Avenir Excursion QR Handlebar Bag (484 cubic inches of storage)

I bought this bag after reading other reviews, so I suppose I should add mine. My husband installed it for me and said it was a snap. I LOVE the quick-release function, which is not really detailed in the product description. You just push the little yellow button on top and it pops right off, but it is very secure while riding. Easy to put back on, too - slides right on and pop! Also comes with a strap so you can carry it easily wherever your bike adventure leads you - for me, often this is work or the beach. The bag holds the stuff I need to carry to be able to freshen up when I arrive at work (including a change of clothes and shoes, as long as they are small shoes like flip-flops or flats) or it's also great for a towel and sunscreen, etc for the beach. The top of the bag has an insert for a map, which is cool though I don't often use it, and the sides have little mesh pockets perfect for my blackberry. The pouch on the front is also roomy enough for my makeup bag, and that is saying something. The only minor negative is that the bottom is not flat, which probably makes it more aerodynamic, but it just sits a little funny on the counter when I'm trying to pack it up. So happy I bought this one!!

I'm used to the old fashioned style of handlebar bag that hung on a bar. Alas, these funky contraptions are all we seem to have now. Yes, they're cool, unsnapping and snapping back on...but there is only so much this little snap mechanism can handle weight-wise compared to the heavy duty handle bar bag of yesteryear. I am slightly impressed, but found two major flaws, one of them fixable. The one that isn't is the fact that the front zippered pouch that is visable from the picture has only ONE zipper. This means you may have things fall out as you're putting them in or getting them out. With two zippers, you have control. The second flaw, repairable, is the fact that the top flap that does have two zippers has no inner support to hold it's shape. What I did to solve this problem was to find some HARD foam commonly used to line back packs with available at camping stores. I inserted part of this into the back liner which stops at the edge and this solved the problem of holding the top area in a firm and stable manner so when I zipped the top, it didn't have a concave look to it anymore. If I could buy the old style, I would. But these types of bags are seemingly all there is that are being made.

The Avenir bag is smartly and well made. It excels in crucial features you need in a handlebar bag. First, the mount is very sturdy and stable with a strong grip on the bar. The bag snaps on and off very easily. Next, the size is more than adequate (over 7L in volume according to the specs). You could carry all your tools and food and rain gear in there if you wanted to, not to mention, wallet and phone and other personal items. It comes with a front zippered compartment that is very roomy on its own. There are two very useful mesh side pockets. There is a small pouch in the main compartment with a key clip. The main compartment is zippered at the rear end, so you can open while riding with easy access (my last bag opened in front). The only complaint I have is one I have with all bike bags - needs more compartments. This bag has more than most, but a couple more pouches would be nice. (I sewed another pouch myself into the main part.) I've had this for two months now, using it almost daily, hauling around about 5 lbs of cargo in the bag, and it's holding up well. No deterioration in the mount performance nor in the bag material. Highly recommended.

If you are new to biking, any age, any bike, then this is a good 'recreational' bag. It is LARGE to hold everything "you might" want to carry,,,, rain gear, water, eyewear, food bars, tools kits, lighter sweater, phones, keys, pills, etc. Any thing bigger would require rear wheel panniers bags. Anything smaller will not hold a nylon jacket, etc. If you are recreational, (6 to 12 mph) then the biggest bag is what you want. If you ride in high end road bikes in a club, then you already know this is 32 grams heavier than you want, etc, lol. If you want to carry as much as possible, (water, food, jacket) then this is a good choice. If you don't know what speed you ride, then you ride at 6 mph. If you know that you ride at a 12 mph, then you will still like this choice of bag. If you ride at 15 to 22 mph (on high end bikes), then you will not choose this bag. I have several bikes. This is a good big bag for recreational biking. Only thing bigger are panniers and they cost alot of bucks! As a plus, this bag is internally strengthened to stay rigid and has a map pouch on top the bag, (like 20 years ago, before Iphones maps). Summary, this bag is as good as they come for the size and weight and features. If you are new to riding alone with with one or two friends, then THIS is the bag you want. If you are a hard core biker, then you have already stopped reading this review. As a plus, I love the new high tech, push button, bag release, so I can toss the nylon bag in my car(from the rain, etc) and still store my bike outdoors.

This is a wonderful bag. It comes with EVERYTHING you need to attach it to your bike. It will work on various sized handle bars. It is perfect for a jacket or sweatshirt, small purse and other items. It attaches easily and and stays attached without jiggling around on the bars. It snaps off easily and yes, it is a bit annoying that the bottom is rounded but I can live with that because it is the best bag I have seen.

I used this bag on a week-long bike tour, half in the rain. I would have liked it to be bigger. It just kept a guidebook, first aid kit, hat, buff, light jacket and a small point & shoot camera & cell phone. Yet the rain penetrated and the guide book turned soggy, my cell phone got submerged in the incoming tide. The bag came with all necessary mounting gear and was pretty simple to install. I liked that it could be detached easily and carried into lunch or shopping without effort. It's a fine bag if you don't need anything big and don't expect it to keep everything dry in a rain.

The mount is a good design. The bracket takes up a little more bar space than I hoped, but it is very secure. The bag has a plastic insert that keeps the shape of the bag. You will hear things rattling around against the plastic. The map pocket is held closed from inside the bag with one Velcro tab. If you put anything in the map window that is too small, it will slip past the Velcro flap and fall into the bag. Who uses paper maps? It would be more useful if it was sized for a cell phone, GPS, or cycle computer. The side pockets have an elastic band at the top, but do not seem overly secure. I wouldn't put anything too big or valuable in these pockets while riding. It sounds like I'm not happy with it, but I am. Those are just things I wish were a little better. The bike I use it on has 44cm wide road bars and there is no cable clearance issue with the STI shifters.

I bought a full set of these panniers (large panniers, small panniers, handlebar bag, rear rack top bag) in 2010 and use them for occasional grocery shopping and long distance touring. I have packed them full of gear to a point that would have tested the seams, zippers and straps of even expensive bags, yet these bags have taken the punishment very well indeed. So far the bags have shown no wear at all and still look and work the same as they did when I first put them on the bike. The Handlebar Bag has lots of space and keeps its shape better than similar bags that I've bought before (though, as with all of these bags, it does tend to sag a bit if you fill it with heavy items). The clip-on attachment system works nicely and is very secure and sturdy, even though the way it attaches to the handlebars seems a bit amateurish (it has a metal strip that is bolted on and is basically designed to bend to suit the bike). With the amazingly low price for the whole set (you get a whole set of bags for what you might pay for another company's single pannier), even if they do fall apart in a few years, I'll be able to buy a brand new set to replace them and still not have spent the money I might have spent on an expensive set of bags that might not have lasted any longer than these. The only problem I've found with this set is with the rear rack top bag, whose mounting system is really cumbersome. It's still a good bag, and it can be made to work well with a little sewing skill to reposition the velcro straps. [2013 edit] 3 years later and the bag is still going strong. After some rides in rain I have found that this bag is barely even water resistant. A coat of waterproofer and seam sealer might be advisable.