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Cedaero Top Tube Pack Review by Dustin Marsh

Cedaero Tank Top Bolt-on Pack final thoughts

I always carry too much stuff on my rides. A full-frame pack just doesn’t cut it some days. When I ordered my custom frame pack from Cedaero Bags, I had them sew up a Tank Top Pack to match. I’ll consider them as enablers for my pack-rat ways. I opted for the bolt-on version to keep the looks clean. They have a regular strap-on version that uses two Velcro and ToughTek cinch straps which should provide equal stability.

When I wrote my first impressions on these packs, I was somewhat neutral on the Tank Top pack. It mounted easily, everything worked as designed, and other than the custom colors, it didn’t seem to stand out from other top tube bags on the market. After a few months of daily driving, it didn’t change my life. A top tube pack is a common accessory these days, and I was already accustomed to using one before I bolted on this version from Cedaero. At least I thought I was. The pack I was using before had one of those waterproof zippers that work ok but sometimes takes a little convincing to slide- especially if it isn’t perfectly clean. I used it more as a storage pack, and wouldn’t open it often during rides. After some time, I started using the new pack for my quick access items, because even on trails I can open and close it without looking down or being distracted. That small detail- a well-designed zipper interface, completely changed how I use this pack

Cedaero specs their Packs with #9 Ideal zippers with a custom DWR nanosphere coating. Basically it is a bigger zipper than standard, with a water repellent treatment on the zipper fabric instead of a gummy urethane coating that doesn’t slide well, or keep water out. I grew up around sewing machines, undersized zippers are the one thing about most bike purses that sends me to Bummertown. Yeah, that small zipper makes the bag a tiny bit lighter, but it sure sucks when that zipper blows out in the middle of a huge ride. (or a beer run for that matter) 

I’ve stuffed it with gloves, twinkly light string battery packs, beers, bacon, Bluetooth speakers, keys, french fries, my garage door remote, cheese curds, donuts, empty gel packets, and dollar store gnomes. I’ve wedged things that don’t fit, and the zipper still zipped just fine. Currently, the zipper is coated with sticky dried-up energy gel after using it as a garbage bin for a handful of races. It still zips with one hand and no effort. Contributing to the ease of use is the thin hard foam padding that is sewn between the high visibility 200d liner and the 1000d outer fabric. 

At the front of the pack is a daisy chain strap with 3 locations for mounting the velcro strap that stabilizes the pack. A bit of that hard foam here gives some breathing room for stem bolts. On the bottom, two stainless steel button head cap screws keep things tightened down to the top tube bosses through an HDPE plastic stiffener. I did occasionally have hard items make some noise against the plastic, but it wasn’t terribly bothersome. Another small issue I found was the hard plastic tab on the zipper pull. If I left the bag open all the way, it rattled against the bike frame. After some thought of replacing it with a paracord pull, I had the realization that the rattling serves as a reminder to close the pack before I lose all my snacks! 

The next time I go shopping for on-bike storage, I will be calling up the folks in Two Harbors, Minnesota. They have an incredible amount of pride in their product line, and it shows.

Coming soon, we’ll give a quick report on the Fat-Bike.com winter field trip to Cedaero world headquarters, and I’ll tell you what I really think about the custom frame pack they conjured up for my greasy bear, plus a look at another unique Cedaero product!

For more information visit – https://www.cedaero.com/

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One Response to Cedaero Top Tube Pack Review by Dustin Marsh

  1. Erv Spanks March 24, 2020 at 8:04 am #

    Nice review good sir!

    Your Beargrease does look faster with the bolt-on instead of the strap-on version.

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