I’ve been very pleased with how well my Louis Garneau RR-16 rack trunk has held up since I bought it in May, so when the matching LG HB-09 handlebar bag was back in stock recently at Performancebike.com, I decided to take the plunge and buy one. I’ve already given my first out-of-the-box impressions. Since then, I’ve had a chance to use the new bar bag on quite a few rides where I’ve been…

 
Getting to Know the LG Box HB-09  The Louis Garneau bar bag is essentially—as the name suggests—a box. It has two mesh pockets outside (one on each side), and two roughly ovoid zipper pockets on the front. A buckled flap with adjustable straps covers the gap between the two front pockets and can be used to carry a spare jacket, or to hold onto your helmet when you’re shopping. An adjustable bungee cord zigzags across the top lid for additional storage of goods. A generously long, adjustable shoulder strap comes with the bag, and clips to D-rings on either side of the bag—a big plus and a selling point for me. In addition to the bright red color, the LG bag has reflective accents. Here are some photos of these features:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
So far so good. After getting acquainted with my new bar bag, it I was eager to see how efficient and capable it would be.

 
Packing and Using the LG Box HB-09  Accommodating my necessities in the boxy bar bag was never at issue. Finding a way to do so while maintaining order was the conundrum. The Transit Pro is amply supplied with internal pockets and attachment points, so it was easy to segregate items so they didn’t scurry about inside the bag when underway, while keeping some things just where they could be grabbed in a hurry. Here are a pair of photos showing the interiors of each bag, with the TP on top and the LG beneath:

 

 

 
The pockets of the TP bulge with the things I carry on each ride, and there’s still room for more. I decided the capacious interior of the LG bag would need some compartmentalization. (The generous mesh pocket on the lid’s underside could use a zipper to prevent loss of items slipped inside.) The solution came to my while I sipped a glass of boxed wine. The bottom portion of a box of Vella Burgundy fits perfectly against the aft side of the LG compartment. I simply used a box cutter to slice off the end of the box, slipped it inside the bar bag, and customized it so the top of the box is about two inches lower than the compartment. All the tools and accessories I carried in pockets of the Transit Pro fit into the wine box partition, and are prevented from slopping around while riding. The forward compartment holds other gear, from my heavy cable lock to small items of clothing that I might need on a ride:

 

 
I use zipper-lock plastic bags and recycled film cans to hold tools and supplies. There’s plenty of room left over for additional things, like the sleeves of my Performance Transformer jacket-vest or full-fingered winter gloves and a head gasket.

With the interior well stocked now, I turned my attention to the exterior pockets. In the zippered front pockets, I packed a small first aid kit, folded eyeglasses in a small hard case, a Swiss Army knife, and a plastic bottle of hand sanitizer. There’s room for a few other small sundries:

 

 
On my first trial ride with the LG bag, I warmed up enough to strip off my Performance vest, so rolled it and tucked it under the bag’s front flap:

 

 
No hint of the vest slipping out underway back home. I could have packed my light fleece shirt under the lid or under the bungees, too. This bar bag is voluminous, no doubt about it, but the bag is sized so that it does not restrict access to my handlebars:

 

 
And here’s a side view:

 

 
Here’s the big picture:

 

 
Although the photo suggests the bag is sagging, it’s not. However, after the first ride I did angle the bracket up a bit so that the bag’s contents press against the back. Even loaded with about eight pounds of tools and supplies, the bracket held tight, and the bag didn’t bounce and lurch inordinately. The zipper opens and closes the lid with ease, even when I’m underway. The bag’s slotted plate slides over the handlebar bracket and locks in place. The bag is held securely but releases easily. Just pull back on the large red tab and slide the bag off the bracket. I’ve mounted the bracket a little off-center to allow the front brake cable to describe a smooth curve from where it exits the bar tape to the brake hanger:

 

 
After that ride, I realized how much I missed the Transit Pro’s map window on the lid, a window that lets me read a cue sheet or map, and also holds my cyclometer, eyeglasses, and notebook when I carry the bag into a store when shopping. To remedy this deficiency, I slid a map case under the bungee and secured it further by wrapping the case’s hook-and-loop tabs over the bungee:

 

 
After a couple hundred miles, then, I’ve gotten to know the bag well enough to give…

 
My Opinion of the LG Box HB-09  As with the Louis Garneau rack trunk, the LG HB-09 bar bag is reasonably priced, brightly colored (good for being seen by motorists), and well constructed. The bracket is easy to fit to the handlebars, and so far has proven bomb-proof on rough roads. It’s boxy design means that it sits level when you set it down on a table or on the ground—it won’t tumble over. There are drawbacks, though, as with most products. The bag is not waterproof, and there’s no rain cover supplied, which in a handlebar bag seems irrational. I’ve borrowed the rain cover from the Transit Pro and stowed it in the inside mesh pocket in case it’s needed. Here’s a run-down of the bag’s characteristics so far:

 
On the Plus Side

• • Voluminous
• • Substantial bracket (should mount on any handlebar)
• • Shoulder Strap
• • Versatile external carrying places
• • Bright color and reflective accents
• • Flat, firm bottom
• • Zippers slide with ease
• • Good proportions

 
On the Down Side

• • No rain cover
• • No weather sealing (no flap over zippers, no weather-sealed zips)
• • No internal dividers or pockets
• • No map sleeve

 
I’m not giving away my Transit Pro handlebar bag, just in case the lack of weatherproofing on the LG becomes troublesome. By and large, though, I’m glad I bought the HB-09. My TP bag has weathered about 8,000 miles of hard use and one crash, and could keep going back for more. We’ll see if the Louis Garneau HB-09 can compete.

 
Send a Comment