Detours The Phinney Bag

I ride my bike to work every day and normally use a messenger bag by Chrome to fit my laptop, wallet, etc. However, sometimes I leave my laptop at the office and sometimes I want to stop by the grocery store on the way home. Also, when riding around the city on the weekend, it doesn't make sense to bring a big Chrome bag. To try to address these issues I had a small size rack installed above the front wheel of my bike. My thought was that I would be able to strap extra items onto this rack and it would be great for hauling nice shoes that I can change into the office or a few items I would need on my weekend rides. The problem then became that the bungie cords are very tight and are a pain to deal with. So, if I am riding past a grocery store on the way home from the office, then I can only strap on certain items - definitely not strawberries because they would be crushed by the bungie cords by the time I got home. I tried making my own fabric basket and use velcro to attach it to the rack, but there were major structural design flaws, so I gave up after making a prototype. I saw this product at Sports basement over the weekend and bought it here on Amazon 3 days later. It arrived in 2 days and it is absolutely perfect! It is slightly bigger than my front bike rack, but the straps are very very tight and it sits perfectly even on the most bumpy rides home. I liked the bright orange because it provides extra visibility, but if you want to be more discrete, then you might want to go with grey or black. I really like grey in the store. It looks like a super cute purse off bike and I am looking forward to my weekend rides now. The top of the bag has a steel reinforcement which helps the bag maintain its structure, so there is no risk of having it slump to the side as you ride. Fantastic design at a great price! It will do fine if attached to the handlebars, but it works best being on the bike rack. Buy it. You won't regret it.

I got the Phinney bag because I wanted a smaller bike bag I could use as a purse once I reached my destination. I use it on the back rack of my bike, it seems a bit large to put on the handlebars on a drop bar bike. The quality is good, it seems sturdy & well made. The pockets inside and outside the bag are handy, and the inside of the gray bag are a pretty bright neon green. The only thing I wish it had is a longer strap to allow me to use it as a shoulder bag; I ended up ordering a strap from another site and attaching it.

What a great bag! I've been using it on the front handlebars, but got it for the rear rack. I love the color! It has plenty of pockets for easy access to small items, and it is so easy to attach on/off the bike. When I don't have it on my bike, it's been my purse lately, and I've gotten so many compliments on it, that I then have to show off it's bike-rack features. It's a versatile bag, holds a lot, and is so functional - I love it.

This bag is a nice size capacity-wise, but it's almost too big for my bike's handle bars. The clips to attach/detach are very convenient, but it's pretty snug against the handle bar when attached. I'd have to pull the bag over to snap the clips together, so I probably can't fill the bag too full with stuff. It's very cute.

I use this on my back bike rack. It holds all my things for short bike rides. It is well made and very sturdy. I have a matching bag that also holds my computer. I like the bright color and feel it adds visibility for bike riders.

I was somewhat concerned with how the bag was constructed - would it be weak sided and floppy like a lot of handlebar bags. So, I called Detours. Happy with the call I ordered it and am quite pleased with the bag. Though not as large as some handlebar bags, it works quite well. And mounts quite well on my front rack. It has room for my flat kit, spare tube, 2 multi-tools, headlight, jacket and a 6-foot heavy gage cable and lock for the bike. It mount very securely on the rack and doesn't shift around at all. 4/5/2013 Update. I've had and used this bag for several months now. I have to say that my opinion has changed slightly as to the use-ability as a handlebar bag. Because of the more rigid sides and top of the bag, if you are wanting to get in to it on a fairly regular basis, this might not be the one you want. It can be a bit of a pain at times. BUT, on the front rack it is outstanding.

This bag is great, I choose it over my MTX trunk when rain is in the forecast b/c of the rain proof cover. It is easy to snap into place with the 4 point straps on the base. If I put it on the MTX rear rack it does have a little room to slide forward and backward but it usually slides towards my seat and stays there. If I put it on my small front rack (Sunlite Gold Tec) I can either clip it on or hang it from the handlebars and it will rest on the rack. This gives me 3 options for placement of the bag so usually it starts out on the rear rack but if I buy some things I can move it to the front rack or handlebars and bungee on additional items to the racks. It is made well, the zipper has large teeth and does not catch or snag on the fabric. The rain cover works. The buckles snap tightly and securely. The sides of the bag are stiff as another reviewer mentioned, but I like this feature b/c the bag will not slump over when clipped onto the rack base, it will support itself if you only have a few items in it. If you want to open the bag all the way to fit larger items you have to unsnap or loosen the smaller buckle on each of the narrow sides and you will have more room.