Google Customer Reviews 
CONTAINS TEXT
AVAILABILITY
BRAND
OTHER OPTIONS
Frame bags for bikes, they are the best place carry heavy loads on long rides. But they can be the trickiest purchase you make in your preparation for your next adventure.
Just like every rider is different, every bike is different and needs a different frame bag solution. Whether you are after a full frame bag to take advantage of your entire main triangle, or whether you just want to utilise half your frame allowing you to keep your water bottle cages in, we have options for you.
What size bikepacking frame bag do I need?
We stock bikepacking frame bags from Apidura, Revelate Designs, Ortlieb, Brooks England & Topeak. The reason we stock all these brands is not just because they all make good bike bags, it’s because they all make slightly different shape, sizes & capacity bags. This is important because there are just so many different bike frame geometries out there. There’s no clear answer for ‘if my bike size is 52cm which frame bag will fit’. It can be a trial & error process of trying different bags on your bike until you find the right one. This is especially true if you are trying to find a frame bag for a carbon gravel bike. Gravel bike geometries have long top tubes and a sloping, reduced main triangle. This means that even in the larger bike frame sizes, it can be difficult to find a good fit inside this triangle for a frame bag.
Important things to remember when choosing a frame bag
It’s important to remember that bike frame bags do need to fit tight in order for the zips to be operable when on your bike. If the bag is not a taut fit then it will make pulling the zippers open & closed difficult. For this reason, if you are between sizes you should opt for the smaller bag. You can still fit a surprising amount in a frame bag, even when it’s small!
Another important note is that bike frame bag sizing increases and decreases together. For example, a 14L frame bag is for a large bike frame like a 58cm or a 61cm. A 5.3L frame bag is for a 54cm frame, or a 52cm bike frame. While you can fit a 5.3L frame bag on a 61cm bike, it will not be taking up much of your triangle. And conversely you will not be able to fit a 14L frame bag on a 52cm bike frame because the triangle is too small. The litre capacity of the frame bag is indicative of the size of the bike it will fit on. You simply cannot carry as much on a smaller bike when it comes to frame bags. Frame bags cannot ‘bulge’ out from your triangle too much or they will rub on your legs as you ride.
What brand of frame bag will fit my bike?
Our general advice is that Revelate Designs make frame bags that suit a wide variety of mountain bike frames & their Ranger bags are especially good for smaller main triangles if you have one.
Revelate’s Ripio frame bags are fantastic for steel frame bikes & titanium frame bikes which have more ‘standard’ geometries with tall top tubes and a more standard triangle shape that accommodates the Ripio’s very traditional triangular shape.
Ortlieb’s frame bags are fantastically engineered just like their panniers in that they are reliably waterproof & come in roll-top options which makes it super easy to see inside your bag when it’s open. The Roll-top closure frame bag is also handy if you tend to migrate your gear around throughout your ride & need to overfill it.
Apidura’s waterproof laminate bags with their incredibly tough zips & Velcro fastenings are great fits for smaller frame geometries. Apidura bike frame bags come in very small litre capacities, which also means smaller physical sizes. Their Compact frame bags are usually the best fit for 52cm bikes, 54cm bikes & even 48cm bikes which are a real challenge.
Bring your bike in store for a fit up
Shopping online is easy, it’s fast and we have a great returns policy, but if you still feel overwhelmed with all the options and don’t have a good idea of your frame dimensions then bring your bike in store. We keep stock of all the frame bags your see on our website in our shop in Richmond and we definitely encourage you to bring your bike in and let us fit it up for you!
