the interior of the Burrito Supreme are apt to shift around while riding, so it is simply something that is inherent in this sort of design. 

Final Verdict:

The Velo Orange Burrito Supreme is a fine bag, well-made, and should serve its owner well for years. The bag is designed well and does its job quietly and without any need for concern from the rider. I think it holds a good amount of stuff. Not too much, and the bag is neither too small or too big, in my opinion, for its intended purpose. 

But I don't think it is a bag you can access things from easily while riding due to the very well made zipper and how it is attached to this bag material. That and not being able to see in the bag from the saddle of the bike makes this more of a bag to stash stuff you'll only need to get at while stopped. That's okay, but if you wanted a handlebar bag that you can access while riding, I don't think the Burrito Supreme is 'that bag'.  

I think this bag is perfect for bikepacking and storage of nutrition or clothing which you might want along for the ride but won't need for the entire ride. Things like wind jackets, vests, and maybe lighter rain wear would go in here. Arm warmers, and that sort of thing, which comes on and off during rides in the mountains or during "shoulder season". 

You could use it to store anything that fits in it, of course, but keep in mind it is hard to see in the bag and smaller items could get lost in a sea of swirling accessories easily in the large, open interior space. I still feel it is really a good bag, but it isn't a bag for everybody, and the Burrito Supreme is better suited for some purposes than it would be for others. 

If it is "right" for your purposes, I don't think you'll be disappointed in this high-quality bar bag choice.

Two Things

The Mojave Water Bottle Cage is sprung to hold bottles very tightly.

First Impressions On The Velo Orange Items:

I have already given a pretty detailed look at the Camp Snap Camera HERE, so this bit will focus on the other two items I bought, the Mojave Water Bottle Cage and the Burrito Supreme Handle Bar Bag.  

First, the Mojave cage. This thing is pretty stoutly made. You also have a nicely attached back plate with several mounting holes to set the cage in place on a frame or fork member as you'd like to have it. These mounting holes also work with Three-Pack mounts. 

The cage is made in such a way that it has spring tension on the bottle you choose to put in there, as long as it is a bigger diameter than the cage at rest. This cage is made for oversized containers, so nothing close to a typical water bottle for a bicycle will work. We're talking Nalgene bottles and the like here which can include anything round in profile large enough for this cage.

As an example, I have what was a nutritional powder canister converted to food storage which I am planing on using in the Mojave Cage. This canister is plastic and since it is a little larger in diameter than the Mojave Cage is, I have to push the canister in which in turn pushes each half of the Mojave cage outward. The Mojave Cage has such a grip on this canister that I think it will stay in there even during the roughest of trails. 

Which is a good thing since I wouldn't want to lose my vittles, now would I? No, I would not. We'll (hopefully) be putting this thing to the test this coming weekend when N.Y. Roll and I are planning a little overnighter. 

Now as for the Burrito Supreme Bag, I gotta say I have been very impressed so far. This bag has exceeded my expectations for such a bag, which I will admit, those expectations were pretty low. But this bag hangs really tight up against the Top Shelf Bar, (a match made in heaven, perhaps?), and it looks really nice.  

I particular like the sheen of the fabric and in concert with the color of this bag, it has a bronze look to it. It really doesn't match my Tamland Two's red, white, and blue scheme, but it looks so good I almost don't mind it. 

The sheen of the fabric doesn't translate over in this image, but this bag looks great in the Sunshine.

I like that the zipper faces the rider in this set up. 

I cruised around a bit to see how it was to zip and unzip the bag one-handed, which is the litmus test for any cockpit mounted bag. I was able to get that done easily and so I think as time goes by and things settle in a bit it will get easier to operate and this bag looks like it will be a winner to me. 

If there is one thing that bugs me about it that would be the plastic buckles for the straps that hold the Burrito Supreme to the bar. There is no good place to "stash" the loose ends. Take a Revelate bag, as an example, which has a nice feature built into the buckles to stash the loose ends, or their little loop holders that some of the newer bags from Revelate have. Little details like that separate the best from the rest, in my opinion. 

Victory Ride: I don't have a lot to add to this, but here are a couple of details on the ride which will happen June 15th out of Urbana Iowa. By the way, if you don't know anything about this, you can click HERE for why this ride is happening. 

Time & Location: Since I am thinking this will be a casually paced ride and that we have a little over 50 miles now (see below the reason for that), I wanted it to end at a reasonable time for post-ride socializing or for folks that need to drive home to have a chance to get back before it gets too dark out. I also figured there is no reason to start at the crack of dawn so folks driving in can have a bit better go of it. Therefore; I have landed on 9:00am at the Cedar Valley Nature Trail head parking lot in Urbana. This lot is located off Capital Street just off Sunset Street near the City Hall.

The Route: The route has lengthened a bit because after I saw N.Y. Roll's proposed route I noted a lot of Cedar Valley Nature Trail being used and I told him "I am a gravel guy!". So he re-routed a section but that added miles, so there ya go! I'm not too concerned about it. 

There looks to be a few stops planned into this. There is one near Vinton, an overlook onto the Cedar River. Then there is Vinton, a decent sized town, where we can use a Casey's Convenience store as a stop/resupply. Finally, we will be rolling through Brandon, Iowa, a small village once used as a checkpoint for Trans Iowa v3, and is the place where the World's Largest Frying Pan is located. N.Y. Roll thought we need to have our picture made there. 

Social & Weather: Then there is the social aspect. There isn't much in Urbana. I hear tell there is a Casey's there, maybe a bar? We will see. As far as weather, expect it to be hot, possibly humid, windy, and there is always the chance for a pop-up thunderstorm. If the weather looks sketchy running up to this we probably will call it off and reschedule. Keep your eyes peeled here the week before if you think you might come.

Stay tuned...

Review News: Velo Orange Items

Image courtesy of Velo Orange

Note: The items mentioned in this post have been paid for out-of-pocket by Guitar Ted. Velo Orange has no affiliation with Guitar Ted Productions, nor are they aware that this review is starting. Hey! Maybe they will get tipped off to it later, but all I know is I am independently conducting these reviews and I will give you my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Okay, it is time for a few new review items to show up here any day now, so I figured that I would introduce each item and why I am getting that item in so you will know my plans here. Truth be told, there is a common purpose here which you will see shortly.

First up we have the Velo Orange "Burrito Supreme Handle Bar Bag". This is one of those ubiquitous barrel shaped bags you see often now for cycling. The main purpose for this bag was to have it tested with the Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bar which I am reviewing. That and I've wanted to try a barrel shaped bar bag for quite some time now. The Velo Orange example here is actually made in the USA by Road Runner Bike Bags. 

This bag runs $85.00USD and has one main compartment which holds its shape via an internally sewn in sheet of plastic. It's canvass, of course, and attaches via two straps for the handle bar and one for the stem. We will see how that all works for the Top Shelf Bar soon. 

I'm also planning on using this bag for a trip/over night gravel ride I have planned out. Stay tuned for that....

Image courtesy of Velo Orange

Mojave Water Bottle Cage:

This one is for my quest to carry large amounts of water but not on my back, while cycling. I have used over-sized bottles in traditional and extendable cages, but the Mojave Cage is a bit of a different way to solve the puzzle.

This cage fits big Nalgene water bottles, as shown. I like the concept and the Mojave Cage should be a good solution for a longer trip by bicycle, like the one mentioned above here.

This cage has several mounting holes in a plate on the base of the cage allowing for various ways to mount it including using a Three-Pack Boss. 

This cage comes in silver or black and runs $39.99 USD. This will be going directly on to the Singular Gryphon Mk3 rig. I am kind of hoping to put it on underneath the down tube so we will see how that works out soon. 

Finally, and the entire reason I purchased all these things from Velo Orange in the first place, is something you might not have considered at all. It is a camera! 

Image courtesy of Velo Orange

Camp Snap Digital Camera:

So, I've been using an Olympus TG - 5 camera for years now. I don't know a lot about how it works. I'd estimate I know maybe 10% of it, as far as what it can do. The TG -5 is a very capable outdoors camera, and it has a fair amount of features and normal "camera-guy" things that can be adjusted, tweaked, or whatever.  Most of that is completely lost on me. I usually set it on "Aperture", adjust the light balance a bit, and shoot while riding. I almost never use the viewfinder/screen. It's fairly useless to me due to glare, bright Sun light, and my old, fading eyesight. 

So, when I saw the Camp Snap camera, I immediately knew that I was the person this was made for. Well.....at least I feel that way. A truly "point it and shoot" camera with a whopping 8 megapixel sensor. You get what you get for a shot, and I am okay with that. This is almost exactly how I shoot almost every image that you've seen here in the last ten years. Point. Shoot. Download into computer. Tweak in the box. Publish. 

So, we'll see if this thing can handle gravel travel. I'll be taking images with it for the blog here and for documenting my trip I mentioned earlier. By the way, this camera costs $65.00 USD, so it isn't all that dear and if it gets biffed or craps out, well we will all know better.

So, that's what is coming up. Look for more on these items here soon.