A friend of mine recently said, "a bag is a bag is a bag". Over the years, I used various different handlebar bags to carry everyday essentials on my bike. Generally, I preferred top-tube bags, as I found it difficult to fit bags on my handlebars, whether it be a result of cables getting in the way, aerobars making it difficult to access things or just bouncing around a bit too much.

Trying to find a bag that fits the bike well, while also allowing for ease of access is a constant challenge. It also seems there are only so many ways to innovate when creating a bar bag.

Redshift Sports is known for creating unique products, such as their Kitchen Sink Loop Handlebar and Top Shelf Handlebars, and have also released bags that are specific to each of them. While being created to work in conjunction with their handlebars, there are instances where you may wish to you use them in an alternative manner.

Redshift Sports | Raising the bar on comfort

Redshift Sports was originally founded in 2013 by a team of mechanical engineers that not only happened to be friends but also keen cyclists. As amateur triathletes, this soon to be team of entrepreneurs, were intent on finding a way of making the everyday road bike more comfortable and efficient when competing in triathlons.

The development of the Switch Aero System, a combination of quick-release aerobars and a dual-position seatpost, was their first foray into the world of marginal gains. From the beginning, they wanted to take a different approach to product development and create components that would make a meaningful difference to the riding experience.

In 2016, the Redshift team released the Shockstop Stem and revolutionized the biking experience of gravel riders around the world. In 2021, a year after I started using some of their products, Redshift Sports became a sponsor of the Bikepack Adventures Podcast, giving me access to their various products to test out and make use of.

More recently, in 2024, Redshift released the Top Shelf Handlebar, something a bit more reminiscent of the BMX handlebars of old, provided tons of real estate for accessories to be attached.

First Glance

The Top Shelf Bar Bag comes in a simple cardboard box, where the only identifying mark is the sticker holding the box closed. This certainly isn't a bad thing, as I don't think there is a need to waste resources printing overly complicated packaging. Pulling the bag out of the box, you immediately notice the structure of the bag and how stable it feels in your hands.

Using black on black, the logos are minimalistic and not too in-your-face, subtly showing you they are a Redshift product with the logo on the top of the bag and the name printed in the lower left corner of the front of the bag.

I was also pretty surprised with the number of mounting points on the bag, as the top, front and bottom have webbing sewn on for attaching things to it. The bag also comes with a small section of bungee cord and a cord lock, which can be used to attach things to the webbing. On the outer right side of the bag there is a mesh pocket that can also hold some small necessities.

The real attention to detail is on the inside of the bag. With 7 pouches to help you organize your stuff, there is storage galore located throughout the bag. It has a zip pocket on the inside of the cover, large pockets inside the front and back of the bag, as well as two small pockets on both the left and right side of the bag. Even with all this accounted for, there is still a significant amount of place inside the middle of the bag to fit things like your phone, wallet or sunglasses. Heck, you could probably also stuff your windbreaker in there as well when you start to get warm.

The back of the bag has 4 velcro straps that are used to mount the bag on either the 50mm or 70mm versions of the Top Shelf Handlebar, with the ability to adjust the bottom straps depending on how much stack your bars have. Lastly, Redshift makes a pretty cool device mount that utilizes the webbing on the top of the bag to keep it in place.

Design and Construction

One of the great things about the Top Shelf Handlebar Bag is that it isn't like any other handlebar bags I've used. So often these days, it seems like every company out there has created some sort of burrito bag. However, when you first pull the bag out of the box, you immediately notice how sturdy it is.

The bag feels solid and stable, with minimal flex and bounce when attached to the handlebars. Constructed from cordura with reinforced sides and a capacity of 1.75 liters, this bag is capable of carrying all your everyday essentials, with none of the bounce of traditional burrito bags. The two side zips help ensure the bag stays closed when riding rough roads, while the magnetic flap on the handlebar side allows you to access it single-handed.

For those familiar with the Kitchen Sink Loop Handlebar Bag, Redshift has once again integrated their webbing onto the top of the bag, allowing both Garmin and Wahoo mounts to easily be attached to the top of the bag, freeing up some extra real estate on the handlebars.

The device mount uses a unique method of connecting the two pieces together in a secure manner, while having them lock into place using the provided webbing.

‍Additional webbing has also been sewn onto the front and bottom of the bag to provide for additional attachment points, which can be used to strap gear to the bag. Speaking of which, the bag comes with a section of bungee cord and a cord lock, allowing you to secure a rain jacket or other bulky item to the bag.

First Ride

In use, the bag is everything I had hoped for. Considering it attaches with 4 points of contact, there is never a worry about your bag bouncing around needlessly.

Some of the accessory pockets are pretty self-explanatory. On the side of the bag there is a small mesh pocket which is perfect for holding a InReach Mini or Spot Tracker. The smaller side pockets inside the bag are fantastic places to hold Nuun electrolytes, energy gels, single-use electrolyte packs, tire levers, tubeless tire plug kits, etc.

The inside front pocket is padded and the perfect place to put your phone to keep it protected while riding, while the inside rear mesh pocket is a great place to carry larger products that you want to easily be able to access, such as granola bars, maple syrup bottles.

The remaining area in the middle is perfect for keeping your wallet, glasses, food or gear, easily accessible. This would also likely be a perfect place to carry a small camera if you are a photographer, or maybe even your drone.

Having now used the bag on several rides paired with my Top Shelf Handlebar, on a mix of gravel and single-track, I've been pretty impressed with how stable the bag has been on the bike and how versatile it is. When it comes to organization, I like to always know where everything is in my bag, and this bag really does a good job of satisfying that need.

I'm confident as I start to use the bag more, everything will have a dedicated place, leaving the central storage area for larger, bulkier items. Initial impressions are that this is a premium bag that does a pretty great job of keeping your items safe.

Final Thoughts

Having spent years bike touring and bikepacking, this bag is the anti-thesis of my first handlebar bag, an old-school Ortlieb handlebar bag that was a literal black hole for everything that was tossed into it.

Redshift has gone above and beyond in the design of this bag, ensuring that it could be used single-handedly, securely hold lots of small items without having them all mixed together, while also designing the bag so that when it is paired to the Top Shelf Handlebar Bag, there is next to no bag bounce.

Installation can be a bit fiddly when trying to attach all 4 straps, so this is definitely not a bag you want to be regularly putting on a taking off the bike. If you are looking for a small everyday handlebar bag that you will leave on your bike, this just might do the trick.