Handlebar bags are not a big seller by any stretch of the imagination. I have spent years in the bicycle trade and have probably bought more handlebar bags for myself than I have sold to customers. This is not much of an exaggeration. Then the ones I do own are just for the grand tour rather than daily usage. That bracket on my handlebars is invariably not holding anything and there is invariably a bag on my back.

As much as I adore the handlebar barbag as a product and will gladly try and sell it to customers, truth be told is that it is niche. Baskets for shopper bikes outsell bar bags 100 to 1.

To get £45 out of a UK customer for a high quality handlebar bag is hard work. I can't imagine trying to get 179 dollars out of them for a handlebar bag. I wouldn't even pay that myself even though I like this product.

The unique selling points are interesting. So it goes with gravel bikes. You can mount your phone and lights to it.

The top isn't designed to hold a map which was 1970s USP.

Let's look at what other manufacturers offer. Nowadays that top map pocket is for putting your phone in. Brackets for lights are not so common but I have LED lights on both of mine, albeit with brackets that are less than ideal.

This 179 dollar bag lacks reflective strips which is weird. I also prefer standard Klickfix brackets as I can mount my handlebar bag behind the seat on my commuting bike, thereby getting better aero and handling.

I don't think that fake pages trying to sell knock off versions of products are uncommon. Using such tales to hype your product is something else.

Admittedly it is a curious story. Common sense would tell you that the cycling world needs this product. But try selling any handlebar bag to any customer on a busy Saturday in a wealthy area where customers happily spend 350 on cycling shoes. The handlebar bag is a hard sell.