Crumpler Bike Bags Review

by Carry HQ, August 12, 2023

If you’ve spent any time on college campuses, public transit, or heck, the continent of Australia you’re probably familiar with Crumpler. Originally founded in 1995 by a bike messenger looking for a better work bag, the company briefly went silent in 2021 only to be brought back to life in the same year by the founder (Dave Roper) and his daughter (Virginia Martin). Crumpler is a deeply Ozzie company with brick-and-mortar stores in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide. While its products are not 100% entirely Australian-made, many of them are, and the rest are outsourced to reputable manufacturers in Vietnam and China who have maintained a Crumpler relationship for as long as 20 years.

Although you may be most familiar with the loud designs of brightly-colored bum bags (remember, fanny means something different in Australia), Crumpler has recently expanded into more bicycle-specific soft goods including a full lineup of bike bags. So when Dave, Virginia and the crew offered to send us some to try out, I had to physically fight a few of our other Carryology teammates (sorry, Brandon) to get my hands on them.

The Bags

First off, I may be the exact opposite of Taylor Weldon when it comes to bag color choice. In my email to Crumpler to arrange logistics, I noted that the bags came in a variety of colors and that I was open to whatever they wanted to send, but would prefer not to have anything black. The immediate and enthusiastic response was, “Black is out of the question, mate! These bags will be popping hard!”

And popping hard they were.

Crumpler sent over their full range of bike bags that seem to be targeted towards your EDC (everyday commuter), with a bit of a foray into light bikepacking. All the bags are made from a mix of Cordura and Recycled Polyester (RPET) with water-resistant zippers.

The Fruiterer

The first bag I ever put on my bike was a handlebar bag designed and sewn by a Bay Area bike friend named Kyle who now owns Outer Shell Bags so my bar has been set (pun definitely intended) pretty high from the start. The Fruiterer is a 2.5L, skinny bar bag that doubles as a fanny pack with stowable straps. The bag has one main compartment with a divider and is big enough to fit everything I need for a few hours on my mountain bike, including a tube, compact pump, multi-tool, and light jacket. Alternatively, it’ll hold about four beers. There’s also a small accessory compartment that’s great for a wallet, keys, or a snack.

Once the fanny pack straps are stowed, a combination of Velcro straps and elastic keeps the bag nice and tight on even the bumpiest backcountry roads. While this does make the install easy, I do wish the bag sat a bit more upright and outward-facing instead of pointing down towards the road, but this is 100% an aesthetic preference and in no way affects the utility.

For a bum bag, it’s reasonably priced at $100 AUD or about $65 plus shipping from Oz, but you’d easily pay that or more for a similar-quality handlebar bag.

The Dry Floral Arrangement

The Dry Floral Arrangement (DFL) is a half-size frame bag that fits most road and mountain frames with little fuss. I was honestly resistant to the idea of a half-size frame bag when this arrived in the mail, but it has become a staple of my daily commute, holding things like my cable lock and work ID to badge into the bike locker. At 2L, it’s not massive but it’s easily accessible and can hold about six Golden Gaytimes for easy access.

While the three top Velcro straps and one elastic frame strap aren’t the MOST aesthetically pleasing attachment mechanisms, the bag is reinforced in all the right places and once secured, you basically forget it’s there. The DFL has one zipper on each side for separate, slightly asymmetric compartments that allow you to keep relatively bulky items from hitting your knees as you pedal. Again, it’ll run you $100 AUD or about $65 plus shipping.

The Great Question

Weighing in at a massive 7L, the Great Question is a saddle bag that straddles the overloaded commute and the light day-tourer. The large rear zip pocket easily swallows a six-pack of your favorite local pickle beer, and the bottom has added elastic to hold a jacket or a cool piece of dead cholla cactus that you found on the trail.

The bag attaches both to your seat tube and your saddle so extra motion is all but eliminated and the saddle attachments can be cinched down when the bag is empty to decrease excess bulk. This thing is honestly overkill for your daily ride, but worked great for me on a slightly longer day trip where I was able to carry an extra change of clothes for the train ride home. This one is a bit pricier at $150 AUD or $100 plus shipping.

The Steamed Bun

Have you ever thought, “Crikey, this bike is great, but I wish there was an easier way to carry my VB.” The Steamed Bun is basically a handlebar-mounted accessory pouch for your bike. At 1.5L it’s just about perfectly sized to hold your favorite tall-boy*, a vase of flowers, or a small stinging insect in a cup with its expandable cinch top.

It’s meant to sit in the space between your stem and your bars and attaches with a similar set of Velcro/elastic as the Fruiterer. No matter how you use it, it looks great and can hold a surprising amount of stuff for how little space it takes up. At $80 AUD or $52 plus shipping, it’s a bit of an ask, but as far as weird cup holder accessories go, this one is incredibly high-spec.

*Don’t drink and ride!

In Summary

Overall, the new bicycle soft goods from Crumpler really scratch that itch of well-made, beautiful gear that the brand is known for. After about two months of daily commute and frequent weekend rides, the entire setup still looks brand new. That being said, I think the only items that will stay on my bike long-term are the frame bag and the bar bag. While the other two items are well-made, they’re quite overkill for the couple of miles I ride to work and might be more at home for our bikepackers.

If you’re a weekend warrior who delights in the idea of some light touring, the whole setup is definitely worth a look, while if you’re more of a casual commuter, one or two pieces might fit your bill nicely. As with many of the things we review here at Carryology, while they may not be the cheapest option, these bags are well thought out, well designed, and well manufactured and definitely worth a look if you’re on the prowl for some fun-looking bike bags.