A genius, simple and safe way to eat food and hydrate while racing or riding all day.
The Mountain Feedbag is extremely easy to access for food or drink.
Blings
- Lightweight at 3.6 oz.
- Handmade in Alaska – Ultra-high quality
- Very secure and versatile mounting
- Easy and safe access to fuel
- Big enough to hold water/beer bottles
- Washable liner
Dings
- Too much weight in the bag can alter front end handling characteristics.
Every so often a cycling product comes along that’s so simple innovative that you just want to slap your forehead and say, “why didn’t I think of that?” The Revelate Designs Mountain Feedbag is one of those products.
Handmade in Alaska, Revelate Designs was founded in 2007 by Eric Parsons. Considering there’s no such thing as a short ride in Alaska, Parsons was well accustomed to multi-day adventures that required burdensome amounts of gear. The last thing Parsons needed was heavy metal racks and panniers to make an already heavy load even heavier.
So Parsons bought a sewing machine and got all home economics, creating lightweight frame bags made of high quality Cordura and other durable fabrics. Word quickly spread of Revelate’s quality and light weight, and soon everyone racing fat bikes in the Iditarod Trail Invitational had to have Revelate gear. Multi-day and weeks-long vision quests like the Tour Divide have exploded in popularity over the last five years, and with it, an explosion in the demand for Revelate gear.
Closed (left): The elastic cord can be opened and closed with one hand. Secure (right): Three mounting straps ensure the feedbag stays in place.
One of Revelate’s most simple and genius products is the Mountain Feedbag, solving a problem that has nagged adventure racers forever – being able to easily and safely grab food while still riding. For those like me who prefer to eat natural foods like dried fruit and nuts while racing, the feedbag is optimal. No more reaching in your back pocket for a ziplock bag that might spill all your fuel on the ground before you can even get it in your mouth. With the Mountain Feedbag, it’s easily within reach and can be mounted to either the left or the right side of your stem.
The design is simple and genius. The bag is cylindrical, with three mounting points: a Velcro strap on the stem, one on the handlebar and an adjustable plastic buckle that goes underneath the fork crown.
Rest assured, unlike a politician, this bag will not flip flop whatsoever. I did a 25-mile XC race at Kirkwood Ski Resort on some very rocky descents and the Mountain Feedbag didn’t move so much as an inch. The Mountain Feedbag has no binding or adverse effects on steering, and further, it didn’t interfere with my big fat knees when pedaling out of the saddle.
ASS (left): The ASS with his Mountain Feedbag racing the Sierra Cup at Kirkwood. Liner (right): The removable, snap-in liner is washable.
On top is an elastic cord with a cinch that can be opened and closed with one hand. The outside is made of a durable and tough Cordura fabric, while the inside is made of lightweight rip stop nylon yellow in color to easily see what’s in the bag. The outside of the bag has small mesh pockets, perfect for storing gels or other small items. As an added stroke of genius, the inner liner can unsnap so you can pull it out and hand wash it with soap and water to get the sticky-icky leftover food residue out.
For those of you who ride full-suspension bikes with one or fewer bottle cage mounts, the Mountain Feedbag can also double as a bottle holder. Slap two on the front and you can do away with that annoying hydration pack. If you ride a singlespeed, the Mountain Feedbag is akin to a liquor store paper bag for beer, except the paper bag can rip and has zero insulation properties.
Beer (left): Much better than a paper bag from the liquor store. Beer ‘n’ Tools (right): The handy side pockets can accommodate a lot, even inner tubes.
Perhaps the only drawback of the Mountain Feedbag that I experienced was altered handling dynamics from the front end of the bike depending on how much weight was in the bag. If weighted down with a big water bottle or multiple tubes and a multi-tool, an extra 1 to 2 pounds of weight in the front can make it harder to maneuver through tight and technical sections of trail.
It really comes down to what kind of riding you’ll be doing. If you’re doing long road rides, gravel grinders or non-technical mountain bike events, you can load the Feedbag down. But if you’re doing more technical adventure races, it might be best to keep the load a little lighter in front.
The Mountain Feedbag is handy. Pun premeditated.
All in all, the Revelate Designs Mountain Feedbag is a total hit for mountain bikers, roadies and randonneurs alike. It comes in four colors (camo, red, gray and black) and retails for $39. The Mountain Feedbag costs more than your typical saddle bag, but the American handmade quality, innovation and versatility make it worth every single dollar. In fact, I am getting a second one so I can have two for long adventures and bike touring.