Detours Slice top tube bag goes for $20 and offers sleek storage for road and mountain bikes.
Detours Slice Top Tube Bag, $20; www.detours.us
I’m chronically guilty of a rookie mistake when it comes to long bike rides: too much of my nutrition stays in my backpack and never finds its way into my body. On shorter rides, the “random nutrition method” works with varying degrees of success but on longer rides, neglecting functional nutrition is an invitation to Bonktown.
I could have saved myself years of weepy, lethargic finishes if I had the Detours Slice top tube bag. Or at bare minimum, finished with a little more style.
The Slice is a simple wedge shaped bag that easily mounts to your top tube with velcro and one-elastic strap. It fits snugly on nearly all bikes. I mount it backwards on my race-ready 29er to accommodate the fatter top tube and it stays in place just fine. It has a sleek, tapered design that doesn’t sit on your bike like some trophy wife’s oversized diamond ring. Load it up with your favorite, easy-to-digest ride snack and there’s no reason to slow down for a quick bite. My preferred method is to fill it up with 5 or 6 packets of gummi chews, thereby avoiding the infernally frustrating task of trying to open a gummi package mid-ride.
The Slice is less than half a pound holds 25 cubic inches of space – enough for gels, gummis or other race fuel products. For less competitive rides, it has a handy key fob and can easily fit a cellphone, wallet or small digital camera (another thing I tend to neglect on rides).
Since I’ve done a few centuries and love epic rides into the backcountry, I’m surprised I never used a top tube bag in the past. Adding one to my arsenal has made me much more efficient at in-flight fueling. And who knows, I may even get photos on the trail instead of my normal gallery of trailhead shots. Making my snacks, camera and cellphone super accessible is a no-brainer and for twenty bucks, an affordable addition to any biker’s collection.
