Back at Eurobike we had a quick glance at the new Full Frame Packs from lightweight bikepacking bag maker Apidura. There wasn’t too much detail then, other than the fact that the customer feedback had led them to develop a set of bags to better fill inside the front triangle of more bikes. While their standard road and mountain frame packs essentially just offer a bit of storage under the top tube, these new Full Frame Packs do away with your typical water bottle cages altogether in the interest of stuffing even more gear into the frame and getting that weight down low. Take a closer look after the jump, as well as their new Skittle or Gummy Bear (or extra bottle) storage solution.
The newest Apidura frame bags aim to help pack a bigger load inside of the main triangle of your bike for multi-day trips. The narrow 6-8cm bag should keep most rider’s legs from brushing it, but still offers a good bit of storage and the ability to get more weight lower in the bike. An adjustable internal divider also helps separate the heavy stuff down low and lighter bis above, with two access zippers.
The 120-130£ packs offer up to 14l of storage depending on size. The are built of the same waterproof laminated fabric as their standard packs which we reviewed last fall, and with waterproof zippers will likely keep your gear pretty dry. Like those other bags the seams are not taped, steady rain will eventually find its way inside. (If you need a fully waterproof pack, it looks like you will have to wait just one month til Apidura pushes out the new series we were teased at Eurobike.) They also get a small port at the top of the headtube that lets you route a battery cable for lights or a hydration system hose giving a little more versatility.
The bag is available in three sizes S, M & L to fit a wide range of semi-sloping bikes from around a 50cm frame up to maybe a 58cm. Anything smaller or fully-compact geometry and the small might not squeeze. Any bigger, or with a totally horizontal toptube, and you maybe end up with extra space and not be able to cinch it down tight. What that means is double-check the inside dimensions of your frame to make sure it will fit. The bags also get a chamfered flat bottom that both makes them easier to pack and compatible with many carbon bikes with big, rounded bottom bracket clusters. Any questions still remaining on fit, and Apidura will be happy to help sort you out. The
As for the Food Pouch, Apidura put up an Instagram campaign to vote with likes as to what makes better on the bike fuel: Skittles or Gummy Bears. Obviously the Skittles didn’t have a chance. The bags are essentially a modular bottle sized pocket that is intended to strap onto your bar and stem for a little easy to reach storage at your fingertips. Apidura thinks it is best used for snacks or water, but the key is flexibility. We’ve already seen a few beer bottles pop up in our feeds this year, as well as talk of stashing a pair of gloves or some tools. It essentially can function like a jersey pocket that you can strap anywhere convenient.
For 35£ and 55g the Food Pouch uses a one-handed bungee to cinch closed. It has lashing points on both sides and the back making it able to fit on either side of the stem, as well as anywhere else you can think. The bottom gets a strap which lets you stabilize it down to a fork as well, or again just for more mounting flexibility. Like almost all Apidura bags, it gets a bright yellow liner to make it easier to fish out that last M&M.
