The Mini Handlebar Bag is Post Carry Co’s smallest handlebar bag, offering about 1.5 litres of carrying capacity and a clam-shell design that makes it easy to use. The bag comfortably houses more than the necessities for a long ride and is small enough to fit even on the smallest bikes, making it easily a worthy contender among the best bar bags.
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Post Carry Co Mini Handlebar Bag - Technical details
The Mini Handlebar Bag from Post Carry Co is the smallest of the brand’s handlebar bags, housing about 1.5l of cargo inside the clam-shell design. The main outer fabric of the bag is 600D polyester, and a thinner 200D polyester has been used inside. There is also a plastic plate to hold the bag in shape.
The bag attaches to the handlebars with two simple, wide velcro straps that are placed 10cm apart at the back of the bag instead of the top. Below the straps is a small loop that can be used to prevent the bag from bouncing about with the help of a drawstring (which I didn't use and quickly lost).
There are six colour combinations available for the bag, with “Post” written above the zip opening on an accent background.
The bag has two zippers to it, meaning that it can be opened a full 180 degrees. The claimed weight is 125g, which was accurate on my home scales, too.
Post Carry Co Mini Handlebar Bag - Performance
The Post Carry Co Mini Handlebar Bag has been with me for a few months now and I’ve reached for it on multiple occasions for different reasons. In the winter, it neatly housed my additional layers that might have been needed in the cold, and come spring and summer, it was a trusty companion on my all-day long rides, functioning as my snack stash.
The small size of the bag has proved to be rather ideal for - as PostCarry Co also says - quick adventures or commuting. It’s not large enough to hold substantial amounts of things for longer bikepacking trips, but at the same time, the size is perfect for anyone wanting to keep their jersey pockets seams from tearing apart because they're full of everything and the kitchen sink.
The bag is very easy to fit which made taking it on and off the bike a simple, seconds-long task. The wide velcro straps are very effective at keeping the bag stable and I found that I didn't need the additional drawstring (which I as a result went on to lose into the depths of my "cycling cupboard") as the bag stayed still enough even on rougher roads and didn't rub on the headtube. This is also because of the small size of the bag - it measures only 10cm in height and 20cm in width making it an ideal fit for even small bikes like mine (even with 36cm wide handlebars).
My test bag features the Gray/Yellow colourway which has easily matched most of the bikes I’ve ridden with it. The branding on the bag is subtle and means it’s easy to pair even with ‘off-brand’ bags elsewhere on the bike.
After a quick look, you could mistake this bag to be the traditional cylinder shape, but it is in fact not quite round. The plastic plate that holds the bag's shape only extends from the top to the bottom in a sort of C-shape, leaving the front of the bag soft. The front is where the two zipper pullers that allow the bag to be opened 180 degrees meet. After the initial doubts, I found absolutely no fault in having those two pullers instead of one, in fact, quite the opposite. The bag is easy to fill because you get a full view of the inside, and when you need something out, you can only open half of the bag and slot the things needed out without spilling everything.
That said, the placement of the zip on the front of the bag means it’s not necessarily easy to access while riding. I found that if I had no front computer mount, I could prop the bag up with one hand and open the zip with another to take things out while riding, but most of the time I needed to stop. The two-way zip also means that you’re bound to have a tiny gap between the two “heads” and in very rainy conditions, that means water will get in. You could of course put the zippers fully to one side of the bag, which alleviates the issue a little.
The quality of the bag is great, and I had no issues with the materials, the zippers, or the velcro straps that attach it to the handlebars. The only issue that I did have with this bag is the way the supportive plastic plate is placed inside the bag. It’s left exposed, which means that anything you put in the bag will rattle unless it’s wrapped in something soft or kept still by other things. It’s more of an inconvenience to listen to things rattling about rather than an actual issue, but worth pointing out if you get easily disturbed by repetitive noises.
Post Carry Co Mini Handlebar Bag - Verdict
The Mini Handlebar Bag is quite like the Restrap Canister Bag, or the Straight Cut Bagel Bar Bag, except for the two-zip design that really does help with both filling and emptying the bag.
In terms of value, the Mini costs $40, which translates to about £31, which is quite good value compared to, for example, the above competitors and the Orucase Smuggler (£49) which Pat criticised for the difficult access. The price comes with a caveat, though, as at the time of writing, Post Carry Co doesn’t have a European shop, which means that UK orders are subject to customs duties at the British border. For £31, those would hardly be more than a few pounds, which would still keep the price competitive - and about half of the Straight Cut Bagel Bar Bag.
The Post Carry Co Mini Handlebar Bag is a great small-volume handlebar bag for those that don’t like anything too bulky hanging on their handlebars, but would still like to add a little carrying capacity to the bike for long rides or winter miles. The bag is super simple to attach and use, and the nonchalant design is focused on functionality over bold looks.