Cycology 8 Days Top Tube Bag

The Cycology 8 Days Top Tube Bag is a simple, lightweight waterproof top tube bag that's at the smaller end of the size range and offers limited luggage capacity. It's sleek and stylish with original, bold artwork on the outside that's sure to catch plenty of attention. It sits nicely and looks pretty on your bike – although it does move around a bit.

> Buy now: Cycology 8 Days Top Tube Bag for £20 from Cycology

The variant of the top tube bag we've reviewed is called 8 Days, but the company run by an Australian couple who pride themselves on their out-of-the-box designs, produces other top tube bags as well, which are similar to this in every aspect but the illustrations.

Cycology says this top tube bag is part of its 8 Days graffitied artwork range which came from 'listening to the Beatles songs about cycling – and the desire to ride 8 days a week'.

I'm not sure if it's for everyone, but I absolutely love the design. The illustration feels like an homage to Jean-Michel Basquiat's art style and looks amazing on my blue bike frame. If you're not a fan of it though, there are loads of other designs from which you can choose, although all of them are wonderfully quirky – with a special mention to the Rock N Roll Top Tube Bag.

Coming in at just 70g and 0.65 litres and measuring 18 x 9 x 4cm – it's not the biggest or most spacious bag you'll have on your bike if you're going for a club ride or even a long solo spin.

But on rides when you wish you'd just had that little extra storage to pack in an extra energy bar, or carried that CO2 inflator when your tyre lets you down, the Cycology makes  a great companion that will handily store these extras.

To get an idea of the size, my 6-inch iPhone 11 barely fits into it – and then only after I've removed the leather case. If you're planning to use a top tube bag to store a bigger phone, then this might not be the bag for you. Personally, I always keep my phone in my back jersey pocket or if I'm commuting, then just in my pants/jeans, so this wasn't really an issue for me.

Instead, my go-to accessories to throw in this were a couple of energy bars, a multi-tool and my wallet and keys.

There's an internal zip pocket that's quite small and snug, but it's perfect for keeping spare change and/or your keys so they don't scratch around other stuff, such as your phone. The only downside is you can easily forget you stashed the keys there and spend half a day looking for them – or maybe that's just me...

The bag is lined with 3M Scotchlite reflective piping on the seams that is supposed to improve visibility. The zipper is also waterproof and in my experience of riding in light rain, the bag was exceptional in keeping moisture out, with everything inside staying dry.

To attach the bag to your bike, you get three basic Velcro straps – two for the top tube and one for the head tube. The straps are decent, although riding over potholes, the bag did slide to the side a few times. It's not enough for any knee rub and nothing that can't be fixed with a little nudge, and as long as you tighten the Velcro properly, I can't ever seeing the bag come off your bike.

There's a little bit of padding on the sides to protect the bag's contents from any damage, and the zip works really nicely. It's smooth and the pull tab is easy to open and close on the fly.

The materials used are absolutely top-notch as well. Cycology says it's 100 per cent polyester – 300-denier coated Oxford fabric.

If there's one aspect I'm not the biggest fan of it's the piping on the seams. It looks a little untidy and doesn't do a great job of maintaining the structure of the bag. In the last couple of weeks that I've used the bag, it's starting to show some minor signs of wear with the piping looking a little rumpled.

Value

At just £20, the Cycology 8 Day Top Tube Bag seems like a bargain. Sure, you can get other top tube bags that are more spacious and functional, such as the Topeak Bento Pack, which comes loaded with features, but this nifty little bag from Cycology stands out for different reasons.

The first one is obviously the design. Secondly, while appearing zany on the first impression, the bag is rather minimalist, straightforward and simply snazzy.

If you want something larger, check out the £55 Tailfin Top Tube Bag – our gold standard in terms of top tube bags.

You can also get the similarly priced Specialized/Fjällräven Top Tube Bag if you're looking for a moderately sized bag with minimalist looks.

For all sorts of kit-carrying options our best bikepacking bags buyer's guide is the place to go.

Conclusion

If you're looking for a little more on-the-bike storage and love the look of the Cycology bag, this gets a thumbs up from us.

Verdict

A nifty, small and sleek top tube bag that will make you stand out – and at a very affordable price