Salsa EXP Series Anything Cradle vs Topeak FrontLoader Handlebar Bag
Two handlebar bags, measured against each other on the figures that decide whether they work on a bike.
The short answer
The Topeak FrontLoader Handlebar Bag is ahead on capacity, weight, price and value per litre. Nothing measured here goes the other way. The biggest single gap is $7.50 per litre between them.
Assembled from the differences below rather than written over them. Every figure is a published measurement or computed from one — nobody here has used either one.
Where they differ
4 of the 5 things we can measure come out differently.
Capacity
3L more in the FrontLoader Handlebar BagThe maker's own figure. Worth reading alongside the dimensions below rather than on its own — two bags of the same litreage can want very different frames.
Weight
95g lighter on the FrontLoader Handlebar BagEmpty weight as published. Worth holding against capacity rather than alone — the lighter bag is not the better one if it carries a third less.
Price
$15 between themManufacturer's price as we hold it.
Per litre
$7.50 per litre between themPrice divided by the maker's capacity. A crude measure that still catches the case where the dearer bag is also the bigger one, which the price alone hides.
Side by side
Including the rows where they are level.
| Salsa EXP Series Anything Cradle | Topeak FrontLoader Handlebar Bag | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 5L | 8L |
| Width across the ends | 44cm — needs a 50cm bar | 44cm — needs a 50cm bar |
| Weight | 420g | 325g |
| Price | $75 | $60 |
| Per litre | $15.00 | $7.50 |
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