Review: Miss Grape Node Road 2H

Well designed, rugged and protective, the Miss Grape Node Road 2H top tube bag has just enough space for the essentials. It’s a bit fiddly to fit, but once on it’s stable and secure.

If you’ve a frame with those little eyelets in the top tube that usually just sit there unloved and ignored, the Node Road 2H is a good way to give their life some meaning – although fitting it is a bit of a challenge.

The bag is made from tough nylon fabric with a highly water-resistant PU resin coating and reflective accents, and a rigid plastic panel that fastens at the bottom of the bag to stiffness. But the overlap of the zip covering, the narrow nature of the bag, and the elasticated straps that cover the holes in the stiffening panel make it tricky to get a hand in to pass the bolt through the holes, and then operate the hex key required to tighten it.

Once tight, though, the bag does sit securely and reliably on the top tube. It’s one to fit once and leave on rather than humming and hawing about whether to remove it or not. You might be tempted to try fitting the bag without the (removable) stiffening panel at the base, but without it the bag is surprisingly floppy, so it’s best to grapple with it for optimal rigidity.

It’s a useful size – there’s plenty of space for a spare tube, multitool, patches and energy bar, or even a super-minimalist wind jacket, and the panels on the outside of the bag are good for tucking in bits and bobs such as an energy bar or gel.

If you wanted to carry your phone in it, it’s a neat fit for an iPhone 7 in a zipped protective case, and though an iPhone XR (15.5 x 8cm in a hard but minimalist protective case) just about fitted, it wouldn’t with additional protection – and without that you’re leaving your expensive gadget at the mercies of any vibration that travels through the frame and into the hard-based bag. Personally, I’d favour a rear jersey pocket if my phone was larger, with a more protective case.

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Although the bag isn’t marketed as waterproof, only water resistant, the zip and fabric put up quite a fight in heavy downpours and the contents stayed dry, though I wouldn’t want to risk expensive electronics.

The zip can be operated single-handed, if not exactly easily. The large loop zip-pull is glove friendly, though, which makes it a good choice for year-round use.

At £60 it’s definitely at the higher end of the price scale of top tube bags, even compared with other premium bags. The Apidura Racing Bolt-on Top Tube Pack is £52, for example, and the Straight Cut Top Tube Bag £55. Even the notoriously high-end Brooks offering comes in at less, its Scape Top Tube Bag £50.

There are (slightly) more budget-friendly options, though, from the likes of Alpkit with its Fuel Pod 25 at £44.99 and the LifeLine Adventure Top Tube Bag at just £15.

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That said, the Miss Grape is very well made and tough, and once in position it’s incredibly secure, so although it costs quite a bit more than many similar options on the market, to me the Miss Grape feels like a solid investment. If you don’t like a Velcro strap attachment, this is a good alternative.

Verdict

Well-made, effective and durable Velcro-free option – expensive but a solid investment