Osprey Radial II Cycling Backpack

Product Information

Also, note that if your helmet doesn’t have a ventilation slot that the keeper fits through, this won’t really work. They say riding a bike is easy because it’s a skill that you never really forget once you learn it—it’s déjà vu working in your favor. An AirSpeed backpanel is the answer to regulating your commuting temperature and a high-vis raincover keeps you seen while keeping everything protected from the elements. Simon joined BikeRadar in 2020, but has been riding bikes all his life, and racing road and time trial bikes for over a decade.

The Osprey Radial is a backpack that’s been designed and perfected with every detail with the bike commuter in mind, but it can be used for hiking and everyday carry just as well. This system places a piece of suspended mesh against your back, with the pack itself sitting about an inch away. We think this is a nice bonus for those who like to tinker with their bags and who might want to do a bit of DIY-ing. The bag’s ‘weather-resistant’ outer has a clip for your helmet, comfortable raised pads to keep your back from overheating and three elasticated open pockets.Zips are compact and flexible for shaping, but can be a weak point for waterproofing, and are also much more likely to wear out and break with heavy use. A roll-top bag, on the other hand, can be opened/closed hundreds, if not thousands, of times without any major wear and tear. A dedicated pocket inside the pack separates your cycling kit from the rest of your daily supplies, a concealed LidLock attachment point secures your helmet on the front of the pack when not in use and an integrated kickstand below keeps your gear from spilling when you set the pack down.

The Osprey Transporter Roll is a smart-looking rucksack that is comfortable and practical, but not fully waterproof. However, Osprey isn’t the first company that comes to mind when most people think of a bike commuting bag.Our expert testers have picked the best cycling backpacks on the market and put them through their paces.

All of the above thoughtful features make the Radial arguably the most comfortable backpack to wear for cycling. It isn’t wise to leave the best road cycling helmets locked to your bike, so consider if you can fit your lid in too. It turns your Radial (or any other backpack) into a pannier, and it allows you to transport other things in it too. One of them has a zipper to prevent things from falling, while the other one is fully open so you can place a larger water bottle in it. Let’s not kid ourselves though, the cyclists dedicated to commuting come rain or shine, who have made their bikes the core of their transportation, are a hardcore group.I believe that it is using the weight of the bag/load to spread the stand and provide that stability, sort of an X beam off the frame. Osprey bills this as a sunglasses pocket, and it’s properly equipped with a soft liner to avoid scratching lenses. The durable YKK zippers have super smooth travel as well as very comfortable loops for one-finger operation.

Each of the load lifters is independently adjustable, which is sweet if you’re carrying an unbalanced load and want one of the lifters tighter than the other. The Roll Top isn’t really suitable for longer commutes, however, because if you’re carrying a laptop it will press against your back through the sleeve.Up at the top is a folded nylon handle for carrying the Radial over short distances like across or between rooms. Now, I’m not particularly fussy about neatness, but if you are going to let me tidy up the straps so that they don’t flap while I’m commuting, then it’s all or nothing otherwise the remaining ones annoy you even more. The ‘LidLock’ allows you secure your helmet to outside of the bag, there is a plethora of pockets including a padded laptop sleeve and also a useful rain cover for our all too often brilliant weather. How do you make a bag that can meet the ever-changing day-to-day needs of someone who can’t just “toss things in the back of the car” when their needs change at a moment’s notice?