Craft Cadence Top Tube Bag
If you are looking for extra storage that is easy to access while riding your bike and is waterproof, then the Craft Cadence Top Tube bag is a great option for you.
Wait, you use a waterproof top tube bag?
Heck yeah.
A top tube cycling bag is one of the best bike accessories you can get. This style of cycling bag is great for mountain bikes, gravel bikes and road bikes.
What is a top tube bag?
A top tube bag is a relatively small pouch that rests on top of the top tube of the bicycle and up against the stem and steer tube.
Top tube bags are great for adding a little bit of storage to your bike and are a great way of getting extra food items out of your rear jersey pockets.
One thing is for sure, this is one bike bag I won’t leave home without when going out on long distant gravel rides. This makes for a good road bike top tube bag too.
Although, I have been gravel cycling for quite a few years, I would consider myself as part of the surge in popularity of gravel riding. Since as of lately, I have greatly increased the percentage of gravel I ride, and I thoroughly enjoy endurance gravel cycling.
One thing to note, this isn’t my first to tube bag, so I have enjoyed the benefits of using one for quite a few years now. And top tube bags provide quite a few benefits for other riding disciplines too.
This would make a great bikepacking top tube bag along with the other bags needed for your travels.
Road cycling has been my focus for many years, and with road cycling even in the most rural locations, it isn’t too difficult to find a convince store for provisions. However, with gravel cycling or MTB that is not the case.
For long rides, one can expect to go for longer periods on the bike without stopping at a store. You can just stuff extra food and supplies in your jersey pockets, but there is only so much you can comfortably carry.
Comparing the ease of access of a jersey pocket and a top tube bag really isn’t comparable. To access your jersey pockets, you must reach behind your back and possibly take your eyes off the road (not very safe).
With the Craft Cadence Top Tube Bag, you will be able to hold onto your handlebar, and with the other hand easily access the contents in your top tube bag. Craft Cadence has designed a system opens easily and gives full access to the bag.
Some people may ask, are top tube bags aero?
This bag hides nicely behind the steer tube and stem, so I would consider it quite aero. I’m sure if it were quanitfied it would barely change your drag coefficient.
Craft Cadence
Craft Cadence is a London based bicycle bag company. They were formed by a group of cycling commuters with an approach to design waterproof bag specifically designed for commuting. Find out more about Craft Cadence.
I really like their logo and the colors they have chosen for it. They also make other products besides a top tube bag. A water-resistant wallet, waterproof handlebar bag, and waterproof pannier backpack are just some of the many products they offer.
Bag Construction
The bag is made from 600D polyester coated with TPU and has seamless welding. The dimensions of the bag are 205 mm x 110 mm x 50 mm (8.07 in x 4.33 in x 1.97 in) giving you about 1.5 liters of storage capacity.
The bag has a mass of 149.4 g and weighs 5.26 oz. For those really looking to cut weight or don’t have room around the steer tube, the front strap is removeable.
The straps have rubber “grippers” attached on them, which should help prevent the bag from slipping. The top lid uses a magnet and Velcro as the closure system.
Inside the bag you will find a small pouch to help with organization. The pouch has a zipper on it, ensuring small items won’t fall out.
Waterproofness
The Craft Cadence Top Tube Bag has fully welded seams. The lid overhangs the side walls of the bags, which prevents any water that rolls over the sides to enter the bag.
This bike bag is waterproof, but don’t expect it to keep water out if it is completely submerged. Obviously, this isn’t a dry bag, and if you plan on caring water sensitive items (ex. papers), I suggest using one of theirbackpacks or handlebar bag.
It’s not that I don’t trust the waterproofness of the top tube bag, to me a bag like this that offers easy access is meant for constant use on the bike. Thus, the items I would store inside this bag are items like prepackaged food (gels, bars, etc.) that won’t be damaged from water.
The cable opening on the front has a rain cover over it to prevent water intrusion.
Initial Thoughts
My initial observation when I first received the bag was the high quality in the materials and the construction. It’s not just a flimsy bag that is going to flop around while riding.
The two-strap design will provide plenty of grip and shouldn’t slip on bumpy rides. The front strap is quite long and has up to a 50 mm (2 in) diameter of reach. This will ensure the bag is securely attached to the steer tube and won’t slide backwards.
The top tube bag has an opening on the front to allow the exit of charging cables. This is a nice feature that allows for unobstructed closing that would have otherwise been restricted if cables had to ran over the sides of the bag.
On the top of the lid there is a small loop that provides a potential mounting point for phones or cycling computers. Though currently there aren’t any mounting accessories for this loop, Craft Cadence states there will be some soon.
The bag cost $56 USD, but currently is on sale for $41 USD. If you spend over $100 USD you will get free shipping, and when you add the top tube bag to your cart you will be given some discount offers for some other items.
Compared to other top tube bags available, the Craft Cadence Top Tube Bag comes in at a mid-range price, but with the sale it one of the least expensive bags available. Looking at cost per volume compared to other bags on the market, this top tube bag is a great deal.
Bag Attachment
When picking out a top tube bag there are quite a lot of different styles and options available. This bag uses a two-strap system on the bottom and a single strap on the front.
The two-strap system is unfortunately a little more restrictive than a single strap system. Make sure to check frame compliance such that this bag will fit properly on your bike.
As you can see on my mountain bike, the top tube and downtube come together creating a large head tube and restricting the ability of the bag to move any closer to the steer tube. The bag may still function properly, but I didn’t test it out on this bike.
Another issue may arise at the entrance points of internal cable routing locations. The front strap lands right at this junction and may not properly secure down if not strap down carefully.
Also, the straps are quite long, and if you are attaching to top tubes with small diameters, you might not be able to attach the bag securely. My commuter bike has a top tube of 35 mm (~1 3/8 in.) and as can be seen, the Velcro is right at the end. I think a slight modification to the strap design could be made and this change would accommodate bikes with small top tube diameters.
Currently, Craft Cadence only offers a top tube bag with strap attachments. With so many bike manufactures offering direct mount points for top tube bags, it would be nice to see this option available from Craft Cadence.
Lid Loop
In theory I like this attachment point, but I don’t see being able to get much use out of it. And if I were to use it, whatever I attach to it would have to be very light.
I don’t ever encounter a time when I’m all out of space on my handlebars. But, if you have a very short stem and have a handlebar bag on, you might not have room to place a mount on either of these locations. Thus, the top tube bag could be a suitable mounting location.
Be CAREFUL if mounting a large computer.
As you can see in the picture, with a heavy GPS unit mounted to the lid, the bag tilts over sideways once it is opened.
As I have mentioned in other bag reviews I have done, I don’t feel comfortable opening the lid of the bag and having my cycling computer hanging there, especially while riding. Having a secondary attachment point for a lanyard would help ease any worries of it falling off.
Real World Testing
Attaching the bag is quick and easy. The Velcro straps make it easy to attach to the frame and steer tube, and once it is attached the bag is quite secure.
The bag has lots of storage, and easily fits an external battery and lots of snacks. With the way the top tube bag is designed, you have full access to everything in the bag when you open the lid, unlike other competitor bags.
On my first ride testing out the Craft Cadence Top Tub Bag, I rode up a steep section near my apartment with grades of up to 11% to really test out the ease of use (see Strava ride). Riding up steep grades with one hand and opening the bag was still relatively easy.
One thing to note, when the bag is still new, the lid might not stay open and will need a little bit of breaking in. After using the bag for a while and breaking it in, this will no longer be an issue and the lid stay open.
I really appreciate the little zippered pouch inside the top tube bag. I like that you can safely store small items in there, so they don’t get lost or bounce out when the lid is open.
Riding bumpy road and rough gravel were no problem for this bag. The bag stayed in position and held my contents in the bag.
Water Intrusion?
No issues found. With the lid closed, no water entered the bag and it performed as designed.
Final Thoughts
I have enjoyed this bag, it is well made, and offers great added storage. There is no single bag that is the perfect solution for all your needs and every bike, but this is bag is a great option for commuters and recreational cyclists.
I will continue to use this bag on my gravel adventures because it provides easy access into the bag, gives me full access to all the contents, and holds a lot of things. If you are in the market for a new top tube bag, this is definitely one to consider and I would highly recommend it.
Pros
- Large bag offers plenty of storage
- Waterproof
- Lid design offers complete access
- High quality materials
- Easy open/closing latching system
- Bag construction is great
- Cable outlet
- Looks good
Cons
- 2-strap design reduces frame attachment versatility
- Attachment straps are a little long.
- No direct mount option available
Support JayLo Cycling
Did you find this post useful? If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. If you have any suggestions of reviews or things you would like to see in the future contact me. My reviews are thorough and often take a significant amount of time to produce. Please consider checking out my Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook accounts to show me support there. If you feel generous and have the ability, consider buying me a coffee to help support this site.
If you are in the market for these items, consider using my affiliate links on this page. Jason Lopez is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Thus, I can earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you, but your purchases do help support this site.
