Topeak is now launching the second generation of the Frontloader. Compared to the previous year, there are the following innovations: With a fixed handlebar roller, loading and unloading is more time-consuming and fiddly: either the handlebar roller is filled and unloaded while hanging on the bike. Alternatively, you can remove the entire handlebar pulley, including the fixing straps, fill it and then mount the handlebar pulley on the wheel again – in any case, the process is more complicated than a harness system. Freeloader (stem bag): The Topeak Freeloader stem bag is fully thought out and has proven itself in practice: In the handling it is simple and in the processing of high quality. The manufacturer has thought along with the product design here. The Freeloader works particularly well in combination with the Topeak Frontloader (handlebar roller): The attachment to the handlebar is particularly space-saving in this case. In brief, I tried the harness on several different bikes with as many different bar types and cable routing as I could - to try and get a feel for how simple or awkward each might be. I have used a WildCat Lion harness in the past and, although they are similar, there are differences too. Namely that the Topeak uses spacers for the bar section and that it is secondarily secured via the head tube. That’s why you can see it was easy for us to give Topeak FrontLoader Handlebar Bag such a high overall score of 8.6 / 10. It seems to have the perfect combination of features, quality and price making it a great all-rounder.

Now the plastic clips can be clipped tightly and will hold securely. With a rigging device you can pull the bag really tight on the saddle. The Topeak Freeloader can be mounted on the right or left side of the handlebar. If the stem is long exactly, then two freeloaders can also be mounted. The bag is attached to the bike at a total of three points: The Topeak frame bag uses the upper area of the bike frame. The Topeak Midloader is available in three different sizes: 3L, 4,5L and 6Liter. The range is thus quite broad to fill most frames well. A harness system works differently: a handlebar mount sits securely and firmly mounted on the bike. The handlebar roller is held securely in place by a belt system. With the Topeak Frontloader, the drybag is held firmly by 2 straps. To remove, simply loosen the 2 straps and remove the caster. Topeak Frontloader: The handlebar bag fits a tent and an Ultralight sleeping pad. With the Freeloader handlebar bag, the high-quality workmanship is immediately noticeable and the handling of the bag is also very well thought out.The saddle bag is permanently installed on the saddle. The Drybag is filled with the equipment and can be slid into the saddle bag. The stable closure and the well thought-out tensioning mechanism ensure that the saddle bag and drybag are held securely. Mount to head tube is at the lower part of the bag and can lead to some sway with heavier items. Could be improved by having the mount strap higher on the headtube. The Drybag itself has a correctly sized opening and can be closed firmly. I really liked the integrated valve: The remaining air in the saddlebag can be pressed out almost completely. This compresses the dybag to the maximum. The handlebar harness has been fitted with an additional plastic brace on the top. This makes the shot even more stable and I think the new look is brilliant. Keyword optics Then I fitted the bag to a drop bar bike with under tape brake cables but with external gear cables (see photo four in the above gallery). Prior to fitting I thought that this setup would be the most awkward as it often is when using bar bags. However I was surprised that it was really straight forward to fit and that the cables just sat over the top of the harness and bag.

Commuting in winter and also travelling in countries with a lot of precipitation should not be a problem (e.g. Denmark in April). The length of the straps are quite long for my loading technique ie they hang down a bit which I do not find so nice. Functionally, there is no impairment here. Also, the straps are very far from getting caught in the spokes. I felt safe there for the whole ride. Secure hold: The handlebar roller is fixed in the holder with two straps. Once tightened nothing slips Even fully loaded, the bag keeps its shape well and hardly expands. Thus, I never bumped the bag with my knees while pedaling. The access can be from the left as well as from the right: There is a zipper on both sides of the frame bag As mentioned, there is a zipper on both the left and right sides. The zippers are water-repellent and at the same time covered by the fabric of the frame bag during the ride. This gives additional protection. The maximum weight of the reel is given with 5 kilos which is a lot. As an example, my tent and sleeping pad weigh about 1.7 kilos. That’s far less than half the allowable weight.The bag itself is rain-repellent. If it does rain heavily, a pull-out rain cover is integrated into the left side panel of the Topeak Toploader.

NOTE: We used some images directly from Topeak (each main image); these show a slightly updated variation of the bags. The bags that were tested were an earlier version (shown in all other photos). Topeak TopLoader (Top Tube Bag) In all three available sizes, the bag has the aforementioned three velcro closures at the top of the bag. I had the bag in 4.5 liters and in the photos you can see the frame bag in the 6 liter version. While the smaller 4.5 liter version hugs the top tube perfectly, the 6 liter version sags a bit. As seen in the photos. Here I would have liked a fourth velcro or a wider velcro in the middle. In addition, I must say: The bag I had also heavily loaded a little too heavy. Among other things, with a lot of tools and a 20,000 mAh powerbank with aluminum housing. The inner lining of the Topeak Toploader is also yellow. This provides excellent contrast and the equipment inside is easily visible at first glance. Topeak Toploader by obe: The zipper can also be operated with one hand while ridingLarge 6L variant could hold more dimensionally stable on the top tube e.g. with an additional Velcro strap or a wide Velcro strap in the middle. Conclusion