Speed up bag

by Simon · 29/01/2014

Speed up bag

By Simon Whiten

The Speed up bag is designed ‘to speed up your cycling’

By integrating the latest aerodynamic technology with a bicycle bag, the Speed up bag may, at first glance, seem like cheating, but outside of the racing world, anything that helps people cycle a bit quicker may be a boon to cycling in general…

The makers of the Speed up bag believe that the purpose of a cycle bag is not limited to just carrying stuff and they are keen to convince us that bags are a very important part of bicycle aerodynamics.

Their aero bag project was announced on Indiegogo, claiming to be the world’s first aerodynamic bicycle bag. It offers 60% lower air resistance than normal handlebar bags and is designed to reduce the frontal air resistance experienced during cycling. The makers claim that it reduces a cyclist’s overall air resistance by as much as 15% and speeds up cycling velocity by about 6% on average.

The Speed up bag

Quite rightly they point out that cycling aerodynamics are the biggest factor acting on a cyclist’s speed and that there is a huge difference between classic bikes and aero recumbents with reduced frontal areas and fairings. They go on to say that the ‘world’s longest distance cycled in one hour for the best aerodynamic bicycles is 91.5 km (56.9 miles), whilst the classic bicycle world record is only 56.3 km (35 miles). The Speed up bag design is closing a part of aerodynamic gap between classic and best aerodynamic bicycles and because the difference is so enormous it is surprising that Speed up bag wasn’t invented before.’

Anything that helps speed up journey times for the same amount of effort will help boost cycling, so perhaps there will be a market for this innovative bag. We are not sure if those seeking increased performance from a classic racing bicycle represent a realistic market for this bag but interestingly the manufacturers also claim that it will increase the range of an electric bike by up to 10 percent, which could make it very attractive to e-riders.

Of course it still has to perform as a bag and the volume of the bag is just 4 litres, so it’s more of a day pack. Various colours and a lightweight carbon version will be available later in 2014. You can get involved on crowdfunding site, Indiegogo.

This may prove popular with the growing band of Strava segment hunters who ride for bragging rights online, if it does offer extra speed, though it’s of limited use uphill. Plus if that rider on the race bike has been annoying you on the morning commute, and you don’t want a bag that causes drag on your back or bike, and don’t carry much stuff to work with you, then maybe this is for you; it’ll certainly get you noticed as you whizz past everyone!

Speed up bag have a great little video here…