D2R Handlebar bag by Detours
May 19, 2014
It’s new and improved! What I appreciate about Detours is that they go out of their way to ask for input on their products and then implement the changes. For 2014, Detours made some great changes to their popular D2R Handlebar bag and we are proud to say Adventure Cycling’s Cyclosource team was able to help out.
Your handlebar bag is probably your most “go to” storage compartment on your bike while touring or commuting. It’s like your glove compartment, wallet, purse, and possibly your dash board all in one place. All those important items go there like keys, cell phone, GPS, important documents, lists of phone numbers and addresses, favorite power bar or snack, sun screen, lip protector, etc. It’s also the one bag that comes off the bike and goes with you at all your stops.
The D2R is a popular handlebar bag that we offer from our Cyclosource online store. Detours has gone the extra mile in designing this bag for the long distance traveler and daily commuter.
As mentioned earlier, Detours made some great improvements to the D2R handlebar bag this year. First, they turned the lid around so now the bag opens from back to front. It now lifts from the back so that you can enter the bag while riding. The second improvement made by Detours was to adjust the size of the clear water resistant map case that sits on top. Detours and the Adventure Cycling Cyclosource team collaborated to have the map case fit our Adventure Cycling maps just perfectly.
The D2R bag comes with a water resistant map case that attaches to the top of the bag, two water bottle pockets on each side, a front pocket, two inside compartment pockets, and its own rain cover. Detours also includes a shoulder strap for carrying the bag while off the bike. The dimensions of this bag are 9 x 6.5 x 7.5 inches with a volume capacity of 320 cubic inches. The D2R weighs in at 1.4 pounds and is capable of carrying up to 12 pounds of gear.
The attaching hardware is a quick release handlebar mount. Once you have the mount attached to the handlebars, the handlebar bag can be easily removed or attached by the push of a button. Another convenient feature is that Detours offers additional mounts so that you can easily move your bag from one bike to another depending on what you decide to ride that day.
The D2R handlebar bag is a very versatile and functional bag for your upfront “go to” items. At $65 this bag makes for a great functional piece of gear for your next tour.
Be sure to check out Cyclosource for more details on the D2R handlebar bag and other handlebar bags that we carry.
Photos by Geoff McMillion
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CYCLO NOTES is brought to you every Monday morning by Adventure Cycling's Cyclosource team — Teri, Patrick, and Geoff.
Comments
Having owned the predecessor version, I can't overstate how disappointing this one is in comparison. Detours changed from an easy to zip oval shape to a rectangle; it is difficult to get the zipper around the corners and then to make matters worse, they covered the zipper with an unnecessary flap. They also got rid of the easy-to-see and easy-to-pull orange zipper pulls and replaced them with useless nylon tabs that are hard to see and almost too small to grip. Even the key fob is harder to use. The water bottle holders on the side are almost unusable because they are too small for all but the teensiest bottles and the floppy material and the poorly-placed buckles make it almost impossible to put the bottle back in. The bag's interior capacity is also smaller than its predecessor. Plan on using a knapsack, too, because you can carry very little in this. The release mechanism works smoother than in the old version, but replacing the bag is trickier (especially in dim light), so that's a wash. I beg Detours to start making the old version again, but make it even better with usable bottle holders!
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