What's in Your Adventure Road Handlebar Bag?

Last year I wrote a post 'What's in Your Gravel Adventure Handlebar Bag?' – it proved to be popular, perhaps because it provided a glimpse into my personal choices for my ride support kit. In this post, I turn to my road riding set-up, which is distinctly different from my gravel bike bag—with a lighter weight and more streamlined kit. 

An obvious difference with my road handlebar bag is that to keep weight down, I also use a saddlebag on my road bike to house my tool kit, spare tube and repair kit. I also store my pump on the frame of my road bike rather than in the handlebar bag—to further distribute weight. I do not do these two things on a gravel bike because these two areas tend to receive too much in the way of wheel spray and muck.

Omitting the tool kit from the line-up, you will see that my adventure road cycling handlebar bag is also subtly different in design and contents…

Apidura Racing Handlebar Bag Mini Pack

I have long admired Apidura kit, and their new Racing range appeared to be the ultimate lightweight road bikepacking set-up available.

Designed with long-distance competition in mind, the Racing Handlebar Mini Pack is a storage space for keeping mid-ride essentials close to hand and easy to access.

The 2.5 litre internal storage volume features a mesh pocket for organisation and a full-width waterproof lid for easy access on-the-fly. On the outside there are lightweight durable Velcro straps to wrap around your bars and laser-cut safety light attachment points on the Hexalon ultralight laminate.

I have used the Apidura Racing Mini Pack for a lot of adventure road rides and it has consistently kept its contents safe and secure. Even in the most torrential downpours it does an admirable job of keeping the weather out as well.

The perfect handlebar bag for long distance road riding.

>> Shop the Apidura Racing Handlebar Mini Pack at Apidura.com

Gore Wear C5 Gore-Tex Shakedry 1985 Jacket

The ultimate packable waterproof jacket—the Gore Wear C5 Gore-Tex Shakedry 1985 Jacket warrants a place in any handlebar bag or jersey pocket.

This jacket is as packable as a lightweight windproof, but with fully-waterproof constant-beading technology; providing phenomenal and enduring protection from the elements.

>> Read my full review of the Gore Wear C5 Gore-Tex Shakedry 1985 Jacket here

>> Shop the Gore Wear C5 Gore-Tex Shakedry 1985 Jacket at Wiggle.co.uk 

HipLok Z-Lok Lightweight Zip Tie Bicycle Lock

The Hiplok Z-Lok is a super compact cable-tie style lock from the UK brand. It is not going to keep your road bike safe for a prolonged period or in a high risk area, but it is the perfect choice for securing your bike for just a few minutes as you pop into the shop to grab some ride fuel, or put your feet up in a café.

>> Read my review of the HipLok Z-Lok Lightweight Zip Tie Lock here

>> Shop the Hiplok Z-Lok Lightweight Zip Tie Cable Lock at Wiggle.co.uk

Weleda Edelweiss Sun Cream

This super sweat and water-resistant sun lotion is great to have to hand when the clouds clear over and the sun shines strong. It is a natural mineral based sun cream so actually moisturises and softens your skin rather than making it oily and drying it out.

Rude Health Natural Energy Bars

You want to be able to understand what you are putting into your body as ride fuel; Rude Health fruit and nut/seed bars tick that box, and then some. These cold pressed fruit bars contains a load of nutritious and wholesome ingredients that hasn't been tampered with or coated in preservatives. You will find them in my handlebar bag more often than any other energy bar.

>> Shop the Rude Health Fruit Bars at RudeHealth.com

Biodegradable Baby Wipes with Antibacterial Gel

This is a neat trick. Take five biodegradable baby wipes from a bulk packet, cut them in half and store them in a zip-lock bag. Squirt some anti-bacterial hand sanitiser in and the wipes will be soaked with an anti-bacterial solution. Essential to reduce the spread of viruses and bacteria.

>> Shop Mum&You Biodegradable Baby Wipes

GripGrab Multifunctional Neck Warmer

A neck warmer is so much more than a neck warmer… it is a face mask, a bandana, a sweatband, a towel, a sun cap and even a bandage.

The GripGrab snoods (multifunctional neck warmers) are made from quality materials and last longer than others I have used. They come in a range of vibrant colours, and a merino wool version.

>> Shop the GripGrab Multifunctional Neck Warmer at Amazon.co.uk

Lightweight Musette Bag

Sometimes you unexpectedly need to carry more kit than your bike bags can hold; this might be when you have over-dressed for a ride and need to strip off a lot of layers, or when you buy too many provisions to stuff in your jersey pockets. A lightweight musette bag is ideal to temporarily increase your carrying capacity, then it can be stowed away when no longer required.

Nite Ize TagLit LED Safety Light

This little safety light is perfect for keeping in your handlebar bag in case you end up getting caught out in bad weather or with darkness creeping in. It uses a simple CR2032 coin cell battery and attaches to your saddlebag or jersey pocket using a magnetic snap-tight clasp.

>> Shop the Nite Ize TagLit LED Safety Light at Amazon.co.uk