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The Straight Cut Bagel Bar Bag is small, perfectly made (by hand) and uses Voile's excellent Nano straps to give a rock-solid setup. The double zip is different to most similar bags and works really well.

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The Bagel Bag is 200mm long and 120mm in diameter, which gives a useful 2.2 litres of volume – or, as Straight Cut measures it, four bagels-worth. I tested that and can confirm it's true, though tragically the delicious evidence no longer exists.

The bag is handmade in Scotland, with the main outer fabric being Cordura 500D – a strongly abrasion-resistant nylon with a DWR water-resistant coating. It's lined with X-Pac VX21 (another nylon with DWR), and the double layer makes for a very tough, durable bag.

Straight Cut supplies two Voile Nano straps – skinny little polyeurethane straps with rugged plastic buckles – for attachment, and they're absolutely fantastic: the strong, belt-like fabric is non-slip yet non-abrasive, and has a little stretch to tighten everything into place.

The Bagel Bag has multiple attachment points and can be placed low enough to allow the use of out-front GPS mounts. It also has an elastic cord for looping around the head tube, although – unlike many similar bags – it's so secure on the Voile straps you may not need it.

The details are neat. There's an elasticated pocket on either end which is perfect for empty wrappers, and multiple loop attachment points for strapping on lights, pumps or even something like tent poles.

What really marks the Straight Cut Bagel Bar Bag out is its double zip opening. I was initially skeptical about what it would add, but was won over – Straight Cut says it allows easy access for left or right-handed riders, but found the zips generally very easy to open.

The zip is YKK Aquaguard, and I found the inside stayed dry in rain and even when cleaning the bike using a hosepipe.

The bag holds its circular shape as it is reinforced with a removable plastic insert, though that does mean packing just a few smaller items will lead to rattling. It's easy to pad out with lightweight clothing, though.

The construction and design of the bag are hard to fault, though the lack of reflective material seems an oversight.

Value

This is one thing the £65 Miss Grape Moon Handlebar Bag does have but otherwise, the bags offer similar levels of performance and the price is also similar. The Straight Cut costs £5 more but is more stable thanks to the Voile straps – fitting them to the Miss Grape bag would be a £12 extra.

Being handmade in Scotland is a big reason the bag costs more. The Lifeline Adventure Handlebar Bag is substantially bigger and only £30, for instance, but it's also far more basic and nowhere near as stable and secure.

Straight Cut also offers a full custom service, allowing any number of changes, including different fabrics, colours and fittings. The bespoke service costs £80, and still includes two Voile Nano straps.

The Bagel Bar Bag might be small, but it is the best handlebar bag I have used to date.The  Voile straps give a solid fit, the fabric is strong and durable, and the zips are great. It's a great bag, and ideal for gravel bikes with limited space on the bars.

• www.straightcutdesign.com

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