Lezyne Energy Caddy XL review

Lezyne has a long history in creating luggage options for cyclists who want a bit more than a saddlebag, and the brand's range has expanded steadily alongside the continually growing interest in gravel riding and bikepacking.

The Lezyne Energy Caddy XL is a robust creation designed to sit on the top tube and hold essential items - namely snacks. Its capacity is 0.8 litres, and I typically filled it with much more than gummy bears. On most rides my fully loaded Caddy contained a tube, mini pump, tyre levers, energy bar and my phone.

As well as the primary compartment, there are two small 'sleeve' pockets on the outside. These don't have any sort of fastening system, so would be suitable for small - not particularly valuable - items, if you're travelling on fairly smooth terrain but I tended to stick to using the main, zipped pouch.

The closure system is a zip which runs from front to rear, with a plastic covering over a looped puller. This makes the zipp easy to grab hold of and operate on the move.

The bag attaches via three straps, one to go beneath the stem (it will still fit even if you're riding slammed) and two for the top tube. The Velcro straps are quite long, so it took me a little bit of fiddling to get them tight enough on the slender aluminium tubes of the Kenesis G2 gravel bike I had on test at the time of using the Caddy.

If the straps weren't tight enough, the Caddy would move around, but if I had any overlap, the excess Velcro would rub on the inside of my thigh as I pedalled. Once carefully aligned so that the strap was secure and there was no overlap, I was sorted.  For long term use, I'd probably look at cutting the straps down in length.

For a couple of rides, I decided to try mounting the bag underneath the top tube, using the seat tube as the third loop. This worked very well in terms of limiting movement. However, I later noted that the top tube straps have a soft synthetic leather inner, whilst the steerer strap is made from a much more coarse material. Securing the bag here resulted in scratches on the seat tube. This was a user error - the bag hasn't been designed to be used in this way - but I might as well warn others not to try this at home (or at least to use some helicopter tape to protect your pride and joy).

The bag is made from robust material, and after many off-road adventures, it looks almost as good as new aside from a collection of trail dust. The fabric is water resistant, and having ridden under light rain whilst using it I had no concerns for the contents.

The stated weight is 76g; but using a set of reliable scales I got 119g after multiple 'zero+re-weigh' routines. This was post use but I can't imagine I've picked up 43g of Surrey and Kent's heaviest dust.

Coming in at £28, the price seems reasonable when weighed up against competition, and my experience with Lezyne has led me to associate the brand with good quality kit that will stand the test of time - my Caddy typically contained a Lezyne Alloy Drive pump and CRV multitool, both of which have been go-to ride companions of mine for several years.